Julian Tavarez's stay with the Brewers did not last long. After choosing free agency over signing with the PawSox he was 0-1 with an ERA of 8.59 in seven appearances in Milwaukee before being DFA'd. Tavarez has 10 days to accept the assignment in AAA or become a free agent again. I wonder if his World Series Ring got there in time.
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After declining to report to the PawSox and becoming a free agent, it looks like Julian Tavarez has found work with a big league club. The Brewers will sign Tavarez after he passes a physical today and activate him tomorrow for the Atlanta game. He will join the Brewers pen. You would think after making the mistake of picking up a Red Sox reject (Gagne) the Brewers would not go down the same road again. I think Tavarez could be a decent starter for a National League club but he is not much of an asset in the pen.
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Last week Julian Tavarez accepted an assignment with the PawSox but Thursday he called them to say he would become a free agent. The Sox are still on the hook for his $3.5 million salary.
Julian Tavarez told Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe that if he wasn't going to be a pro ball player, he might've been interested in getting into the adult motion picture industry.
Julian Tavarez may be traded by week's end but don't expect much for him. Extra Bases reported that the Rockies and other teams were not willing to give up any decent prospects even with the Sox eating most of his salary.
Julio Lugo missed another game last night with a mild concussion but Tito says that he is day to day and may see action tonight. Cora has gone 6-8 since he returned from the DL. Check back later for the lineup.
Ken Rosenthal reported that the Red Sox inquired about Mark Loretta during spring training as insurance in the infield. I saw Loretta go 1-5 last night at AT&T Park bringing his average down to the Mendoza Line, not an improvement over Lugo. I think with the production we have seen out of Lowrie the need is no longer there.
Julian Tavarez has been designated for assignment to make a roster spot for Sean Casey who is returning from the DL. Most people believed that Craig Hansen would be sent back down but today the Sox have decided to keep him and send Julian packing. Tavarez did not pitch well in relief this season with an ERA over 6. It is very likely that the Sox will trade Julian before the 10 day deadline or they will be forced to waive him. Teams including the Rockies have shown interest in him as a starter, a position where he has proven to be somewhat effective in recent years. If you believe Manny he may be headed to Milwaukee for the bratwurst...or is it the chorizo?
Thanks to The Bottom Line for the tip.
The circus has left town but the Red Sox and Dodgers still have one more exhibition game to play, this time at Dodger Stadium in front of a much smaller crowd. In the final tuneup before
the regular season resumes for Boston there will not be much pressure on most of the players. The two exceptions are Tek and Buchholz. Jason Varitek is in the middle of a bad slump and needs to get a hit or just make some solid contact to get his swing going before Tuesday. For Buchholz, this could be a make or break game; if he continues to struggle he may find himself joining el Gordo in Pawtucket for the start of the season. Buchholz has an ERA of 9.35 this spring and has not solidified his spot in the rotation. Tavarez and Snyder have not done much to earn the spot either but both have more experience in the majors. Buchholz was very hyped up in the off season and seen as an instant addition to the roster. Reports of his intensive training before camp had many fans thinking he could be the number 3 guy. Now Buchholz finds himself in the position where he has to go 4-5 solid innings today to earn a spot in the rotation, if he gets shelled again Tito will have a hard choice to make. Today's game is at 1:10 Pacific but is not on TV, you can listen to it on WEEI, XM, or Gameday Audio.
With less than a week before the new start of the regular season the 5th spot in the rotation is still up in the air. The Red Sox wanted Clay Buchholz to be there from the start but he has not pitched well this spring with an ERA over 9. When they aquired Colon they thought he would take a month or two to get his speed up to major league level but he was able to do that much more quickly. The next two games in L.A. will help determine who will win the spot. Bartolo "el Gordo" Colon will fly out to meet the team in L.A. today (hopefully he doesn't get a middle seat) He will start Friday's game exhibition game against the Dodgers. If he pitches well he could very well be named the 5th starter. Clay Buchholz pitches Sunday against the Dodgers in a game where he must pitch well or he will start the season out of the rotation. Colon has an incentive clause in his contract if he starts the team in the majors so to save money Boston will try to go with Buchholz, but if Clay has another bad outing and Colon pitches well; Bartolo gets the spot. Don't forget if they both stink it up Tavarez is lurking in the background and would be happy to go back to the rotation.
Read more...It's only the second inning in today's Sox-Twins game in Ft. Myers, but one thing is already clear: Buchholz is not ready for the regular season. He's already given up two taters and hit a batter. He's given up 3 earned runs in the game so far.
Meanwhile Tavarez goes 2.2 giving up 4 hits and 2 walks and 4 earned runs. Does anyone want to be the 5th starter? Bartolo, the door is open maybe you can squeeze through.(no pun intended)
Jacoby is 0-2.....is Santana still available?
Papelbon goes 2 innings giving up 2 earned runs...good thing he got his $ yesterday.
Bartolo Colon threw 42 pitches today and according to pitching coach John Farell he "hit both sides of the plate and may have thrown a few pitches that approached 90 miles per hour." Colon is scheduled to make his first start on March 15th but may be moved up. If he continues to do well he will put some pressure on Buchholz and Tavarez for the #5 spot.
Read more...After some lessons from Julian Tavarez, Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon has been working on his espanol. Check out the video:
Justin Masterson was one of the players offered to the Twins for Santana but since that deal is no longer going to happen he could be on the Red Sox for a long time. He is a sinker ball pitcher who was in the bullpen until being converted to a starter last year. He arrived in Fort Myers early to begin working out with the club. Before the Schilling injury there was little chance of him getting a spot in the show at the start of the season but he now could if he has a great spring. According to Soxprospects.com he needs more work on his change-up to be ready. Buchholz and Tavarez are the front runners for the #5 spot but don't count Masterson out.
With Schilling done for the 1st half and possibly the year to door becomes slightly ajar for Julian Tavarez to make the rotation. Beckett, Dice-K, Wake and Lester have spots in the rotation before the start of spring training but the 5th spot is up in the air. Most fans think it will go to Buchholz but Sox pitching coach John Farrell had the following to say today: "The two very clear candidates for that are Clay and Julian Tavarez. I think we can't [forget to] recognize what Julian provided for us last year. In the first two-thirds of the season, he was a very key component to our starting rotation. He gave us not only very good individual outings, but when you look at 125 to 135 innings that he pitched for us last year, that's a key role for us." Buchholz has more upside but with limited experience he may stumble out of the gate this spring allowing Tavarez to get the spot. Either way, with the inevitability of injuries both are going to be a part of the rotation at some time during the season.
Now that Schilling is out for an extended period of time, possibly for good, it is time to get another starter as insurance. Pitchers have a habit of not staying healthy all season long and that will be the case this year. At some point in the 2008 season Wake, Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, or Buchholz will end up on the DL and when one of them does the Red Sox will be in trouble. Boston needs to trade Coco before they get into a jam and while his value is still high. If they do not prepare for an injury Kyle Snyder or Tavarez will end up being the number 5 guy at some point during the season.
Read more...'07 Season: Julian was 7-11 with a 5.15 ERA for the Red Sox. He was a member of the rotation while the team waited on Lester to return and when other starters were hurt. His first half of the season was better, especially May and June where his ERA was under 4. He started to struggle in the second half and was given as short leash by Tito and would be pulled as soon as he got in a jam. He finished the season out of the pen and was not on the post-season roster but as I posted earlier he was a total team player.
'08 Outlook: The Red Sox picked up the option on Tavarez but he appears to be the odd man out. He will not be in the rotation where the Sox have 6 solid options and Snyder seems to have locked up the long reliever position. Tavarez was not good as the setup guy in '06 so that is not really an option. His stats vs. left and right handed hitters is pretty close so he is not going to be a specialist. He has limited value for Boston with Lester and Buchholz coming up so look for him to be traded before the season starts. If he does remain on the team he will most likely spend some time in AAA and be called up when injuries occur. He has shown he can be handle being that type of pitcher in the past and that might be his asset.
When Julian Tavarez joined the Red Sox I was sceptical. He had a reputation as being a hothead and he did not do much in his first spring training to dispute that. (Remember the Devil Ray fight?) Ever since that moment Julian proved to be a quiet and fun-loving member of the Red Sox. He handled the booing by fans in the middle of the '06 season when his setup role did not work out well. He became a solid starter at the end of that season and then filled in when a stater was needed this year. Tavarez did whatever the team needed him to do. He was not on the post-season roster but you could always see him on the top step of the dugout with a smile on his face cheering on his teammates. The Providence Journal had a great article today that shows the real Tavarez; the one the fans will miss if he gets traded. Here is a quote that shows you what kind of a guy he is: “I gave my best energy to the team,” he said. “I was keeping the team awake and cheering for the guys. I was really happy how things ended because that’s something you’re always working for in your career — to be a champion. A lot of guys play 17 years and never get a ring, so it’s my first one in 14 years and I’m just happy how things went in 2007.”
The Red Sox are taking offers for Julian Tavarez at the Winter Meetings. He could be a good fit as a 5th starter for many clubs that need pitching. So far the Rockies have expressed interest in landing him. The Rockies have Fuentes who was rumored to be included in a trade deal for Lowrie earlier in the week so they could get together with the Red Sox on a deal. Boston is still in need of a right handed relief pitcher, a backup catcher and a backup corner infielder to replace Hinske. If they are shopping Tavarez that could me that Coco will not be available to trade for those needs. No news on Santana yet.
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