The Ballyard

Stats vs. truth, part deux: ex-Harwich Mariner Tim Lincecum wins NL Cy Young

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum yesterday won the 2009 National League Cy Young Award despite posting only 15 wins - which, in case you're counting, is one fewer than Kansas City Royal Zack Greinke had in winning the AL award earlier this week. Yet, as with Greinke, the honor for this former Harwich Mariner is one that is richly deserved given the truth of his performance.

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Stats vs. truth: Greinke award draws the distinction

Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke won the 2009 American League Cy Young Award this week with a league-leading ERA of 2.16 but an unassuming record of 16-8. Some observers - Greinke among them - expressed surprise that Seattle Mariner Felix Hernandez did not take the prize after posting a gaudy 19-5/2.49. But to this observer, the honor was well placed and, perhaps more importantly, reflective of the season's truth and not merely its statistics – a syndrome Red Sox manager Terry Francona yeterday described on WEEI radio as being "cosmetic."

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Red Sox arbitration decisions not too tough

Does it take a tough man to non-tender a contract? Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein has eight arbitration-eligible players about whom to make that decision, and he has until December 12 to do so.

The players in question are Brian Anderson, Fernando Cabrera, Manny Delcarmen, Jeremy Hermida, Casey Kotchman, Hideki Okajima, Jonathan Papelbon, and Ramon Ramirez. Of the eight, five are sure to receive offers: Delcarmen, Hermida, Okajima, Papelbon, and Ramirez. If they and the Sox agree upon a salary, their deals are done; if not, the players go to arbitration. Either way, they are considered signed for next season.

The outliers are Anderson, Cabrera, and Kotchman, and their status is much less certain because there are many players who might perform at similar levels. A good number of these likely will be non-tendered by their current teams, so the replacement pool should be deep. If there's an exception, it will be Kotchman, a first baseman whose Red Sox fate may depend on Epstein's early read on the possible Adrian Gonzalez sweepstakes.

Either way, none of it sounds terribly tough.

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Convoluted logic drives Red Sox rumor mill

Red Sox Nation, like nature, abhors a vacuum. So when no dramatic player news emerged from this week's major league GM meetings in Chicago, creative thinkers in the fan base began ‘tweeting' and calling sportsradio shows to get the rumor mill turning.

Most of their suggestions are just silly, in the vein of "let's send Michael Bowden to Toronto for Roy Halladay." But some are based on their own brand of convoluted logic, such as the one I dreamed up over breakfast this morning.

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GM meeting lights the Hot Stove: Red Sox to be major players

Major league baseball general managers convened today in Chicago, where they officially lit the Hot Stove and will spend three days setting the stage for the Winter Meetings to come next month.

No real headlines are expected to be written there since free agents are not allowed to negotiate with potential new teams until November 20, and it will take a little time for any blockbuster trades to come to fruition. But this is the place where the groundwork is laid, and the Boston Red Sox should figure prominently in any and all conversations – especially those concerning catcher, left field, shortstop, either corner infielder, and starting pitchers.

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