Red Sox looking to move up

With the winter meetings winding down the Red Sox do not expect to make any further deals regarding players. That doesnt mean they are done trying to make deals. Owner Rich Chase confirmed they are still actively looking to move up in the draft. "Of course we would love to get another 1st round pick but moving up in round 2 is probably more realistic. We have an extra 4th rounder from the Braun deal we would use to move up from 2.14." said Chase.

Question is who in the bottom half of round 1 or top half of round 2 is looking to move down. In a draft so deep is it even worth moving up? The talent level from 2.1-2.14 doesnt have a significant drop. Perhaps the Red Sox prefer to get a guy they really like instead of sitting back and getting someone almost as talented but less liked. We will see how discussions pan out as Winter Meetings come to a close.

Rochester Red Sox Roster Going Into Draft

C-
1B- Mark Reynolds 2/12
2B- Brandon Phillips 3/12
SS-
3B-
OF- Carlos Gonzalez 2/12 *Extension*
OF- Mike Morse 2/12 *Extension*
OF-
OF-
UTIL

SP- Clayton Kershaw 3/13
SP- Dan Haren 3/12
SP-
SP-
SP-
RP-
RP-
CP- Craig Kimbrel 2/13
CP- John Axford 2/13
CP-

Rochester Red Sox Mock Draft Final Draft

1. Olivet Killer Eagles- Robinson Cano *Pick confirmed by owner*

2. Hackensack Bulls- Adrian Gonzalez *Top 5yr corner infielder in the draft. Gives the Bulls some pop.*

3. South Texas Heat- Troy Tulowitski *Top SS in the draft. 5yr contract on a tough position to fill with quality. Jose Bautista *Stats too much for Miracles to pass up.*

4. Atlantic Surge- Justin Upton * Top OF in the draft. Solid 5yr contract.*

5. Julian Javelina- Jose Bautista *Best offensive player in this draft. Age concerns drop him to 5th. Steal here!


6. Flying Squirels- Andrew McCutcheon *Real solid OF who produces a little bit of everything across the board. Has the potential to become elite. Solid 5yr contract.*

7. Oviedo Knights- Jose Reyes *One of the top 3 SS in the draft. Moving to Miami should improve his numbers even more. Knights get a guy they really like.*


8. Dallas Red Birds- Mark Texiera *Power hitting 1B in Yankees lineup. Upgrade over Ryan Howard in previous years. Redbirds get a solid 3yr contract*

9. Olivet Killer Eagels- Hanley Ramirez *Top 3 talent who slides to #9 do to lackluster 2011. Could be steal of the draft if HanRam tries*

10. North Texas Rangers- Mike Stanton *Top young power hitting OF/player in the draft. In the Marlins lineup big numbers expected.

11. Dallas Redbirds- Elvis Andrus *Top SS on the board. Redbirds get a player they like and are familiar with. Real good production at top of the Rangers lineup.*

12. Michigan Miracles- Josh Hamilton *Top OF on the board if you can overlook injury risk. Miracles do overlook them and expect big production for 3 years out of this Rangers slugger.*

13. Mid Michigan Tigers- Hunter Pence *Bes OF available. Pence is solid across the board and can be counted on for 3 years.

14. Rochester Red Sox- To Be Determined

15. North Texas Rangers- Elvis Andrus *Top SS on the board. Adrian gets his Rangers player at a position of need. Real good production at top of the Rangers lineup.*

16. Arizona Desert Swarm- Cliff Lee *Top SP in the draft. Champs get a steal here. Pick of luxury taking BPA at #16. Solid 3yr contract for a pitcher."

Draft Speculation

Lots of mock drafts with lots of different names being thrown around this time of year. While its fun for those folks to do and fun for people to read they often have some truth to them. With owners during Winter Meetings talking, knowing an owner tendacies and seeing what the team already has.

In a recent interview with Owner/GM Rich Chase we were able to get some comments on the up coming draft. "Yeah, I have seen all the mocks that have been produced from the other owners. It's entertaining to see and passes the time. I wont confirm any of the names being thrown around for the Rochester Red Sox though. Well I guess I can confirm that we aren't interested in any of them." Chase said. The smile and laugh after the last comment sums up what we already know about the Owner/GM. He is tight to the vest with who he plans on taking but is also not afraid to tell you who he wont take.

Do the Red Sox have a player in mind for their 1st round pick? Will they play the waiting game and hope someone drops? With the type of GM Chase is we should expect him to go into the draft with a plan A and B. If plan A doesn't work he will probably go off the radar and shock people with a player he wants over who is expected to go. Much like in last years draft when Mark Reynolds was drafted in round 1.

In a deep draft there is a lot of talent to go around. With the expectations of getting 5 contracts in the first 4 rounds the Red Sox will be one of the most interesting teams to watch.

Huge News in Day 1 of Winter Meetings for Red Sox

With winter meetings only being open for a few hours we have some big news out of Rochester Red Sox camp. Superstar and 5yr contract Ryan Braun is on the move. Rumor has it the trade involves picks and also another contract player from the Red Sox roster. Owner/GM Rich Chase said with a smile "We made a good deal for the present and future of this team. I cant indulge the deal to you right now but it will be made official today."