The Providence Journal reports Boston Red Sox C Kevin Cash is eligible for salary arbitration in the offseason.

According to The Hartford Courant's Jeff Goldberg, Boston Red Sox C Kevin Cash is the second Red Sox player to accomplish the feat of homering in his first postseason at-bat. Jose Santiago did it in Game 1 of the 1967 World Series.

The Associated Press’ Jimmy Golen reports Boston Red Sox C Kevin Cash hit a solo homer in Game 4 of the ALCS Tuesday night, Oct. 14.

Amalie Benjamin, of The Boston Globe, reports Boston Red Sox C George Kottaras will not be a part of the team's playoff roster in 2008.

News: The Sports Xchange notes that SS Gil Velazquez and C George Kottaras both collected their first major league hits Friday in a blowout loss to the Yankees and Velazquez knocked in his first big-league RBI when he rapped a run-scoring single off the Green Monster in left field.

Analysis: Velazquez and Kottaras both spent the bulk of their seasons at Triple-A Pawtucket (R.I.), and were brought up to the Sox in September to give the ballclub some positional depth. Neither player is expected to have any Fantasy potential for 2009

Boston Red Sox C George Kottaras recorded his first major league hit Friday, Sept. 26, against the New York Yankees, according to The Associated Press.

Mark Wagner homered and walked twice Wednesday for Scottsdale of the AFL. Wagner went from a 939 OPS at Single-A Lancaster in 2007 to a 666 OPS in Double-A last season, but he's bounced back to hit .319/.407/.553 in 47 at-bats this fall. A solid defensive catcher, he should make it as a major league backup if he proves he can contribute some with the bat. His OBPs won't impress, but he does have a fair amount of power.

News: Boston little man Dustin Pedroia won the AL MVP award Tuesday, becoming the first second baseman to earn the honor in nearly a half-century. Pedroia easily beat out Minnesota slugger Justin Morneau and added to his ever-expanding trophy case. Pedroia drew 16 of the 28 first-place votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America and finished with 317 points. It was a scattered ballot, with five players receiving first-place votes. Pedroia was even left off one ballot -- Morneau and Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis were listed on every one. Morneau got seven first-place votes and had 257 points. Youkilis and Twins catcher Joe Mauer each got a pair of first-place votes. Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels drew the other first-place nod and came in sixth.

Analysis: Youkilis (.312-29-115) was third with 201 points. Consider him one of the top 10 Fantasy first baseman to target on Draft Day and a candidate to go .300-30-100-100 annually now, especially in that ballpark and lineup

The Providence Journal reports Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis is eligible for salary arbitration in the offseason.

Updating a previous item, MLB.com’s Barry M. Bloom reports Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis, the AL recipient of the 2008 Aaron Award, hit a career-high .312 with 29 homers and 115 RBIs in 2008. He also established career highs with his 168 hits and 43 doubles. Additionally, he paced the club with his homer and RBI totals. Finally, he had the best run-producing ratio in the AL by averaging an RBI every 4.7 at-bats.

With Sean Casey, Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew all recuperating from injuries, Bailey has made the most of his newfound playing time. Monday's long ball marked his second in the last three days, boosting his slugging percentage to .536 in 28 big league at-bats. Consider giving him a short-term whirl in AL-only play, as the 29-year-old first baseman did damage for Triple-A Pawtucket this season (.301, 25 HR, 75 RBIs).

News: Jason Varitek and Jeff Bailey hit consecutive homers Monday for the Red Sox. Varitek's tied Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk for a club record with his 157th as a catcher. Adam Jones, Juan Castro and Kevin Millar had solo home runs for Baltimore. Millar's was his 20th, the third time -- and first since he hit 25 with the Red Sox in 2003 -- he has reached that mark.

Analysis: Bailey was named the Triple-A IL MVP this season. There is a lot of pop in his bat, so consider him a sleeper in deeper AL-only formats down the stretch. He plays the position of two of the Red Sox's biggest stars, Kevin Youkilis at 1B and David Ortiz at DH, so don't expect him to get full-time at-bats once Mike Lowell returns from the DL this weekend

News: Red Sox 1B Jeff Bailey, who spent most of the season in the minors, hit his first homer of the season on Saturday against the White Sox. Bailey finished 1-for-4.

Analysis: Bailey has pop in his bat (24 HRs with Pawtucket), but is more of an AL-only Fantasy reserve until further notice

Athletics.MLB.com's Mychael Urban reports Oakland Athletics 1B Chris Carter was named the organization's player of the year. Carter enjoyed a breakout season at Class A Stockton, leading the Cal League with 39 home runs and 104 RBIs. He batted .259 with 101 runs scored, a .361 on-base percentage and .569 slugging percentage, playing first and third base and designated hitter.

Athletics.MLB.com's Mychael Urban reports Oakland Athletics 1B Chris Carter hit 39 homers with 104 RBIs at Class A Stockton this season.

Chris Carter has been recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket, according to the Boston Globe.Carter was acquired from the Nationals in the Wily Mo Pena deal. Carter can play first base as well as the outfield, but won't likely see enough playing time to garner fantasy interest.

Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis finished in third place in AL MVP voting behind winner Dustin Pedroia and Justin Morneau, according to MLB.com.Youkilis had a career year in 2008 with career highs in batting average (.312), home runs (29), and RBI (115).

MLB.com’s Ian Browne reports Minnesota Twins 1B Justin Morneau finished in second place in AL MVP voting with 257 points behind Boston Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia, who came in first with 317 points.

MLB.com’s Ian Browne reports Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis finished in third place in AL MVP voting. With teammate 2B Dustin Pedroia taking top honors, it marked the first time since 1986 that the club had two players finish in the top three in voting. In 1986, SP Roger Clemens came in first, while OF/DH Jim Rice finished in third place.

Mike Lowell's recovery from October hip surgery "seems to be going very well," according to surgeon Bryan Kelly. Lowell is on schedule to be at full health in time for spring training. He is already off crutches.Source: Boston Globe

Mike Lowell is making favorable progress in his recovery from hip surgery, according to the Boston Globe. Surgeon Brian Kelly, who performed Lowell's operation, said, "I think there's a good chance he'll be the same. The pro athletes that I've dealt with that have this type of surgery are typically able to get back to their full level of function without losing much. If there is some degree of permanent damage, is that damage going to become progressively worse? It probably has more to do with longevity of one's career. Will he come back like he was? That's what we all want to know. I'm optimistic."Standard recovery time is 4-6 months, and Lowell is already off crutches. He has a shot to be ready for spring training.

The Associated Press reports Boston Red Sox 3B Mike Lowell (hip) is expected to be ready in time for Spring Training. "Our doctors think he's going to be 100 percent," general manager Theo Epstein said. "But a lot of work lies ahead of them. Mike said he already feels great and he's a little bit ahead of schedule, and the reports couldn't be any better. So we'll see. The expectations of all the doctors and experts is that, with proper rehab, will be 100 percent sometime in early March."

News: Boston little man Dustin Pedroia won the AL MVP award Tuesday, becoming the first second baseman to earn the honor in nearly a half-century. Pedroia easily beat out Minnesota slugger Justin Morneau and added to his ever-expanding trophy case. Pedroia drew 16 of the 28 first-place votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America and finished with 317 points. It was a scattered ballot, with five players receiving first-place votes. Pedroia was even left off one ballot -- Morneau and Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis were listed on every one. Morneau got seven first-place votes and had 257 points. Youkilis and Twins catcher Joe Mauer each got a pair of first-place votes. Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels drew the other first-place nod and came in sixth.

Analysis: Youkilis (.312-29-115) was third with 201 points. Consider him one of the top 10 Fantasy first baseman to target on Draft Day and a candidate to go .300-30-100-100 annually now, especially in that ballpark and lineup

The Providence Journal reports Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis is eligible for salary arbitration in the offseason.

Updating a previous item, MLB.com’s Barry M. Bloom reports Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis, the AL recipient of the 2008 Aaron Award, hit a career-high .312 with 29 homers and 115 RBIs in 2008. He also established career highs with his 168 hits and 43 doubles. Additionally, he paced the club with his homer and RBI totals. Finally, he had the best run-producing ratio in the AL by averaging an RBI every 4.7 at-bats.

Jed Lowrie played since May with a sprain and a small non-displaced fracture in his left wrist, according to the Boston Globe. The injuries were discovered during an MRI on Tuesday. Boston GM Theo Epstein said that the injury has already begun to heal, and that it will be fine with three weeks of rest.If what Epstein said is true, it shouldn't affect Lowrie beyond this season. It also could explain his end of the year slump, as the injuries finally might have caught up with him. Lowrie finished the season batting 8-for-51, and just .207 during the playoffs.

Jed Lowrie played since May with a sprain and a small non-displaced fracture in his left wrist, according to ESPN. The injuries were discovered during an MRI on Tuesday. Boston GM Theo Epstein said that the injury has already begun to heal, and that it will be fine with three weeks of rest.If what Epstein said is true, it shouldn't affect Lowrie beyond this season. It also could explain his end of the year slump, as the injuries finally might have caught up with him. Lowrie finished the season batting 8-for-51, and just .207 during the playoffs.

General manager Theo Epstein said Wednesday that Jed Lowrie "played since May with a sprain and a small nondisplaced fracture in his left wrist." Epstein noted that the injuries "worsened as the season wore on," which may explain Lowrie's season-ending 8-for-51 (.157) slump and struggles batting from the left side. He's expected to be fully healthy following three weeks of rest.Source: Boston Globe

Jason Beck, of MLB.com, reports the Detroit Tigers are not close to any deal to acquire a shortstop, according to baseball sources. However, nobody has ruled out a deal for Boston Red Sox SS Julio Lugo. Trade talks for Lugo may move extremely slow until next month's winter meetings.

SI.com's Jon Heyman believes the Red Sox and Tigers are still considering a swap of Julio Lugo and Dontrelle Willis. It seems like a bad idea for Boston, and not just because Willis is guaranteed more money over the next two years ($22 million to $18 million). Lugo doesn't have all that far to bounce back to be an adequate regular, and he's definitely of use as a utilityman even if he doesn't rebound. Willis, on the other hand, was bad in 2007 and completely lost last season. Sure, he's only turning 27 in January, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he has anything left.Source: SI.com Related: Dontrelle Willis, Tigers

The potential Lugo deal has been floating around for a while, with a positional fit. Shortstop is one of three priority needs for the Tigers, while the emergence of Jed Lowrie in Boston during the season left Lugo's future role uncertain.

Jason Bay, who can be a free agent for the first time after 2009, is open to doing a long-term deal with the Red Sox. "It’s a situation where he’s loving Boston. It’s a great club and a great organization," said agent Nez Balelo of CAA. "He’s a quality player, and I’m sure (the Red Sox) recognize that. Whatever they want to do, I’m sure that we’re all ears." No discussions have taken place yet.Source: WEEI.com

The Red Sox have not yet discussed a contract extension with Jason Bay or his agent, according to the Boston Globe.Bay, who was acquired from the Pirates in a three-way deal with the Dodgers, will have his current contract end after the 2009 season.

News: Red Sox OF Jason Bay homered again Saturday in Game 2 of the ALCS at Tampa Bay, giving him three in the postseason. He finished 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI.

Analysis: Bay has done an admirable job replacing Manny Ramirez both in the Red Sox's lineup and on AL-only Fantasy teams. He is a high-OPS player and a must-start in Fantasy. He enters 2009 as a top-10 Fantasy OF