WEEI.com's Alex Speier Talks About the Current State of the Red Sox

-- -- back Dennis and Callahan broadcasting live -- Red Sox spring training as he did yesterday Alex beard WEEI dot com joins us here broadcasts welcome back again. Have a quiet nature communal better than anybody baseball is unpredictable so many X factors wouldn't be fair to say the one of the biggest X factors on this team. Is how some of their stars or semi stars respond from injury obviously David Ortiz -- top list Jacoby Ellsbury is a big question mark. The circus that John Lackey his contribution. Unquestionably and you know we're still talking about you know we're still talking about apple is well with Ortiz and rightly that we don't even know how much they're going to play level what kind of production they're going to be offer offer. When in the -- so. To my mind the equation -- the Red Sox not nearly who are their starters -- position they have a greater need. For talented depth options and just about any of minor league I think it. Actually large part their off seasons strategy. Was focused around this idea that they've been just devastated wiped out recent years but what I'd like to injuries to key player. In that part of the reason -- team so much work to preserve. That core of top tier minor league prospects -- Jacoby Ellsbury goes down. Instead of having traded -- Jackie Bradley junior to address the pitching right he might be ready to step in and give them a serviceable viable. Viable replacement much -- It in 2007 which was so important to that championship you were there yes that Larry Lucchino he'd call this in the and scrappy underdogs you have. That really scrappy underdogs I don't know if you can be scrappy when you get your payroll up over a 170 million dollars that that that isn't that great point by you which is gonna bring him the next question in this magazine. And I I'm about to throw the trash. As it's made me look like a fool -- this was we -- and so did you we public. Huddles that this is wants -- -- for this rag. I don't think so but I may have less excited I'm I'm I'm everybody's stats for last year as a Boston Jacoby Ellsbury moments Euro and looked at -- model number. Four hit it four. That referred to a couple times and have been corrected none of us and they were trying to suppress his arbitration case ultimately down try they get on the same -- has the payroll at 180. Boston won sixty Detroit it's possible it's Boston's payroll is on him and tiger's gonna cost more than that Detroit all star team. So I I don't know the answer that question I haven't broken down Detroit's payroll I would be surprised if the Red Sox if the Red Sox payroll exceeded that. Of the Tigers I view it through through the the payroll as determined for luxury tax purposes because. That's how the Red Sox that's that's what the Red Sox -- they care about the luxury tax they don't care about what they're paying in any given your right. So are spending more in terms of spot in terms of of salary for this coming year than the Red Sox although. Quite frankly I don't I would be surprised differently by virtue of the fact that they added a guy like Sanchez. It helps to be they don't have any. Twenty million dollar guys that don't really have any other than holdovers from the fifteen million -- guys you know get Lackey obviously right. Even your stars Pedroia or Lester. There you know 101112. Million. They count for far less than that for luxury tax purposes you know in terms of what the Red Sox payroll and what the Red Sox might actually be paying for the coming here. My guess is that it might be. It might look something like you know 170 -- eighty million dollars but from a luxury tax standpoint it's gonna come in closer to a 170 interesting thing about the Tigers. Is -- their contracts were signed with guys a couple of years ago a few years ago that was a different economic landscape in Major League Baseball. You know that was before Shane Victorino started making thirteen million dollars. -- before Stephen Drew coming off of a bad era in which you've recovered from injury even with his talent ceiling ends up making nine point five million dollars those types of numbers. Wouldn't have been conceivable look if Justin Verlander were signing Justin Verlander hadn't thought about it since he did a couple of years ago. He would have been getting the Felix extension and that means -- another ten million dollars so her make Cabrera beginning. Cabrera -- -- in the game. You're free agent TB I mean and he will be upper upper free agency and another in another year to it will be interesting to see where it lands given. You know the concerns about how well he can -- given his commitment to fitness. No that's Alex it's seems to me that this team has too many catchers and too many closers how does that result itself. Well the catcher part is pretty easy by virtue of the fact that you can just and right Bartlett back down to the minor -- to replace much like ourselves. He didn't light the world on fire last year at the end of the year and so if you have depth again back at the right depth part of the equation are talking about. There's value that will they listen if other teams want a catcher whether Saltalamacchia or the Bartlett I think it was -- both of those guys at this point. In terms of the closer question. Again Beckett to the depth question you have to be able with an injury as we just as we discovered last year when Andrew Bailey was lost on the cusp of the season in case -- breaks his thumb in the first world -- the first drills and hasn't -- over opening -- now you've got. Although again they'll listen if they can upgrade for for -- this year and for the future by trading manager -- and it certainly listen but I just can't imagine the value of him is going to be tremendously high a realistic but nestled in the advantage is over on the open side not to three point seven jury to. And you would make everything good. I always say bye bye bye as well book. -- Is you have no idea -- -- out -- Daly is a good right great is in good drugs now he's. He's said it. Unequivocally that he's he doesn't think his closer days are done Andy doesn't think it's closer days with the Red Sox are so. He's taking the right approach to it does he prefer what he'd prefer to be a closer out what he also preferred to be on a team that was really good as opposed to one that got its teeth kicked in like the when he was last year. Into I do you think that he cares about about the team's fortunes. We have mentioned that pitching stat over and over again we always -- Lester buckles Lackey do. We forget about Ryan Dempster or just because he's got such a long trackers to record his track record he's been around for so long. There's really no chance of him in anything other than that -- pretty good three or four starter I mean is no chance that he -- the world on fire or. If he pitches enough innings no chance that he. It hasn't really dreadful years is going to be in the middle somewhere. He got his right his consistency you're absolutely right says year after year this is a guy whose performances relatively predictable now. Let's not forget that with the Cubs last year is the guy who -- the first half of the season basically had a sub two ERA some things had to break right for him you know there -- luck involved in that. But he he has the potential to be. To be very good and very effective but the likelihood based on what we've seen from him in his five years it's harder now since he moved from closing is that -- the guy who's just a solid. Innings eating workhorse is able to give you you know league average to slightly above average performance. What's your opinion that come into the Yale the AL east that didn't work for Lackey and it seems like and not afraid of it in them because they bring in Dempster was so bad numbers in the AL. We expecting him to get knocked around in the NL east and -- look at him as a creature of the NL. I don't yet you know I give the guy the benefit of the doubt and I know that his numbers looked -- Texas but if you break it down on -- start by start basis. The majority of his starts were actually very good he started out portly -- teeth kicked in but then after that recovered and had you know something like. Six out of seven quality starts down the stretch with Texas so. I think it you know from what I've been told. Yes there are going to be some challenges and adapting to the AL east. But at the same time against you know against kind of in our lineup to the ones that don't grind out exhausting at bats and I think that we exaggerate. The degree to some of the teams yeah -- -- do that he's gonna be really good help find a way to be okay. Against a really good life. Hi Alex before we let you go any notes physical city any info on how much on field activity based on what conditions out there today. But not yet I think they're hopeful they peeled off the TARP off the bullpen outside so it be nice to see people moving around and they have an upcoming drills we get the old ball players -- there's nothing better than cone -- -- spirit WEEI dot com thanks for the information on what's special tuchman -- -- --