The Red Sox have signed 28-year old righty reliever Marcus McBeth and 29-year old righty swinging shortstop Gil Velazquez to minor league contracts. McBeth pitched in 52 games in AAA last season and he was 3-2 with 4 saves, a 5.75 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. McBeth also has pitched in 23 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 3-2 with a 5.95 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Velazquez played in 3 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 1 for 8 (.125 avg) with 1 RBI. He also played in 101 games in AAA ball last season and he was 91 for 350 (.260 avg, .727 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 10 homers and 46 RBIs. These guys were both signed to provide organizational depth at AAA.

The Red Sox have signed 29-year old lefty reliever Billy Traber to a minor league deal. He pitched in 19 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 0-0 with a 7.02 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. He has now pitched in 95 games (28 starts) in his major league career and he is 12-14 with a 5.54 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. This was a good low risk gamble for the Red Sox as lefties are hard to find that have ability.

The Red Sox appear to think that Jed Lowrie can handle the starting shortstop job in 2009. They have been discussing trading Julio Lugo to the Tigers for either Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis. The Red Sox would be smart to make this happen as the Tigers are hurting for a shortstop and they should take a flier on the D-Train. Robertson has not been a good pitcher in a while but Willis was really good just three years ago with the Marlins. If the Red Sox could straighten Willis out this would be a steal for them and the Tigers already seem to want to rid themselves Willis after 1 year.

The catcher situation will be interesting to watch. If I were running the Red Sox I would just let Jason Varitek walk as his game has really begun to slip. If the Red Sox can sign 1B Mark Teixeira which would move Kevin Youkilis to 3B then they would have to consider trading Mike Lowell to the Giants for Bengie Molina in a trade that would truly help both teams. If the Red Sox whiff on Teixeira then they should try to acquire Jarrod Saltalamacchia from the Rangers for Clay Buchholz. Buchholz might be a tad overrated but the Rangers would likely jump at this deal as they are hard up for pitching.

The Red Sox have signed 27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Paul McAnulty to a minor league contract. McAnulty played in 66 games for the Padres last season and he was 28 for 135 (.207 avg, .682 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 13 RBIs. He has now played in 124 games in his major league career and he is 44 for 212 (.208 avg, .654 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 5 homers and 21 RBIs. He has also whiffed 62 times which is way too many. McAnulty will have a chance to make the Red Sox as a backup outfielder in 2009.

The Red Sox have traded 29-year old switch hitting outfielder Coco Crisp to the Royals for 27-year old righty reliever Ramon Ramirez. Crisp played in 118 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 102 for 361 (.283 avg, .751 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 7 homers, 41 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. The Red Sox expected Crisp to replace Johnny Damon when he left for the Yankees and he was a disappointment for them. Crisp played 3 seasons with the Red Sox covering 368 games in which he was 352 for 1,300 (.271 avg) with 198 runs scored, 21 homers, 137 RBIs and 70 stolen bases. The Red Sox will likely sign a veteran to fill Crisp’s old role as the #4 outfielder in 2009. Ramirez should help fill a big need for the Red Sox as they search for dependable help in front of Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima. Ramirez was outstanding for the Royals last season as he pitched in 71 games (0 starts) in which he was 3-2 with 1 save, a 2.64 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In three major league seasons, Ramirez has worked in 154 games (0 starts) in which he is 9-7 with 1 save, a 3.62 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. This is a trade that’s likely to help both teams.