The Boston Red Sox offered salary
arbitration to designated hitter David Ortiz and right-handed
relief pitcher Dan Wheeler, General Manager Ben Cherington said
in a statement released by the team.

Free agents Ortiz, 36, and Wheeler, 33, have until Dec. 7
to accept or decline the offers. Since the team offered salary
arbitration, the Red Sox are eligible to receive two draft picks
for Ortiz — who is designated as a Type A free agent — if he
goes to another team.

Ortiz hit .309 with 29 home runs and 96 runs batted in
during 146 games with Boston last season. He finished fourth in
the American League in slugging percentage at .554 and on-base
percentage at .398. Ortiz earned $12.5 million this past season,
ESPN reported.

Wheeler was 2-2 with a 4.38 earned run average in 47 relief
appearances in his first season with the Major League Baseball
team.

The club decided against offering salary arbitration to
left-handed pitchers Erik Bedard and Trever Miller, right-handed
pitcher Tim Wakefield, outfielders J.D. Drew and Conor Jackson
and catcher Jason Varitek.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Nancy Kercheval in Washington at
nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

Qualifier: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one.

Jimmie Foxx:

Hall of Fame legend Jimmie Foxx remains one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. From 1936 to 1942, Foxx anchored the Boston Red Sox lineup with some of the best power numbers ever tallied. He maintained a .320 batting average, .429 on-base percentage and .605 slugging percentage over 887 games in Boston for a 1.034 OPS that ranks second only to Ted Williams in franchise history. He won the 1938 American League MVP, the third of his career, while also winning his second batting title. Foxx totaled 222 home runs with the Red Sox and 534 overall in his 20-year Major League career. Just four players own higher career slugging numbers and only seven have driven in more runs.

Kevin Youkilis(notes):

A three-time All-Star corner infielder for the Red Sox since 2004, Kevin Youkilis stands out as one of the great on-base hitters of today’s generation. Through 911 games with the Red Sox, Youkilis boasts a .289 average, .391 OBP and .492 slugging percentage. He has been an above average defender at both first and third throughout his career; he owns one Gold Glove and briefly held the Major League record for consecutive games without an error by a first baseman. Youkilis has posted a WAR (wins above replacement) north of 4.0 in each of the last five seasons, maxing out at 6.0 in 2008 to rank second in the AL.

Mo Vaughn:

Former AL MVP Mo Vaughn was the Red Sox’s star slugger of the 1990s. In an outstanding six-year stretch from 1993 to 1998, Vaughn batted .315 with a .405 OBP, 148 OPS+ (league average is 100) and averages of 36 home runs and 110 RBI per season. He won the 1995 AL MVP and finished in the top five in voting in two other years. Vaughn ranks seventh in Red Sox history with 230 home runs and his career .936 OPS is good for fifth.

George Scott:

Top defensive first baseman George “Boomer” Scott was a fan favorite in Boston for nine of his 14 Major League seasons from 1966 to 1979. Scott went to three All-Star Games, won eight Gold Gloves and maintained a lifetime OPS+ of 114. He enjoyed his breakout year and finished in the top ten in MVP voting with the “Impossible Dream” Red Sox of 1967 when he batted .303 with a .373 OBP and 138 OPS+. Scott hit 154 home runs with the Red Sox and 271 overall in his career.

Jake Stahl:

Jake Stahl served as player/manager for Boston’s first 100-win team and second World Series Champion in 1912. Stahl was consistently one of the best all-around hitters of his generation. Over six nonconsecutive years in Boston from 1903 to 1913, he maintained a .277 average, .350 OBP and 134 OPS+. He batted a career-high .301 in the 1912 title campaign while leading the team to a .691 winning percentage.

Honorable mentions: Dick Hoblitzell, Candy LaChance, Adrian Gonzalez(notes), Dale Alexander, Stuffy McInnis, Wally Dropo, and Kevin Millar(notes).

Sources:

Boston Red Sox Team History & Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com

More from this contributor:

Boston Red Sox top five catchers

Detroit Tigers top five catchers

Cincinnati Reds top five catchers

Chicago Cubs top five catchers

Baltimore Orioles top five first basemen

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On Tuesday October 25^th, Theo Epstein was introduced as the new president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs, leaving the Boston Red Sox with one year remaining on his contract. For their part, the Red Sox let Epstein leave in good faith, feeling that the Cubs would negotiate in good faith as to the compensation payable to the Red Sox for letting Epstein out of his deal early.

The negotiations were supposed to be simple and easily completed, yet here we are just days shy of Thanksgiving and nothing has been settled yet. Now, with talks jointly tabled until December, there is one simple reason why the two sides are still at a stalemate.

Boston gave away the upper hand by letting Epstein leave early.

Think about it for a second. With the entire spotlight on Epstein interviewing for the position and the electricity surrounding his move to rescue Chicago from its long drought, Boston could have exacted whatever it wanted from the Cubs. Yet, by letting Epstein go without having secured payment for him, they now let the Cubs have an equal say in what is a fair price for Epstein. It was a bad business decision, but it is one from which Boston can still recover.

Namely, the Red Sox should not waiver from their demand to receive pitcher Matt Garza(notes).

Certainly, it can be argued that Garza is a steep price to pay for letting a general manager out of his contract one year earlier, especially given the Cubs pitching depth. That said, it needs to be noted that the Cubs have a depleted farm system as well, having given up a king’s ransom just to acquire Garza the year prior. Without viable prospects to send to Boston in lieu of Garza, Chicago doesn’t have a whole lot of other options. Garza needs to be the starting point, period.

The Cubs are not going anywhere this season, so Garza’s place in the Chicago rotation in 2012 isn’t as important as their need to also replenish their farm system. Epstein has a great idea of what the Red Sox have available in their system, so a deal can be made here that combines compensation for Epstein as well as gives Chicago a viable return for the future.

Any return package going back to the Cubs needs to have either Anthony Ranaudo or Matt Barnes as the featured components. Ranaudo, the former LSU stand-out, split 2011 between Single-A Greenville and Single-A Salem and posted a combined 9-6 record with a 3.97 ERA and 117 strike-outs over 127 innings pitched. Barnes, Boston’s first pick in the 2011 draft, was a standout at the University of Connecticut and like Ranaudo will be on the fast track to the major leagues. The Red Sox won’t be eager to give up either, but with the chance to receive 28-year-old number two or three starter in return, Boston may be willing to flip one of the two to Chicago. Coupled with a fringe prospect like first baseman Lars Anderson(notes), who is blocked at the major league level by Adrian Gonzalez(notes), may be enough to get the deal done.

Still, any such deal comes down to a decision by Epstein and the Cubs to admit that 2012 will be a lost cause and that building toward the future is in the best interest of the club. In Epstein-speak, this would mean declaring 2012 a “bridge season”.

For the Cubs, that would be a bridge to the future. For the Red Sox, that would be bridging an obvious gap.

The author is a lifelong Red Sox fan who is looking forward to turkey and stuffing of Thanksgiving to wash away the taste of chicken and beer still lingering from the end of the Sox season.

Sources:

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The Boston Red Sox said they wouldn’t
raise ticket prices for 2012 after the team lost a nine-game
lead for a playoff spot in the final month of the Major League
Baseball season.

“Many in Red Sox Nation have experienced economic
difficulties, and every fan has gone through some trying times -
- particularly at the end of the 2011 season — as the team fell
short of our goal of reaching the postseason,” team President
Larry Lucchino said in an e-mailed statement. “The
decision to hold ticket prices next season is just one of many
ways we hope to show our gratitude.”

The team parted ways with manager Terry Francona, who led
Boston to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, after the season
and let General Manager Theo Epstein leave the team for a job
with the Chicago Cubs.

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

Departing Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein did some of his best work for Boston in the amateur draft. Epstein and his staff worked wonders on rebuilding a minor league system that was top-heavy and shallow entering the 2003 season. During Epstein’s tenure, the Red Sox have integrated a wealth of young talent including several Major League stars. He leaves the Red Sox having drafted four players who have earned All-Star invites so far, plus a very deep system with a great deal of potential down the road.

Dustin Pedroia(notes):

Boston’s second round pick in 2004 and Epstein’s best pick, Dustin Pedroia has developed into the franchise player for the Red Sox. The Red Sox drafted Pedroia out of Arizona State where he won a national Defensive Player of the Year award and twice hit .400. Two years later, he made his Major League debut. Pedroia owns an MVP, a Rookie of the Year award, a World Series ring and three All-Star selections. Through 715 games in the majors, he has a career .305 batting average with a .373 on-base percentage, 479 runs scored, 344 RBI, 75 home runs, 82 stolen bases and 24.5 wins above replacement (WAR).

Jonathan Papelbon(notes):

In 2003, the Red Sox drafted All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon in the fourth round of Epstein’s first draft as GM. After working out of the bullpen at Mississippi State, Papelbon started for the next two-plus seasons in the minors. He debuted in the majors as a starter in 2005, but when Boston needed bullpen help he returned to his familiar role and never looked back. Over the last seven seasons, he has posted a 2.33 ERA with 509 strikeouts and 17.1 WAR in 429.1 innings. He owns Boston’s all-time saves record with 219 having recorded more than 30 per season every year since 2006.

Jacoby Ellsbury(notes):

2011 American League MVP candidate Jacoby Ellsbury was Boston’s top pick in the 2005 draft. The speedy Oregon State center fielder hit at least .298 at every stop in the minors en route to his 2007 Major League debut. He played so well during his initial call-up that he displaced Coco Crisp(notes) as the starter and was a key player in Boston’s 2007 World Series Championship. After missing most of 2010 with a lingering rib injury, Ellsbury broke out with an incredible 2011 season that included a .321 average, 32 home runs, 105 RBI, 119 runs scored and 39 steals.

Clay Buchholz(notes):

All-Star starting pitcher Clay Buchholz joined the Red Sox in the supplemental first round in 2005. Buchholz mowed down minor league hitters and climbed two levels per year until bringing his outstanding four-pitch arsenal to Boston in 2007. He made an early splash with a no-hitter in just his second MLB game before having to learn to cope with his first struggles in the pros. Since permanently joining the Red Sox rotation in mid-2009, he has posted a 3.10 ERA with a 9.2 WAR in 348.1 innings.

Daniel Bard(notes):

Fireballing relief pitcher Daniel Bard was Boston’s second selection of the 2006 draft. Bard overcame control problems as a starter and became a full-time reliever in 2008 when he began bolting up the minor league ladder. Since joining the Red Sox in 2009, he has proven himself to be an excellent setup man with stretches where he is virtually unhittable. Bard has a career 2.88 ERA with 213 strikeouts in 197 innings out of the Red Sox bullpen.

Honorable mentions: Justin Masterson(notes), David Murphy(notes) and Jed Lowrie(notes).

Sources:

Boston Red Sox Team History and Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com

SoxProspects.com

William Menna is a native New Englander and longtime Boston sports fan.

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Top five free agents signed by Theo Epstein

John Lackey’s future with the Red Sox is up in the air

Red Sox playoff hopes rest on health of pitching staff

Five things to watch for in the Bruins 2011-12 season

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AP
Royals designated hitter Billy Butler hits a single in the sixth inning of Thursday’s game against the Red Sox in Kansas City. The Royals lost 4-3.

Photo by The Associated Press.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs with a pair of well-timed singles, Josh Beckett survived a shaky start to go seven innings and the Boston Red Sox got back on the winning track with a 4-3 victory Thursday night over the Kansas City Royals.

Jason Varitek drove in the other run for the Red Sox, who had lost five of their last seven games after getting shut out Wednesday by the division-rival Tampa Bay Ray.

Beckett (10-5) and the Royals proved to be the perfect matchup to turn things around. The right-hander allowed all three runs in the first three innings to improve to 7-1 in his career against them — his only loss came July 28 in Boston. Beckett also reached the 10-win plateau after failing in his four previous attempts.

Daniel Bard worked the eighth for Boston, and Jonathan Papelbon made it through a perfect ninth to extend his career-best streak to 24 consecutive saves. It was his 29th of the season.

Luke Hochevar (8-10) labored through 114 pitches in just six innings for the Royals. The former No. 1 overall draft pick allowed all four runs on eight hits and two walks, despite getting some help from his defense.

The Royals threw out three Red Sox base runners: Varitek was nabbed at second trying to stretch a single in the second inning; Crawford was thrown out by center fielder Melky Cabrera trying to score from third base on a shall flyball in the fourth; and Pedroia was thrown out at second base by catcher Salvador Perez, who made an alert play after a late throw to the plate on Pedroia’s RBI single in the fifth.

Alex Gordon hit a tying two-run homer in the third inning for Kansas City, and he also scored on a sacrifice fly by Billy Butler in the first, playing a significant role in all the Royals’ runs.

Boston didn’t waste any time matching Kansas City in the second. Josh Reddick doubled leading off and came home on Varitek’s two-out single. The Red Sox then pulled ahead in the third when Mike Aviles singled against his former team, Ellsbury walked, both advanced on a groundout and came scored on Pedroia’s single.

Alcides Escobar led off the bottom half of the third with a single, and Gordon followed by slapping a pitch from Beckett over the left-field wall to tie the game. His 16th homer matched a career high.

The Red Sox nearly pulled ahead in the fourth when Crawford reached on a single, swiped second base and then stole third — replays showed he should have been called out.

Aviles lofted a shallow fly to center moments later, and Cabrera caught it on a jog and unloaded toward home in one motion. Perez fielded the throw, turned and braced himself as Crawford barreled into him at the plate, holding on for the out.

It was the 21st time a Royals outfielder has thrown out someone at the plate, leading the major leagues.

Undaunted, the Red Sox pulled ahead in the fifth.

Jed Lowrie doubled with one out and came around to score on a two-out single by Pedroia, who added a double in the eighth inning for a three-hit game.

Beckett and the bullpen made the lead stand up the rest of the way.

Notes: The Red Sox placed 3B Kevin Youkilis on the DL with a sore back. C Ryan Lavarnway, called up from Triple-A Pawtucket, made his major league debut as DH and went 0-for-4. … Boston designated LHP Randy Williams for assignment to clear roster space for Lavarnway. … Butler finished 3-for-3. … Jeff Francis (4-13) takes the mound for Kansas City tonight. He goes against Boston’s Andrew Miller (4-1).