OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - A Red Sox Dynasty: 1995-????

Moriarty9 · 05-15-2008, 12:57 AM

With the Philadelphia Phillies winning their second World Series championship in as many seasons, the Boston Red Sox are looking to revamp their big league club and minor league system going forward.

Among the changes is the retirement of firstbaseman Todd Helton at age 37. Helton hadn't been a regular player in the lineup over the last few seasons but still had a fine career with the Red Sox. In his 15 years in the big leagues, all but his rookie season was in Boston. Helton came up with the Detroit Tigers in 1996, hitting .327 with 10 home runs and 54 RBI in 84 games.
He would be traded to Boston in November 1996 for veteran catcher Terry Steinbach and went on to be named to five All Star teams and win the 2001 American League MVP award.
Helton hangs 'em up with a lifetime average of .319 and 1,962 hits, including 447 doubles, 342 home runs and 1,253 RBI. He hit .300 or better for the first 13 seasons of his career, topped the 30 home run plateau five times and drove in 100 or more runs six times.

With Boston's former top dog calling it quits, the team also has to deal with the potential departure of its current top dog - thirdbaseman Miguel Cabrera, who opted not to exercise his option for the 2011 season. The Red Sox have made a new contract offer to Cabrera in hopes of signing him before he can enter free agency.

The Red Sox also had to deal with other potential free agents, namely Manny Ramirez and Ichiro Suzuki. The team had tried to come to terms with both outfielders but had been unable to find the money for the aging stars.

Elsewhere around the league, a number of job openings have been created. In Tampa Bay, Brian Cooper was fired after four seasons with the Devil Rays in which he won 310 games. After securing the Wild Card berth in 2009 with a 91-71 record, the Rays took a huge step back in 2010, finishing in last place at 68-94.
Cooper has been replaced by Carl Salter, who had been fired by the Atlanta Braves. Salter went 158-166 in his two years as Braves skipper.
After three seasons at the helm of the Oakland Athletics, Thad Goode was also fired. Goode's first managerial job came in Oakland in 2008 when the A's won the AL West with a 95-67 record. In 2009, the team repeated as division champions at 89-73 only to fall to second place with a 79-83 record this season. He has since been hired as the bench coach for Rod Martin and the San Francisco Giants.
In Wrigleyville, the Chicago Cubs fired first-year manager Archie Jones after a 75-87 season.
Veteran manager Bruce Bochy was let go in Cincinnati after finishing in second place with a 79-83 record this year. In Bochy's four seasons with the Reds, he went 312-330, winning the NL Central in 2009 with an 89-73 record.

05-15-2008, 12:57 AM	#93 (permalink)
Moriarty9 Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 384	Beginnings of the off-season With the Philadelphia Phillies winning their second World Series championship in as many seasons, the Boston Red Sox are looking to revamp their big league club and minor league system going forward. Among the changes is the retirement of firstbaseman Todd Helton at age 37. Helton hadn't been a regular player in the lineup over the last few seasons but still had a fine career with the Red Sox. In his 15 years in the big leagues, all but his rookie season was in Boston. Helton came up with the Detroit Tigers in 1996, hitting .327 with 10 home runs and 54 RBI in 84 games. He would be traded to Boston in November 1996 for veteran catcher Terry Steinbach and went on to be named to five All Star teams and win the 2001 American League MVP award. Helton hangs 'em up with a lifetime average of .319 and 1,962 hits, including 447 doubles, 342 home runs and 1,253 RBI. He hit .300 or better for the first 13 seasons of his career, topped the 30 home run plateau five times and drove in 100 or more runs six times. With Boston's former top dog calling it quits, the team also has to deal with the potential departure of its current top dog - thirdbaseman Miguel Cabrera, who opted not to exercise his option for the 2011 season. The Red Sox have made a new contract offer to Cabrera in hopes of signing him before he can enter free agency. The Red Sox also had to deal with other potential free agents, namely Manny Ramirez and Ichiro Suzuki. The team had tried to come to terms with both outfielders but had been unable to find the money for the aging stars. Elsewhere around the league, a number of job openings have been created. In Tampa Bay, Brian Cooper was fired after four seasons with the Devil Rays in which he won 310 games. After securing the Wild Card berth in 2009 with a 91-71 record, the Rays took a huge step back in 2010, finishing in last place at 68-94. Cooper has been replaced by Carl Salter, who had been fired by the Atlanta Braves. Salter went 158-166 in his two years as Braves skipper. After three seasons at the helm of the Oakland Athletics, Thad Goode was also fired. Goode's first managerial job came in Oakland in 2008 when the A's won the AL West with a 95-67 record. In 2009, the team repeated as division champions at 89-73 only to fall to second place with a 79-83 record this season. He has since been hired as the bench coach for Rod Martin and the San Francisco Giants. In Wrigleyville, the Chicago Cubs fired first-year manager Archie Jones after a 75-87 season. Veteran manager Bruce Bochy was let go in Cincinnati after finishing in second place with a 79-83 record this year. In Bochy's four seasons with the Reds, he went 312-330, winning the NL Central in 2009 with an 89-73 record.