Red Sox Trade For Second Baseman, Tony Thomas

Today, the Red Sox traded minor league reliever Robert Coello for Cubs' second baseman Tony Thomas. Last season, at the Cubs' AA affiliate, the Tennessee Smokies, Thomas went .276/11/73, as he did pretty well. This was Thomas's best season as it looks like he is improving, as in 2009 was also his best season so far. Robert Coello, on the other hand, went 3-5/4.22/79 with the Red Sox' AAA affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox last year. I would guess that the Sox would try to groom Thomas into a shortstop or a third baseman, as they have Dustin Pedroia at second base. This move probably isn't going to effect the Red Sox, at least this season, although it may in a few years.

Pitchers and Catchers Reporting For Duty

This morning, every pitcher and catcher that the Red Sox have invited to Spring Training was there as this is the second big event towards the season (the first was truck day). Many Red Sox were already there actually, as the entire starting rotation was already at Ft. Myers and much of the bullpen. However, today was the day that big offseason acquisitions Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler arrived to camp. Josh Beckett (right), John Lackey, and Daisuke Matsuzaka have all had great offseasons, according to Terry Francona. They all had rough years in 2010 and look to want to turn it around in 2011, and I think they will. I'm so excited, poisition players report Thursday, the 17th!

Red Sox Sign Former Japanese Rookie Of The Year

The Red Sox are very close to agreeing on a deal with Japanese pitcher, Itsuki Shoda. Shoda won the Rookie Of the Year Award way back in 2002 with the Nippon Ham Fighters, going 9-11/3.45/90 in 23 games. However, he has never been able to replicate his success since that season until he moved to the Sinon Bulls, in Taiwan before the 2009 season. The level of play is worse in Taiwan, but he has done well there, going 11-5/2.81/116 in 32 games last year and 14-6/4.44/115 in 2009. He will be the fourth Japanese pitcher on the Red Sox, along with Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, and Junichi Tazawa. I hope he does well for the Sox even though we probably will not see him a lot, if at all.

Red Sox Arriving To Camp All Over

There are many Red Sox players who have been motivated to come to camp early this year as opposed to only a few last year. This players include four of five members of the starting rotation (Beckett, Lackey, Lester, and Matsuzaka), the core of the bullpen (Daniel Bard (right) and Jonathan Papelbon), the corner infield (Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis), and oh, so many prospects. Daniel Bard is very excited about the additions to the bullpen, especially Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler. Adrian Gonzalez seems to be progressing ahead of schedule with his shoulder, and he has a date with the batting cage on March 1, he thinks he will be ready for Opening Day. I am more excited than ever about the upcoming season!

Red Sox Sign Alfredo Aceves

Today, the Red Sox signed former Yankees reliever Alfredo Aceves. In 2010, he injured his back and was limited to 10 games in which he went 3-0/3.00/2, however he had a great year in 2009, going 10-1/3.54/69. The Sox will have a very crowded bullpen this year, as it is a major league deal worth $650,000, however if he goes back down to the minor leagues it is only worth $250,000. Aceves will probably compete with Scott Atchison for that righty middle reliever spot. Today was also Truck Day for the Red Sox, meaning the truck with all the Red Sox' equipment is going down to Florida. Both Aceves and the truck going down to Florida are great things for the Sox.

Red Sox Interested In Former Yankee, Aceves

The Red Sox have shown interest in free agent reliever, Alfredo Aceves. Aceves has played for the Yankees the past three seasons before getting non-tendered last season after a back injury. Aceves was limited to 10 games last year, going 3-0/3.00/2. However, Aceves had a fantastic season in 2009, going 10-1/3.54/69 in 43 games, as a big part of that '09 championship team for the Yankees. Also, in those 43 games, he threw 84 innings, meaning he can throw about two innings out of the bullpen if he has to. This would be a good move that could help the Red Sox a lot, in the very least, for depth, however, I don't really see it happening.

Another Option For Lefty Reliever

Last night, the Red Sox signed left-handed reliever, Dennys Reyes to a minor league contract. Last year, Reyes went 3-1/3.55/25 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He will be 33 years old on Opening Day, so even though the details of the contract are unknown, I would guess it's a one year deal, most minor league deals are. It appears now that the Red Sox have added another lefty into the mix for that position. He actually seems like a better option than Hideki Okajima to me, seeing as in every year since 2005, he has had better stats than Okajima had last year. He also had a monster year in 2006 with the Twins, going 5-0/0.89/49. I think this will wind up being a good pickup for the Red Sox, and I think he is a good option for the lefty out of the 'pen spot.

The Second Birthday Of Sox.Rox

Today is the second birthday of Sox.Rox, and it seems like just yesterday I was in Dick's Sporting Goods and told my dad I wanted to start a blog about the Red Sox. Two full seasons and offseasons of Red Sox coverage, and in June 2010, I made a record 33 blog posts. The one complaint I have, that I hope to change this year, is that I have never blogged a playoff win, the Sox got swept in the ALDS by the Angels in '09, and they didn't make the playoffs last year. But what with Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez coming to Boston, along with the great core of players they have, I am filled with optimism. I hope for another great year for the Red Sox, and for Sox.Rox!

Red Sox Announce Non-Roster Invitees

Today, the Red Sox announced 4 minor league free agent signings, and the 20 non-roster invitees to Spring Training. The four minor league free agents are Paul Hoover, Tony Pena Jr. (right), Matt Fox, and Hector Luna. Pena is an interesting story as he was the Royals' starting shortstop in 2007 and 2008, but has switched to relief pitcher. The 20 invitees are pitchers Rich Hill, Andrew Miller, Randy Williams, Jason Bergmann, and Brandon Duckworth, Matt Fox, Tony Pena Jr., Jason Rice, Clevelan Santeliz, Kyle Weiland, and Alex Wilson. The position players include Tim Federowicz, Paul Hoover, Ryan Lavarnway, Brent Dlugach, Hector Luna, Nate Spears, Drew Sutton, Che-Hsuan Lin, and Juan Carlos Linares. I am excited for Spring Training, and 14 of these players will be reporting on February 14th.

Red Sox Improve Catching Depth

Yesterday, the Red Sox signed 34 year old minor league catcher, Paul Hoover. Last year, in 9 games with the Phillies, he went .227/0/2, as his best season came in... I don't really know, they're all pretty bad, as he's never hit a home run in his career, and his career high in RBIs are two. The deal is just a minor league deal, and I'd personally be surprised if it's more than 6 digits. Mark Wagner and Luis Exposito will be the main catchers at AAA Pawtucket this year, so maybe he will go to AA Portland. Also, just a reminder, tomorrow is Sox.Rox's 2nd birthday, I hope you come leave a comment. Back to the point, this move won't really effect the Red Sox much unless they are ravaged by injuries again.