He completely blew it with Texeira and now we will have to gut the farm AND pay out a Tex like salary if we want to get Adrian Gonzalez. Even tho Tex wasnt that big a factor in the series his mere presence alone seemed to calm Arod down and take the pressure off him.

Theo has done a wonderful job with the farm and since he came on the scene we have a number of exciting young players but some of the free agents have underwhelmed to put it mildly.

I think some of the blame for this years mess has to fall on the front office for not getting teixeira when we had the chance. Im not saying Theo should be fired mind you, but i am saying this is an important offseason for the transition of the team.

Extend Beckett, Trade for Tulowitski or jose reyes or Hanley. No more holes in the order! Check the catcher market again, Salty, Martin, Mauer, and perhaps check the status of halladay and King Felix. For the most part theo has done ok but ultimately i believe he needs to take some risks this offseason.

The heat is on Theo, turn up that stove and make us champs again, i still believe. Go Red Sox!!!

He didn't blow it with Texeira. People really need to stop saying that. It was clear that he wanted to go to the Yankees. Don't you realize that if we got Texeira we most likely would not have gotten Victor Martinez? We would have had to sit through Varitek in the lineup while someone like Lowell sat out most of the season (unless hee was traded). And than we would have had a hole at catcher for next season, which is a lot harder to fill than a good first basemen.

"He completely blew it with Texeira"

Do you think there was some amount of money the Red Sox could have offered Teixeira that the Yankees would not have topped?

"i believe he needs to take some risks this offseason."

You don't think he's taken risks?

I agree, Theo should go all out to win next year, acquire any and all FA's, trade the farm.

I hope he starts this afternoon by raising ticket and teashirt prices.

Double the prices, just win now!!!

texiera never wanted to come here.

It's kind of funny how some around here will claim Theo needs to take some risks this off season, yet so many around here complain on end about the players he has done just that with. After all, wasn't that essentially what he did with Drew and Lugo and the contracts he gave them before the 2007 season? Both were likely given slightly richer and longer deals than they really deserved, but were given them because the Sox had some clear needs at the positions they played. Yet I can't think of any 2 players who have been complained about more in the time since then as those 2.

It's even funnier when some of these same posters who are the first to complain come out with comments about how they'd be happy if Theo makes moves like that again and it pays off with another WS win even if it means not winning again for a few years after that one more. Isn't that what happened with Drew and Lugo were signed? Yet they aren't happy now. But then again short of winning the WS every year from here to the end of time I don't know what would make some of them happy.

I love this nonsense about how the RS "blew it" with Teixeira. HOW? There was never any possiblity he was coming to Boston. You tell us how the RS were going to sign him when the Yankees had obviously already told Borus they would beat any offer any other team made. So explain to us how the RS were going to sign him.

And you talk about making trades to keep up with the Yankees. You can't keep up with them making trades. Trades cost you players. The RS lose several players making a trade, and meanwhile that Yankees add players by signing FAs, losing ZERO players to do it. It won't work. Say the RS traded for Gonzalez or Handley Ramirez, losing at least one front line player to do it, plus they probably lose Bay as a FA. Meanwhile the Yankees sign either Bay or Holliday and lose no one off their roster to do it. Who comes out ahead on those deals?

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Edited 11/5/2009 11:49 am ET by wgman062

Great point, Ken. So many have become jaded or spoiled here that it's hard to believe many of them suffered the majority of their lives without seeing a championship……

True to a point, but we did have to give up a couple quality arms to acquire Martinez. With Tex, all that it took was cash. I also hope they extend Martinez, because I do like Masterson and felt Hagadone had some potential. It would have also been nice to have Tex and also trade for Martinez, which would have been absolutely possible. To be fair, at the time I thought the price was to high for Tex. Looking back, I was probably wrong. JMO

I agree, Ken. I don't want to see risks, I'd rather go all out for more surer players.

I have to laugh at our RSN brethren (and uninformed Yankee fans) who toss million dollar figures around under the auspices of "John Henry's got it". They seem to ignore the $660 MILLION DOLLAR investment the ownership group has in the franchise........like it's play money.

No Ken--most on here didn't want Lugo or Drew brought in at all. Lugo was NEVER anything special in TB and most here didn't like his background OFF the field either. He was a TERRIBLE signing and that IS on Theo . He overpaid for a guy who NEVER was that good. Should have just kept Gonzalez if no-one else than Lugo was available. Most on here are saying they'll be OK with Gonzo back next yr if it happens.

Drew is a little different. Most didn't want him here because of his past injury woes which have been a bit better in Boston. Theo overpaid at the time but the contract doesn't look all that bad now in today's market. And Drew has been OK with brief flashes of brilliance. It would probably help him if he showed a little more emotion especially when he just stands there and takes a called 3rd strike in a critical situation. Still I'm SOMEWHAT OK with that signing but it ain't that great either.

Theo does need to stop with all these 'low risk" signings and bring in some real talent. He has done a nice job with the farm system but the idea was to compliment that with some decent FA signings or trades. Victor Martinez was good but the trade will only be good long term if he is extended. If he leaves after 2010 then it's not such a good deal. Who is the last good FA signing Theo has made?

Theo has lots of work to do this off season to bring us up to the elite status again. We have slipped well behind the NYY and this yr proved that.

So why is then that Theo doesn't sign some Tier 1 FA's? We certainly can afford it. While the NYY sign the 3 they signed last offseason we signed broken down guys and for pretty good coin too except Baldelli. Maybe there should just be a 2 week period where the Yankees get exclusive rights to whatever FA's they want and then the rest of the teams can pick at the remains.

The way I see it we can improve 2 ways this offseason. Either we improve our offense by making a big trade for a Gonzalez type or we load up on SP. Gonzalez likely will cost us some of our farm but there is a deal there if Theo does it. Then he can sign one of these "low risk" pitchers. I think if we improve our offense then our SP with a low risk signing IS good enough providing we also re-sign Bay. If we don't bolster our offense then I think we need to look at our SP.

That would mean signing John Lackey or possibly a Felix or Halladay trade. Lackey costs us nothing but cash and I think both Felix and Halladay will cost more in a deal than Gonzalez would.

I will fully admit to being spoiled somewhat but it is what it is.

Teixeria WAS a sure player.

Teixeira was a SURE player sure. He just never wanted to come to Boston so stop complaining.

hey im a sore loser....give me a little time to whine ok? lol...

What would I complain? We got Rocco Baldelli instead!

Your joking right...Your complaining we didn't get Tex when HE DIDN'T WANT TO COME HERE...really i don't know what you don't get about that...also the fact the Yankees were going to bid as much as it took so it didn't really matter.

How were they supposed to sign any first teir FAs last year when the Yankees totally blew everyone away with their bids? What were they going to do, bid on Manny? ;)