COVERITLIVE.COM

11:54

Boston.com - Hi Boston.com chatters. Chad will be here in a few minutes, but feel free to begin submitting questions now . . .

12:09

Chad Finn - Hey guys -- thanks as always for stopping by. Not sure if you heard, but there's a big birthday today -- J.D. Drew turns 34! (Also, it's my b-day. And like J.D., I'm both overly patient and injury prone). While I hum a few bars of "A Pirate Looks at 40," let's talk Sox hot stove, Pats-Jets, and anything else that's on your mind . . .

12:09

[Comment From David O]
Will Theo give in to Jason Bay for 5 years or stick to his guns at 4? Either way, how soon does Bay turn into a 1 dimensional DH and a contract the Sox regret?

12:11

Chad Finn - I think he sticks to his guns at 4 years -- I suspect they'd rather go three years and an option. Bay isn't one dimensional yet -- he's an extremely efficient basestealer, for one thing -- but he will be in his mid-30s if not sooner. I've mentioned this before, but Dave Cameron at U.S.S. Mariner had a great post explaining why Seattle should not sign Bay, making a frighteningly compelling comparison to Richie Sexson at the same age. I want Bay back, but on the Sox' terms, and if he gets a five-year deal elsewhere, I'll be cool with letting him walk.

12:13

Chad Finn - Here's another interesting look at Bay regarding where he hits the ball and what pitches he hits -- it's not too surprising, since Sox fans know he's a fastball-crushing pull hitter, but it's interesting to see it all charted out. http://www.baseballanalysts.com/

12:13

[Comment From David O]
Isn't Holliday - being a better athlete than Bay - worth the extra dough? Theo can hold his nose and negotiate at the same time. (We need a big bat. Don't look at me.)

12:15

Chad Finn - Depends on how much extra. If Boras is asking for Teixeira money, then no, he isn't. According to most defensive metrics, Holliday is a superior outfielder -- though, as we saw in the NLDS, he's also one who'd better wear a cup at all times. I don't think either is the second coming of Yaz in left field, though. In the end, you're paying both of them for what they can provide offensively more than anything else, and in that case, it's too close to call as to who is the better hitter.

12:15

[Comment From Reginald]
Are these the real Belichick mistakes: not signing Samuel, not cutting Maroney and moving on at RB, trading Seymour and Vrabel?

12:19

Chad Finn - Yep, nope, and nope, and the caveat is that they probably should have signed Samuel sooner, though it's easy to forget that he was a pretty frustrating player as recently as 2006. I have no problem with trading either Vrabel or Seymour. Vrabel had slowed down a lot -- he has one sack, one forced fumble, and 30 tackles this season. Looks like an example of trading for a player at exactly the right time, and the defense absolutely had to get faster. As for Seymour, I suppose they could still use him, but they got a No. 1 pick from him, and he probably wasn't going to re-sign after this season anyway. As for Maroney, the fumble hurt, but he's a useful player.

12:19

[Comment From Birdy L]
How does it feel to be a middle-aged man?

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