COVERITLIVE.COM

11:53

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

12:10

Chad Finn - Hey guys -- Thanks for stopping by, and hope you had a great holiday. If anyone has an extra turkey sandwich kicking around, you know where to find me. From the looks of the questions, there's some angst over Alex Gonzalez's somewhat surprising departure, so let's get to it . . .

12:11

[Comment From Josh]
Am I crazy to think I'd rather have Halladay with an extension at 'whatever it costs' rather than Gonzalez or Cabrera, or any bat for that matter? I think with re-signing Bay, their offense is fine if Papi does ANYTHING before June, and adding Halladay in Buchholz spot is about as good as losing a savings bond that'll take 3-5 years to be worth $1,000 and finding $10,000 in cash.

12:16

Chad Finn - Yep, you're crazy. In a vacuum, of course I'd love to see Halladay on the Sox, but I can't imagine they're going to give up Buchholz AND Kelly -- two pitchers who could be key members of their staff at a reasonable rate for a half-decade -- for a 33-year-old who is going to be looking for something around $18 million per season for five years. It makes sense for next year. It makes no sense for the five years beyond that.

12:16

[Comment From Patrick]
A lot of the talking heads are saying the Saints need a defining win on Monday but what about the Patriots needing a defining win, their two game this season when the lights were the brightest they lost (@NY and @ Ind), NE needs to win Monday to establish they can beat a top team on the road.

12:19

Chad Finn - I don't agree that the Saints need a definining win -- they're 10-0, they're leading the league in points, total offense, fifth in rushing, a respectable 12th in total defense . . . people should believe in Brees and Co. as legitimate Super Bowl contenders by now. As for the Patriots, yeah, it probably does mean more for them, at least in terms of perception. And since barring something totally unexpected they're probably going to have to go on the road at least once in the playoffs, it's relatively important to prove that they can beat a good team on the road.

12:19

[Comment From Joseph]
What are your thoughts on the weekend shifts for WEEI and the Sports Hub? I personally stick with 98.5 all day everyday.

12:24

Chad Finn - Always enjoy Mutnansky and Bradford (full disclosure: I've long done a weekly spot with Mike on his show in New Hampshire and like him a lot personally). I think NFL Sunday is WEEI's most enjoyable show; it's casual and friendly, and Chris Price and Christian Fauria are terrific additions. On 98.5, Gasper and Bertrand are enjoyable, and I'm always amused by readers who seem surprised that Shaughnessy (who's paired with the up-and-coming Adam Jones) comes across as a nice guy on the radio. I like that one a lot, too. Haven't heard much of Trupe and Hardy, and Mustard and Johnson at least seem to enjoy what they do.

12:24

[Comment From Patrick]
Please dont tell me the Red Sox are going to throw a 3 year deal at Marco Scurto, I have seen this script before, he will play here 2 year then they will pay another team to take him in year 3.

12:28

Chad Finn - To paraphrase the great Troy Brown: "Bingo. Patrick's got bingo." At age 33, in his sixth full season, Scutaro had his first season with an adjusted OPS above 100. He had career highs in steals, walks, homers, slugging, OPS, OBP . . . pretty much everything. He is a good defensive shortstop and he's patient (90 walks last year), but I'm very skeptical that he's as good as he seemed last year. I hope they have an alternative plan in place that no one is aware of yet, and I hope the Jays still offer him arbitration so the Sox would be less tempted to sign him.

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