The Red Sox have signed 27-year old righty swinging catcher Gustavo Molina to a minor league deal. Molina played in 72 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 44 for 211 (.209 avg, .541 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 2 homers and 24 RBIs. He last played in the majors in 2008 with the Mets. Molina has played in 19 games in his major league career and he is 4 for 34 (.118 avg, .309 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. This signing was for organizational depth and little more as Molina doesn’t have much of an upside.

Righty reliever/starter Bob Stanley filled in whatever role the Red Sox needed him to in his 13 years there. He pitched in 637 games (85 starts) for the Red Sox in his career and he was 115-97 with 132 saves, a 3.64 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. But, he was at his best during the 1982+1983 seasons when he pitched in 112 games (0 starts) and he was 20-17 with 47 saves, a 2.98 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Stanley pitched an amazing 313 2/3 innings out of the pen in those two years. Stanley is #1 all-time in Red Sox history in games pitched (637), he’s #8 in wins with 115, #2 in saves with 132 and he is #6 in innings pitched (#6). Stanley was a solid pitcher for the Red Sox.

Instead of shuffling between 1B and 3B this season, 30-year old righty swinging Kevin Youkilis will be able to focus on playing 1B. He played in 136 games for he Red Sox last season and he was 150 for 491 (.305 avg, .961 OPS) with 99 runs scored, 27 homers, 94 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Youkilis is turning into one of the better players in the American League. In his last four years with the Red Sox, Youkilis is hitting .296 with an average of 93.8 runs scored, 39 doubles, 21.3 homers and 91 RBIs per season. He also takes one for the team once in a while as he has been plunked with 52 pitches the last four years. Youkilis is also a Gold Glove-type defender at first base as he only made 1 error there in 78 games for the Red Sox last season. Youkilis seems to keep getting better so expect a big 2010 out of him.

When Youkilis needs a day off either Victor Martinez or Mike Lowell (if he’s still with the team) will replace him at 1B. Martinez played 70 games (66 starts) at 1B last season for the Indians and Red Sox and he made 3 errors. He is getting better there defensively. Lowell didn’t play any games at 1B last season for the Red Sox but the thinking is that he would be able to learn it and do a decent job there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR 1B IN 2010: A

The Red Sox have signed 34-year old righty reliever Chad Paronto to a minor league deal. He pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Astros last season and he was 0-0 with a 12.15 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. The Red Sox probably looked past his performance with the Astros and signed him for what he did in the minors last year. Paronto pitched in 44 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 2-1 with 24 saves, a 1.39 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. Paronto has now pitched in 177 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 6-12 with 1 save, a 4.32 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP.

The Red Sox have inked 26-year old righty swinging shortstop Angel Sanchez and 29-year old righty reliever Edwin Moreno. Sanchez played in 126 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 137 for 449 (.305 avg, .791 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 6 homers and 60 RBIs. He also played in 8 games with the Royals in 2006 in which he was 6 for 27 (.222 avg, .437 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Moreno made his major league debut in 2009 with the Padres when he pitched in 19 games (0 starts) in which he was 1-3 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP. He also pitched in 39 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball and he was 3-3 with 10 saves, a 4.17 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Both of these guys will likely be stashed in AAA at the start of the 2010 season and get a call to the majors if the need arises.

UPDATE: The Red Sox have released Edwin Moreno who has decided to pitch in Mexico this season.