How much do you really need a defensive firstbaseman? Is Kevin Youkilis so miserable at first that you really need a late inning replacement? Youkilis was a credible 3B and is playing a less demanding position.

Granted 2 million is nothing to the Red Sox, but is Snow’s mighty career 357 OBA and 428 SLG and declining 38 year old body really worth it? Those numbers scream freely available talent to me. What’s Graham Koonce doing these days?

I understand wanting to backup Youkilis and maybe not trusting Petagine but JT Snow doesn’t seem to really add anything but an OBA you could get from Alejandro Machado. And it seems to me on a team with a full time DH, your backup 1B should be able to backup another position.

Sabermetricians are always touting the cheap AAA player over the aging veteran. This seems like a case of the Sox going with the aging veteran because of his past experience instead of the cheap youngster who can fill the same position.

good point scott. there is something to be said for veteran presence, but snow is not a good fit for this team. if they were going for just a backup, they should have gotten a guy who can play up the middle.

Snow's on-base abilities make him a credible bench player, but he's limited to 1b duties and $2 is far, far too much to pay for a player with such a limited skill set. Additionally, even giving him credit for being a useful bench part, the Red Sox in particular simply don't need a 1b. Despite the whining from certain quarters, if the Sox can't construct a corner infield set out of Youkilis, Lowell, Petagaine, and Marte, something has gone seriously wrong on Yawkey Way.

The only redeeming feature of this signing comes if Lowell and his Contract of Doom gets traded. At that point, Snow is still overpaid for being a backup to Youkilis, but retains value in providing an alternative to Petagaine if Youkilis is needed at 3rd.

The downside of this signing is if Snow ends up taking ABs away from Youkilis and Petagaine, and, given Youkilis and Petagaine's criminal underuse last season, I think this represents not just the worst-case, but also the most likely scenario.

Youk is not an everyday player(maybe a AAAA player). He certainly leaves a lot to be desired as a corner infielder. He has had his chances. As for Petagrine, ask Francona why he didn't play him???

hmm, i'm finding the comments regarding the potential signing of snow laughable guys. snow is as good a 1st baseman as olerud was. he has a bit more pop in the bat. better mobility. not nearly as injury prone. was corted by 5 other teams. is as professional a player as there is. quality guy, with a great club house presence. to say they signed him for waaaay too much is rediculous. who would they have instead. petagine? he's often injured, and certainly not proven, snow is. this signing ,if it happens, will solidify the infld defense big time.playing first base is a whole lot more difficult than any of us will know. just ask johnny bench, pete rose, mike pizza.if 1st base is so easy to fill, why doesn't ortiz start? the position demands quickness,(hmm,millar)awareness,etc,that mostly comes with experience. youkilis will have to adjust to this, snow is a great insurance policy. i like the signing alot. time will tell if i'm correct

TOC1918, what part of Youkilis' 805 OPS did you not like in 2005? If that's not enough for you, then you're not going to EVER like most young players breaking into the majors. There's nothing 'AAAA' about a .400 OBP.

The upside of this signing is the signal that Youk is the everyday first baseman and, hopefully, leadoff hitter. Despite all the beating of breasts and hair pulling, the Sox appear, even with their holes, to be a stronger team in every way next year, starting, relieving, defense, offense. Even with Adam Stern and Alex Cora/Dustin Pedroia in the starting lineup.

The pitching we know about. The defense is upgraded at every infield position.

The offense is upgraded or equivalent to last year in every spot but the 8 hole. Remember, they did lead the league in runs scored last year with a lot of holes in the lineup.

As currently constructed: The Sox leadoff hitter the last four years, I've forgotten his name, had an aggregate OBP of .362. Youkilis, despite spending most of his time gathering dust on the bench the last two years, has compiled a career OBP of .376 in 430 plate appearances. He's a good baserunner with above average speed and similar power to what's his name. He won't steal bases, but with Manny and Papi, we don't need no stinkin' swipes. The Sox lose nothing at the top.

Loretta is a nice upgrade from Edgar Renteria, who, while doing a dismal job turning double plays as a shortstop, managed to hit into them like a lead-footed power hitter.

Manny-Papi-Varitek are the same guys.

Nixon was on the DL or playing hurt half of last season.

Will Lowell bounce back as most prognosticators think or did elimination of steroids cause his early demise. In either case, he can't be worse than Kevin Millar was last year. This could be a huge upgrade.

The eight hole. Alex Cora is certainly no replacement for Bill Mueller. We have a significant downgrade here. The only one.

Even if Adam Stern winds up as the everyday centerfielder, can he possbily give the Sox less in the 9 hole than the got from Mark Bellhorn, who was the regular for 2/3 of the season. In all liklihood, Stern will be the backup to a pickup.

Youk had a .405 slg and .400 obs in 79 at bats(Cora was .394 SLG) He can't run,he had 1 HR in those 79 at bats and he's not Wade Boggs.Why Youk and Petagine have not played, you should maybe ask the retired GM and the current MGR(they are the guys that started Jeremy Giambi over Papi).

The Sox aren't done trading yet. I'm willing to bet anything that either Marte or Youkilis will be gone by end of Spring Training, in order to get a CF or maybe a SS. This is because I don't think they're totally confident in Beckett's and Schilling's health, and they want to keep Clement and Arroyo, or at the least one of them. If Marte goes, we've only got Lowell at 3B and he's both injury prone and possibly useless. Hence the need for a 1B who can play every day while Youk moves to 3rd. If Youk goes, well, it's obvious. So what they're doing here is freeing up some more flexibility should the worst happen, which is a great thing. The only statement I think this sends is that Petagine has no future with the Sox, which is too bad cuz I kind of liked the guy. The other downside is it takes away another roster spot, which might mean they have to trade Graffanino, which would suck, or else go with only 1 backup OF.

Biggest need is still left-handed reliever, THEN CF then SS. As currently stands, Sox entire staff is right-handed, which is not good people. CF is a need, but not very hard to find a good defensive guy. Gathright's available for a song, I'd guess. SS is not a real concern. Cora's as good as anyone they might acquire, really, and Loretta can fill in.

Not exactly giving him a chance to be Wade Boggs there, are you? .400 OBP... yet only 79 at-bats, while being scouted as a strong hitter with a very good batting eye. You claim he's been given his chances; again, what don't you like about his .400 OBP? He's produced in the limited playing time he's been given, what does he have to do for you to feel he deserves more playing time?

And I don't have any idea why Francoma doesn't want to play Youkilis or Petagaine. I'm just critizing the results, not the theory. I don't know what theory they are operating under, but I know I don't like the results.

Why does everyone like Petagine? Why? He's awful. He's really awful. He's had NO major league success. He's too old. He was never given the chance to be what he could be, and thus he's not going to be. Please... email me and tell me. I just don't get it.

Also, Youkilis is a 2-hole guy. Speed is a necessary threat in baseball. Too much stat-crunching leads one to forget that it's not entirely the SBs, but rather the distraction to the pitcher that counts the most. The mental game in baseball is often more important than the physical one. Youkilis on first is an after-thought. Damon on first was a distraction.

Nat,

It sounds like you subscribe to the Yogi Berra notion that 90% of the game is mental, the other half is physical. :-)