They think Rick Down will help Daubach immensely. Last year Daubach managed to get himself into too many bad counts by swinging at bad pitches, then sat tough at two strikes. If Down can help his discipline, he could be a better hitter, although he is someone who could be impacted negatively by a higher strike zone. I keep reading in the St. Paul Pioneer Press that there are rumors that some small-market teams that can't compete will be broken up and players thrown into some sort of draft. It's up to Carl Pohlad in a lot of ways.
Baseball needs redistribution of revenues, but it needs to downsize, as well.
It's a complicated combination. The Japanese teams send reps to this country and have contacts, and they let it be known that they're interested in certain players. The players and their agents get cuts, but the teams can make good money. Boston is a big believer in trading with Japanese teams. He could, but with Jacob Cruz out of options and Wil Cordero around, I don't see where he fits now that they signed Juan Gonzalez and Ellis Burks .