Ranking the Red Sox Roster

From Boston.com. I will try to comment once I get rid of this headache...

25. Julio Lugo
24. Josh Bard
23. Manny Delcarmen
22. Tim Wakefield
21. Brad Penny
20. Rocco Baldelli
19. Javier Lopez
18. Takashi Saito
17. John Smoltz
16. Jason Varitek
15. Ramon Ramirez
14. Hideki Okajima
13. Justin Masterson
12. Jed Lowrie
11. Mike Lowell
10. Daisuke Matsuzaka
9. Jacoby Ellsbury
8. J.D. Drew
7. Jonathan Papelbon
6. Jason Bay
5. Kevin Youkilis
4. Dustin Pedroia
3. Josh Beckett
2. Jon Lester
1. David Ortiz

Red Sox lock up Youkilis with $40 million deal

Direct from si.com...

The Red Sox locked up another key piece on Thursday, as Kevin Youkilis agreed to a four-year, $40 million contract through 2012 with an option for 2013, SI.com has confirmed.

The 29-year-old infielder established himself as a top-tier run producer in 2008, batting .312 with 29 home runs and 115 RBIs and making his first All-Star team. Youkilis would have been eligible for arbitration.

The Youkilis deal, which was originally reported by ESPN.com, comes just six weeks after Boston signed 25-year-old second baseman Dustin Pedroia to a six-year contract worth $40.5 million. Pedroia and Youkilis finished first and third, respectively, in American League MVP voting last season.

The Red Sox are also attempting to sign electric closer Jonathan Papelbon to a long-term deal, but they haven't been able to reach an agreement thus far.

Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia wins AL MVP

NEW YORK (AP)—Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has won the American League Most Valuable Player award.

Pedroia got 16 of the 28 first-place votes and easily beat out Minnesota slugger Justin Morneau.

Pedroia became the first AL second baseman to win the award since Nellie Fox in 1959.

By prevailing in the Baseball Writers' Association of America voting, Pedroia became the 10th Red Sox MVP winner and the first to cart home the coveted award since Mo Vaughn in 1995. The previous winners from Boston were Jimmie Foxx (1938), Ted Williams (1946 and 1949), Jackie Jensen (1958), Carl Yastrzemski (1967), Fred Lynn (1975), Jim Rice (1978) and Roger Clemens (1986).

Since Vaughn's victory 13 years ago, three Red Sox players finished second in the voting: shortstop Nomar Garciaparra in 1998, pitcher Pedro Martinez in 1999 and designated hitter David Ortiz in 2005.

Pedroia adds Silver Slugger to his Gold Glove

from espn.com...

Dustin Pedroia, who recently won a Gold Glove, on Thursday also earned the Silver Slugger in voting by managers and coaches. The honor is given to the top offensive performers at their respective positions.

Pedroia became the first Red Sox second baseman to receive the honor after batting .326 with 17 home runs and 83 RBIs. The 25-year-old led the majors with 54 doubles, tied Ichiro Suzuki for first with 213 hits, and ranked second with 118 runs and 61 multi-hit games, both AL highs.

Selections for the Louisville Silver Slugger Award were based on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches' and managers' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value.

Pedroia wins Gold Glove

From mlb.com....

For all the attention that little Dustin Pedroia gets for his big bat, his emergence into an elite second baseman has too often been lost in the shuffle.But that changed in dramatic fashion on Thursday, when Pedroia, the sparkplug of the Boston Red Sox, was officially awarded a Rawlings Gold Glove for his defensive excellence.

Pedroia nabbed the honor for the first time in just his second Major League season.

In 157 games, Pedroia made just six errors and had a .992 fielding percentage.

His strengths on defense are numerous, from his agility to his sure hands to the way he hangs in there on double plays.

Read more HERE.