as long as this doesn't turn into a Sheffield situation of "yeah, 3 games at the end of the year will TOTALLY be enough time to get him ready for the playoffs!!" I think we're looking at short term pain/long term gain here.

1) Agreed.

What's the latest on Eric Chavez?

Heard Chavez is a long ways away, mid-August at the earliest, so I don't think he's an option. It's a shame too, this is exactly what we signed him for. I'm curious to see how Nunez does at third. He actually had some decent at-bats against a tough Shields. I think he can hit some, but his defense is suspect, and might be exploited, especially on bunts.

[4] Chavez has been such a tantalizing disappointment. He showed shades of his old self in the year. But it's clear he's pretty fragile at this point in his career. I think Nunez will fill in adequately on both sides of the ball.

I think the more Nuñez plays, the more he will start to resemble the player who posted sub-.700 OPS during his MiL career.

[3] Wow, I had completely forgotten about Chavez. That was looking like a great sign in the beginning of the year, and would be even better now if he were healthy...

[7] Nick Johnson, the sequel.

Oh, and have you heard about Youkilis?

http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/kevin-youkilis-puts-signup-sheet-for-threesome-in,20894/