Red Sox to save 13.25 million

[StevieDude]

Ryan Dempster in a sign of respect to Arod will sit out the season too and the Red Sox will be off the hook for paying him his salary of 13.25 million for the upcoming season. Unlike Arod I think he just retires but every article just references 2014.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/16/ryan-dempster-will-sit-out-the-2014-season/

 

[Deepster]

Gee. Where are they ever going to find another .500 pitcher with a 4.50 ERA for 13m a year?

 

[Danzz]

He wasn't going to be in the starting rotation and $13.25 MM is a lot to pay for a long reliever. It sounds like he (like Jeter) is tired of dealing with injuries and the general difficulty of getting in shape for another long season. Good luck to him.

 

[60'sfan]

I have to tip my hat to Ryan Dempster for his decision. He could have hung around and collected a lot of money but he elected to go out gracefully. I don't think he will try a comeback but you never know. If he does anything, it will probably be with a national league team.

 

[Husky25]

He wasn't going to be in the starting rotation and $13.25 MM is a lot to pay for a long reliever. It sounds like he (like Jeter) is tired of dealing with injuries and the general difficulty of getting in shape for another long season. Good luck to him.

Major league contracts are guaranteed. If the Sox waived Dempster, they are still obligated to pay him. The only similarity between Dempster and Jeter is that their contract expire at the end of 2014. Jeter is playing this year. Dempster is not. I don't begrudge Jeter, he didn't want to go out on the sour note that 2013 provided (i.e. 25 games), but he is collecting the final year $20M of his deal. Good luck to him. I hope he does well, except when he plays the Red Sox. In which case I hope the Yankees as a team go 0 for 513.

Dempster went to Spring Training and determined that he couldn't (or didn't want to do it). He could have gone on the DL and faked his way through the season and the Sox would have been obligated to pay him. For whatever reason, he chose not to do that.

 

[Danzz]

Major league contracts are guaranteed. If the Sox waived Dempster, they are still obligated to pay him. The only similarity between Dempster and Jeter is that their contract expire at the end of 2014. Jeter is playing this year. Dempster is not. I don't begrudge Jeter, he didn't want to go out on the sour note that 2013 provided (i.e. 25 games), but he is collecting the final year $20M of his deal. Good luck to him. I hope he does well, except when he plays the Red Sox. In which case I hope the Yankees as a team go 0 for 513.

Dempster went to Spring Training and determined that he couldn't (or didn't want to do it). He could have gone on the DL and faked his way through the season and the Sox would have been obligated to pay him. For whatever reason, he chose not to do that.

Yes and that was my point. Dempster didn't play games and left $13.25MM on the table. I thought it was a classy move on his part.

 

[The Viking]

Hopefully they save most of it for a potential Cliff Lee trade if the Phillies have a rough year

 

[Danzz]

Hopefully they save most of it for a potential Cliff Lee trade if the Phillies have a rough year

Cliff Lee would be great but the Sox pitching rotation is in good shape. Of course all that changes with 1 injury.

 

[Waquoit]

Cliff Lee would be great but the Sox pitching rotation is in good shape. Of course all that changes with 1 injury.

Whadya you think about Doubront? Do you think his strong post-season sets him up to make a leap forward this year? If so...

 

[60'sfan]

As of now the Sox have Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholtz, Felix Doubront and Jake Peavy in the starting rotation. Waiting in the wings are Brandon Workman, Drake Britton, Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster. On the way are Henry Owens, Anthony Ranaudo and Uconn's own Matt Barnes. I don't think they need Cliff Lee.

 

[Husky25]

Word is that Felix showed up in shape this year. I don't know why, but I'm more concerned with Peavy.

 

[Danzz]

Whadya you think about Doubront? Do you think his strong post-season sets him up to make a leap forward this year? If so...

Doubront has good stuff but he has to start throwing fewer pitches, go deeper in the game and put less pressure on the bullpen. The talent is there but we'll have to see. He is one darn good looking #5 starter.

 

[Danzz]

Word is that Felix showed up in shape this year. I don't know why, but I'm more concerned with Peavy.

I am too. He has lost a lot of velocity from his ace days and looked very average last season.

 

[Waquoit]

Doubront has good stuff but he has to start throwing fewer pitches, go deeper in the game and put less pressure on the bullpen. The talent is there but we'll have to see. He is one darn good looking #5 starter.

Of course, but he's still on the come. I think he keeps improving. I have a question for the board, who's going to have a better year - Felix or C.C.? Is the answer as cut and dried as you might think on your first take?

 

[Waquoit]

On the way are Henry Owens.... I don't think they need Cliff Lee.

I heard them gushing about Henry Owens on EEI. Can anyone here add some insight?

 

[Husky25]

I heard them gushing about Henry Owens on EEI. Can anyone here add some insight?

6'-6" Lefty who jumped two spots last year and is 23-11 in the low minors (Only 3-1 in AA). He'll probably start the year in Portland as their Ace. He may get a cup of coffee in September, but he has a lot of pieces in front of him.

 

[60'sfan]

Here's some info on Henry Owens. He is considered to be the number three prospect behind Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr.

Henry Owens Portland Sea Dogs | Pitcher

Age: 21Born: July 21, 1992
Huntington Beach, CAHeight: 6-7Weight: 200Bats: LeftThrows: LeftDrafted: Supplemental 1st round, 2011How Acquired: DraftHigh School: Edison (CA)
ETA: 2015

Photo © William Parmeter

Links
2012 Prospect Preview
Owens using size to advantage (3.20.12)
Owens fans seven in short outing (4.25.12)
The Book: Henry Owens (6.4.12)
2013 Prospect Preview
Owens features harder breaking ball in High A debut (4.9.13)

Scouting Report: Left-hander with an excellent frame, but needs to add strength. Loose thrower with low energy when expending delivery from 3/4 arm slot. Possesses an 88-92 mph fastball with late tail. Inconsitantly tops out at 94 mph. Potential to add sitting velocity with physical development. Below-average fastball command. Needs to fine tune command and pitchability in early pro career. 74-76 mph curveball shows deep break and hard bite. Finishes the pitch well to create consistent snap. Commands offering well, with ability to throw for strikes. Plus-to-better potential. Also throws his curve slower at 66-69 mph to pick up strikes. Loose and on the loopy side. Low-80s changeup grades as above-average, having improved quite a bit in his early yeats. Feels pitch well, but can leave it up in the zone where it tends to float. Needs work finishing consistently. Deceptive delivery. Hides fastball well in motion causing it to jump on opposing hitters. Mature demeanor on mound. Needs to put on weight to handle rigors of starting as a professional and build stamina to hold stuff deep into games. Highly projectable. Ceiling of a second/third starter on a first-division team.

Links (cont.)
Owens strikes out 10 in combined no-hitter (7.17.13)
Scouting Scratch: Henry Owens (8.14.13)
2013 Top 40 Season in Review

Pitching Stats
year team lg level org age w l % era g gs sv ip h r er hr bb so whip k/bb k/9
2011 Edison Hs HS --- 18 11 0 1.000 1.10 13 --- 2 77.0 41 --- 10 --- 25 114 0.86 4.56 13.32
2012 Greenville SAL A Bos 19 12 5 0.706 4.87 23 22 0 101.7 100 58 55 10 47 130 1.45 2.77 11.51
2013 Salem Car A Bos 20 8 5 0.615 2.92 20 20 0 104.7 66 39 34 6 53 123 1.14 2.32 10.58
2013 Portland East AA Bos 20 3 1 0.750 1.78 6 6 0 30.3 18 8 6 3 15 46 1.09 3.07 13.65
Additional Player Info

 

[Husky25]

Good stuff 60s Fan. Workman, Webster, and possibly Barnes are ahead of Owens at this point. His name will be the first to pop up in any trade talks in July, but Owens may not see Yawkey Way with a B on his cap until 2015, 9/2014 at the earliest.

 

[60'sfan]

Good stuff 60s Fan. Workman, Webster, and possibly Barnes are ahead of Owens at this point. His name will be the first to pop up in any trade talks in July, but Owens may not see Yawkey Way with a B on his cap until 2015, 9/2014 at the earliest.

Here's some more info on Owen.
"When mentioning young pitchers who could help this year, Farrell mentioned Henry Owens as a possibility. This shows how highly the organization thinks of Owens, as he was drafted out of high school less than three years ago. While he will not match the pace of Jose Fernandez from that 2011 draft, he is on a similar timetable as Archie Bradley, who is considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball."
He might surprise us all. If he has Farrell's attention, that says a lot.

 

[Waquoit]

Thanks, sounds promising.

 

[mauconnfan]

CC or Felix? Hmmmmmmm……….

 

[FrostyNuggets]

A couple nuggets from Keith Law on his chat today:

1-Henry Owens was outside of the top 100 prospects at beginning of last year because his fastball topped out at 88-89; as season progressed last year he was consistently 92-93. Said his ceiling is a #2.
2-Said he thought first starter up from the minors, if injuries deem it necessary.....Matt Barnes.

....Law is pretty good, usually a decent proxy for what scouts are thinking, but certainly not flawless. He wrote in late August last year the Sox made a mistake with calling up Bogaerts.

 

[Waquoit]

....Law is pretty good, usually a decent proxy for what scouts are thinking, but certainly not flawless. He wrote in late August last year the Sox made a mistake with calling up Bogaerts.

As flaws go, that's a doozy!