Boston Red Sox

This Column Originally Published at GetOutofMyBallpark.com

This is when it sets in.  Same time every year.  The leaves fall.  The skies turn cold and grey.  The winds of November whip across the Great Lakes.  And baseball fanatics …the kind that subscribe to the Sporting News , play fantasy baseball and always read the line scores….go into withdrawal mode.

This week, the Red Sox have been in talks that will send Mike Lowell to the Texas Rangers for minor league catcher Max Ramirez.

This trade has raised many questions. One being, will Max Ramirez now be the third catcher in the Red Sox organization in front of Dusty Brown and Mark Wagner?

If Ramirez is the third catcher, it would upset me, as a Red Sox fan, due to the fact that Dusty Brown will most likely not get playing time.

This is the second time I've tried to ponder up how the Red Sox roster will look come opening day 2010. This is Part One of the updated Two Part series I wrote back in August (you can find the original slideshows here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/236857-the-potential-2010-boston-red-... http://bleacherreport.com/articles/240492-the-potential-2010-boston-red-...) about how the Red Sox roster might look in April of 2010.

This article does include speculation about (potential) future Red Sox players.

Note: This is, in its entirety, a rant. I may consider it to be true, but that does not change its status as a rant. I know, the sky isn't falling, but if you don't want to read a full out angry rant, then turn back now. Don't say I didn't warn you.

The way things have been shaping up, I didn't have high expectations for the upcoming 2010 season, but I thought the Yankees winning the World Series might motivate the Red Sox into making some big moves this winter. That doesn't appear to be the case.

Mike Lowell for Max Ramirez is a deal that leaves everyone but the Red Sox puzzled. Why would the Red Sox pay up to three-quarters of Lowell's 2010 salary, amounting to $8 or $9 million, to play for Texas?

Yes, Lowell has been hobbled by his surgically repaired hip, but he has told both reporters and the Red Sox that he feels better than at any time since the injury that led to the surgery.

There’s a reason why Derek Jeter is still in pinstripes.

Sure, he’s good, but the Yankees could do better. Alex Rodriguez could be moved back to shortstop. The Yankees could have signed Chone Figgins to man third base, for example, or pushed Mark Teixeira back to the hot corner.

It’s the same reason why the Mariners used a roster spot on an aged Ken Griffey, Jr. last year, and why the Rangers parted with a solid prospect in exchange for 28 games of wrinkled Ivan Rodriguez.

It’s called nostalgia.

Originally published at GetOutofMyBallpark.com

If all goes as planned in the medical exams this week, Mike Lowell has played his last game as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Last night, Lowell, affectionately known as Treebeard by SMC, was sent to the Rangers for 25-year-old catcher Max Ramirez. The trade is the first significant move by the Sox at this year's winter meetings, and is hopefully a prelude to another big move.

Today, the New York Mets have joined the pursuit for Jason Bay.

It was believed that the Mets had been looking for pitching to relieve some of the pressure off of Johan Santana. General Manager Omar Minaya looks to have changed direction in searching for the left fielder.

The only definitive offer that Bay has currently received is from the Red Sox. The Canadian turned down a four-year deal worth $60 million to stay at Fenway Park.