By SBRForum.com

The Boston Red Sox are still on the lookout for a pitcher that can fill the void that the team has had over the last few years.  As a team, they have struggled recently to produce quality pitching that will lead them back to the holy grail that is the World Series.  With so many prospects at their finger tips, they have firmly set their sights on a few high profile players.  Of said players, the ones that jump out the most as possible candidates for the team are San Francisco’s Brian Wilson, former Met Mike Pelfrey and the recent cut from the Nationals, lefty sensation John Lannan.

With Wilson, a lot of it is the star power that he brings to the team.  He is a proven commodity who has two World Series rings under his belt with the Giants, so they know he can be reliable in big match situations.  He is also a closer, which is something the Red Sox sorely need at this moment in time.  They will need to shell out a lot of money to get him, however, which lowers his worth to the team.

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ESPN

According to ESPN, Mike Napoli has agreed to a 3 year deal worth $39 million with the Red Sox, pending a physical. Napoli turned 31 in October and will be and he will be 33 in his last year of the contract, so the Red Sox won’t have to deal with a large drop off in production with him.

He is expected to primarily play 1st base for the Red Sox, though he will catch part-time. The most games he has ever caught in a season is 96 and it’s very likely he’ll only catch a small amount of games, depending on what the Red Sox do with Ryan Lavarnway/Jarrod Saltalamacchia this off-season  Should Salty be traded, the Sox might have him play a bigger role behind the plate.

In 19 games (and 62 ABs) at Fenway park in his career, Napoli has hit at a .306/.397/.710 slash with 7 home runs and 4 doubles. Not to mention an amazing .404 isolated slugging percentage. While this isn’t exactly a large sample size, it’s clear that he has a swing tailor-made for Fenway (just like Cody Ross) and he should put up eye popping numbers at home.

And while his defense has been far from stellar at 1st base and at catcher throughout his career (career -2.6 UZR at 1st and -25 defensive runs saved behind the plate), having a great fielding 1st baseman isn’t all that important.

All in all it seems like a great move by the Red Sox front office as they filled a large void left by Adrian Gonzalez without surrendering any prospects whatsoever and without making a long term commitment to a player.

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By SBRForum.com

One of the biggest stories coming out of the offseason antics of MLB teams has been what the Boston Red Sox will do to pull out of the nose dive they have been in for the past few years.  They finished with their worst record since 1965 last season and need to do something to get back into the thick of things.  With the rumor that they have set their sights on Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, they just may be doing that.  If they can get Mauer to their team, the Boston Red Sox may be viable MLB picks yet again in 2013.

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By SBRForum.com

After losing a great deal of hitting power by trading Adrian Gonzalez this past year, the Boston Red Sox have surely been on the lookout for a great new person to add as a huge hitter for the team.  They have had their eyes on Mike Napoli for quite some time, and this could end up being a reality if the star agrees to start playing first base primarily and not play catcher as much.  By adding Napoli to the lineup, the Boston Red Sox could become sure fire MLB picks yet again at the start of the season.

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By SBRForum.com

After going into free agency in the 2012 MLB offseason, current Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton quickly became a number one get for most every team in the league.  One of the teams at the top of the list of suitors for him are the Boston Red Sox.  They have made it known that they intended to sign him to a deal and want to get it done before the start of the 2013 season.

One of the reasons the Red Sox would be wise to grab Hamilton is because of his power at bat.  The team has been lacking big time play makers for the last few seasons and acquiring him would surely help to fill that void.  He can hit a home run in any situation in any game so having him at their disposal will help out Boston in many ways.  With Adrian Gonzalez leaving the team this year, adding Hamilton to the team will help fill the void left by Gonzalez after his departure.  They need much more than just David Ortiz as a home run threat for the team at this stage in the game.

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By SBRForum.com

While the Boston Red Sox already have a great deal of catchers at their disposal, they have still continued to come after free agent Mike Napoli.  While he is not a needed asset for the team at this moment, the addition of him could help the Red Sox become viable MLB picks going into the 2013 season.  Napoli is just too good of a catcher to pass up for a team like the Sox who need to make big moves in the offseason.

Boston already has three catchers on their roster, that being their 2012 starter, Jarrod Saltalamacchi, minor leaguer Ryan Lavarnway and former back up to the Atlanta Braves, David Ross.  They certainly do not absolutely need to add Napoli to their group, but it could help them in certain areas that the other players lack.  Many believe that adding Napoli to the team could mean he may be used as a first baseman i certain situations and sit in as catcher if need be.  This could make him more of an asset to the team that if he were just coming in the catcher position for the team. The only problem with this proposition is the fact that Napoli wants to remain a catcher and may be hard to persuade into taking over at the first base position.  While he certainly has his options, passing up a big deal to go to Boston over a position change may end up being a foolish decision for Napoli.   He needs to keep all his priorities straight when deciding.

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By SBRForum.com

Things have been thoroughly shaken up in Boston for the Red Sox, as they have signed David Ross to a contract to be added to the catching team.  This an interesting prospect for the team and could prove to be bad for the current catching duo of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway.  While it remains to be seen how this will affect the team, this should be a very interesting thing as it pertains to the Red Sox and how they rank as a viable choice as one of the peoples favorites MLB picks going into the 2013 season.

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By SBRForum.com

With so much speculation going on with the Boston Red Sox over the course of the offseason, many have wondered who they would name as their new pitching coach.  A decision has been made and will be announced by Tuesday.  Many names have been thrown into the hat, but as of now, the frontrunner for the job is current Baltimore Orioles pitching coach Rick Peterson.  This could be a huge move for the team that will certainly make the Red Sox great as one of your MLB picks on the season.

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By: Daniel Smith

The Major League Baseball season has often been described as a grind.  A season of 162 games is enough to wear not only physically, but also mentally on any team and any player on a team.  Another game is very similar to baseball in certain aspects, and that is poker.

First, the game of poker is very much considered to be a grind.  Poker players must play hand after hand and sometimes fold hand after hand for what sometimes equates to hours before end before being able to make a big play.  This is similar to a baseball game where both teams are unable to get anything going and then one squad suddenly breaks loose for  a big inning.

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By SBRForum.com

Things are starting to heat up in the American League East, as designated hitter David Ortiz has been resigned by Boston, a move that may make the Red Sox one of the legitimate MLB picks for the 2013 season.   Ortiz is a big asset to the team for a number of reasons,  one of which being his great hitting ability and the other being his longevity as a threat on defense.  With these two going for him, he has certainly earned the right to be resigned by one of the most well renowned teams in Baseball.

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