Thoughts on the Trade

With Eric on vacation (if you call running up and down mountains vacation) and Todd at game one of the new era, it is left to yours truly to comment on the biggest salary dump in the history of professional sports.

I've read the facts about 500 times, but they still have the power to shock: the Sox sent Josh Beckett (2003 World Series MVP and 2007 ALCS MVP); Adrian Gonzalez (4-time all star, 3 Gold Gloves, 0.294 lifetime); Carl Crawford (4-time all star, 4 time AL stolen base champion, 0.292 lifetime); and Nick Punto (umm, yeah) to the LA Dodgers.  In return they got struggling first baseman James Loney; the Dodgers' #2 prospect, right handed pitcher Allen Webster; minor league second baseman Ivan DeJesus, Jr.; and two players to be named later.  Earlier in the day, those two players were rumored to be right handed pitching prospect Rubby de la Rosa and minor league outfielder Jerry Sands, though that is no longer clear.

Oh - and the Sox did send a little bit of a cash the Dodgers' way, but barely enough to be worth mentioning.  So, they ended up clearing out $265.5 million of salary obligations.  And they may still shed some more, if any teams wish to claim Jon Lester or Jacoby Ellsbury from the waiver wires.

I've got to say, I'm more excited about the Red Sox than I have been in a long time.

Now, what is Cherington going to with all that money?

I'm pretty sure he is not going to sign a hard-hitting superstar first baseman.  While Adrian Gonzalez never quite lived up to expectations, his numbers in Boston were pretty damn good -- he hit .338 in 2011, and .300 in 2012.  That's a better batting average than he had in San Diego.  Meanwhile, the price for high caliber first basemen has skyrocketed ($250 million for Joey Votto!)  If the Sox wanted production from that corner, they should have stayed put.

Perhaps he has his eye on a shortstop?  But I've got to think that Iglesias is going to get his chance.

Pitching could be area of focus.  Buchholz, Doubront, Morales, Lackey and (Bard?  De La Rosa if he's ready?)  don't quite cut it.  Neither does much of the bullpen.  But there is something to be said for waiting a year or two or three for some young talent to develop and prove itself, and then rewarding it well.  The last thing we need is another John Lackey.  We've still got one.

So let me give Cherington my suggestion: SHOW ORTIZ THE MONEY.  Even after you faced him down in contract negotiations this past offseason, he has played his heart out, hitting 0.318 - his best since 2007.  Despite his injuries, he has still been the best DH in baseball.  And beyond his abilities, he is the soul of the team, having taken up where Varitek left off.   So for heaven's sake, give him a contract that says you want him in a Red Sox uniform until he is old and decrepit and ready to leave the game.

And then, if you still have some cash left over, see if you can get the owners to cut ticket prices.  

A Lost Sox Weekend

As usual, Joy of Sox puts things in perspective for us:

"Losing three games - two of them by only one run - to the powerhouse-hitting team many people think will steamroll to the World Series? This is making Red Sox fans panic? ...
It was a bad three games, I agree. Sunday's game was particularly horrific. ...
This has many fans demanding that Daniel Bard be yanked from the rotation before he has made even one start and plugged back into the bullpen. But that would be a mistake and a clear sign that the front office has abandoned the philosophy that brought them two World Series championships after an 86-year drought. It would show that the team is taking the short view and looking at only the recent games when making important decisions. You don't base team decisions on two games worth of data."

And also: "My advice to you: stay away from all Boston media until further notice."

Joel made some similar points here. I only caught a little of G3 (the odds of me catching any weekend or day games are slim to none) and my only comment is that Aceves didn't look like the same pitcher he was last year. Of course, I suspect the Tigers will make many pitchers look bad. My bigger concern is Josh Beckett: we have enough concerns with our starting rotation to have Beckett not pitch up to his capabilities.

Regardless, let's see what happens in the next few series before declaring all is lost. Time to kick some Blue Jay ass! (But please, please, stay away from Bautista.)

Curt Schilling: Are you a Red Sox fan?

we all love curt schilling for everything he's done for the red sox.  as a baseball player, i have the utmost respect for him.  as a commentator on the red sox, he has had some very insightful and opinionated things to say over the years as well.  we've all heard the story of curt ripping bobby valentine, saying:

"when you talk to these guys -- and I'm still talking to some of these guys -- I don't think this is going well. And I think it's going bad quicker than I expected it to"

i'm not a big fan of schilling coming out with this.  sure, he was close with francona and i can empathize with any frustration he may have about how that situation was dealt with.  but a pitch hasn't even been thrown in the regular season and he's already seeing things go south?  

what i think i like most about this situation is that the almost completely silent Josh Beckett* appears to the be one standing up to schillings remarks:

"I haven't seen him around," Beckett continued. "I'd think if someone knew that much they'd probably be a little closer to it. Game's a lot easier from over there [as a media person], I think. As far as him speaking about how things are being run, I haven't seen him around here to where he would know that much."

granted, he's stopped short of defending bobby valentine, or disputing schilling's claims...  but i've never seen beckett painted as the "team player" and i like that he voiced a response.

i think we can agree that no matter what you think of bobby v, he is here for the year (at least) and, like him or not, he is running the show.  we love the red sox and we cannot change this, so how about we accept what it is and get back to supporting the team (at least until we've posted something in the W-L column to base our commentary on)?

*btw, hope reports of Beckett being injured don't prevent him from making his first start

Well, When You Put It That Way...

Insights on Red Sox pitching from Ruben Lipszyc, the author of Red Sox Nation - Alberta:

The top 3 pitchers in the rotation are back, and Buchholz didn't pitch after the middle of June, so the top of the rotation can potentially improve. There's been a lot of talk about not addressing the #4 and 5 slots. Despite many rumours, Boston did not sign Oswalt, Kuroda or Edwin Jackson or make a bid on Yu Darvish, or trade for John Danks. But last year Lackey pitched all season with an ERA well above 6. DiceK while healthy contributed an ERA over 5. Wakefield had the 4th most starts on the team, and his ERA was North of 5 as well. Andrew Miller started 12 games and had an even higher ERA. And please don't get me started on Kyle Weiland who would have made any of the above look like Cy Young in comparison. That's a total of 75 games started by pitchers with a combined ERA of approximately 5.80. I believe that Bard, Aceves and any others that need to fill in due to the inevitable injuries such as Cook, Padilla, Duckworth, Silva, Ohlendorf etc, can'd do any worse. I really see the starting rotation as being a large improvement over last year. Replacing Papelbon with Bailey and Melancon was a very smart move. On the field it may be a slight downgrade, but it never makes sense to overpay for relievers - particularly closers.

I like the optimism! Getting excited for the season to start...

Where Have You Gone, Tito?

I can't help it. I keep pondering the events of this last weekend, from the moment when the Sox lost the final game of the season to when the final word came down: Terry Francona was no longer to be the manager of the Red Sox. Of all of the possible outcomes of the awful ending to the Sox' season, this was the most unanticipated and also the most disappointing. Moving forward, though, the real question is Why? Why would who I feel to be the best manager in Red Sox history leave?

I read a bunch of articles, the best of which are the Wheat from the Chaff summarization article from the Joy of Sox (be sure to read the comments on this one), Gordon Edes take on ESPN Boston, and Chad Finn's take from Touching all of the Bases. (For what it's worth, Finn also has an excellent immediate take on the seasons end here.) Here's what I can gather from all this.

The 2011 Red Sox were an entitled mess. As a team, they showed up out of shape, leading to their disastiourously slow start and their running out of gas at the end of the season. Certain individuals (Sounds like Beckett and Youkalis) led the team into a bitter complain-fest, leaving the more responsible members of the team (led by Pedroia and Ellsbury) to soldier along as best they could by themselves. At least one pitcher (sounds like Beckett) was drinking on the days he didn't start. Lackey was an ass throughout the entire season, bookending the worse pitching performance in Red Sox history by first claiming that "everything about my life sucks right now" and ending it with the marketing coup of divorcing his wife who is battling cancer. Wakefield and Ortiz are more concerned with chasing records than the rest of the team. And so on. And so on.

I mention all of this only because it puts Tito's frustration into context. Most accounts state that it was Francona's decision to leave the Sox, although it's hard to tell for certain. It does sound like Francona had the support of Theo, which is no small matter. But it also sounds like the front office became disillusioned with Francona's MO, which was to keep player matters private, never showing up anyone publicly, and turning a relative blind eye to any transgressions as long as they didn't effect the team. (It's important to remember that this is the same manager who allowed his team to do shots of Jack Daniels before games in 2004, and things seemed to work out that year.) He's loyal to his players to a fault (remember Mark Bellhorn?) but when the players started betraying that trust, well, not only did he lose the front office but also in his ability to effectively lead. After all, you can do everything right, but if people are tuning you out, then there's really nothing that you can do - unless there's accountability.

It's this last word that's important. Who will hold the players responsible for the problems that occurred both on and off field in 2011? The answer isn't that simple, mainly because some of the folks responsible can't really be held responsible. To pick the obvious example, there's nothing the Sox can do about John Lackey. His contract is guaranteed. So he sneers and rolls his eye at his manager, the people paying his checks can say something but they don't have a whole lot of weapons because Lackey is getting his 60-something million regardless of what they do. And so, in Finn's best line of his article, he asks "Imagine how the players of today would react to [Dick Williams' hard-assed] approach. John Lackey would have to invent a whole new repertoire of contemptuous sneers just for the manager." There's no accountability, and no way (stomach?) to discipline, and so the Red Sox turn into a NBA team with mediocre players signed to bloated, inescapable contracts. I can't really blame Tito for not wanting to stick around and see how it plays out. But it does make me sad, and I can't think of a manager or coach i've ever felt that way about other than when Marv Levy retired.

Please forgive this rambling post. I'm just not sure what to say other than to express how angry I am. Also, this. I'm sure more will come out over the course of the off-season. And i'll be watching. But for now my trust in this team is sorely dented. It'll take a bit of doing to get me fully back on board. Here's hoping the Sox can pull it off.

Beckett

I see that the Boston Herald has turned on Beckett:

It has become the story of Beckett’s career since he led the Red Sox to the 2007 World Series. In 2008, he pitched through an oblique injury in the playoffs, but still went just 1-0 with an 8.79 ERA. He lost his only playoff start to the Angels in 2009. In his last four playoff starts, he’s 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA. And in his last two starts this season, both must-wins, he’s 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA. Barring some unforeseen relief appearance on two days’ rest, Beckett’s 2011 regular season is officially done. He finishes 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA. The historians will look at the numbers and consider it a success. But we’ll know better. When the Red Sox needed Josh Beckett most, he disappeared.

I say, there's more than enough blame to go around. But also, it's a little too early to be spreading blame, since there is still a chance a redemption, no matter how dwindling.

Unwatchable

So I woke up this morning to find out that the Red Sox and Rays are tied. After 160 games, we find ourselves on even footing with Tampa Bay at 89-71.

All this because Beckett just can't seem to pitch in the late innings any more. JoS shares the painful truth about the only two starters on our staff that don't make me want to throw up:

This was Beckett's second start in a row in which Terry Francona watched him run out of gas in the middle innings and did not pull him. In six starts since September 11, Beckett and Jon Lester have posted an 8.18 ERA.

JoS also asks the good question why Aceves pitched the 8th last night. Why wouldn't you have rested him, knowing that it's more likely that we'll need him tonight?

Sigh. It didn't need to be this way. And now our lonely eyes turn to Bedard, who had four runs, albeit only one that was earned, in 2 and 2/3 innings against the Orioles just last week. Let's hope his knee/hip/brain is feeling better tonight!

Josh Beckett, a lonely nation turns its eyes to you...

I don't think it's hyperbole to say that tonight's game is huge. Beckett needs to come in and pitch like he's capable of pitching and shut down the Rays. Someone needs to turn this team around and he's only pitcher on our staff that's capable of doing this (being the proverbial "stopper"). Lester's the only one who might be close but I just have no faith in his ability to pitch big in big games.

In other Sox news, this is interesting: sounds like Buchholz will be throwing a bullpen session this weekend with an eye towards becoming a long reliever in the playoffs. If this really happens, then we could use a combo of Aceves and Buchholz as a starter, which I like MUCH more that Miller and Weiland.

I haven't heard any news on Bedard? Is he still hurt?

If a Great Game was Pitched and No One Watched, Did it Really Happen?

As Joel noted in the comments, Josh Beckett continued his amazing return to form yesterday by pitching a one-hit, 97 pitch CG shutout against the Rays last night. And all of Boston - including Eric and myself, were tuned in to an incredible hockey game where the Bruins and Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas simply broke the will of the Vancouver Canucks to take home the Stanley Cup.

Hope Beckett can repeat on this performance! I was surprised to learn that "the fewest hits he had ever allowed previously in a complete game was three and he had done that just once." Given how dominant he can be - in '07 in particular - I had expected him to come closer to a perfect game, but there are just so many variables involved. I mean, Pedro Martinez never had a complete game and he's the best pitcher i've ever seen.

Thoughts from Last Night's Game

So AT&T had an epic Fenway Fail last night in that there was NO service to be had anywhere in the park. So in lieu of a live blog, here are a few scattered observations from the game:

- The new HD scoreboards absolutely rock. They’re mesmerizing, and include a larger number of stats than they displayed before, which I appreciated (I’m really starting to get into .OBS)

- The biggest debate of the night was if we could classify what we were experiencing as rain or not. I settled as describing it as sitting in a cloud. The entire game was played in fog and a light mist. Uncomfortable!

- The game felt like two different games: While Beckett was in (he’s been downright filthy this year and, despite his bases loaded situation in the 2nd, continued that trend last night), and when Beckett was out. He left the game after six innings with a “tight neck,” setting the stage for Bard to surrender two solo HRs in the span of four pitches. After those two HRs – which tied the game - the mood turned evil with many people around me calling for Francona's head for putting in Bard. Now, I don’t think that Bard should play every day (he’s WAY too overworked) but I don’t get people that criticize Francona because he does a hell of a job 99% of the time.

- The 9th was ugly as both Papelbon and Al Albuquerque loaded the bases for their teams: the difference was that Paps got out of it and Al didn’t. Al was also responsible for a really strange sequence where Lowrie got a hit (after a 10-pitch at bat!), but the bases were loaded and the runner on 3rd was gunned down at the plate, so the play was scored a "fielders choice 7-2." Weird!

- The "first game" felt like a Bizarro Sox game in that not only did J.D. Drew knock in both of the Sox runs but also was responsible for what felt like 2/3s of the put-outs. He was everywhere, which surprised me because I honestly sometimes forget that he’s even on the team.

- CarlCrawford just looks uncomfortable at the plate. He was swinging at some rediculious breaking balls last night that he just couldn’t lay off of. He did send us home happy, but I don’t think that his troubles are over by a long shot.

- Got to see a Big Papi moon shot. Never gets old!

Live Sox!

Don't get too jealous, but i'll be at Fenway tonight! Scheduled to pitch are Beckett vs. Verlander. If the rain holds off, it should be a great matchup. Here's hoping that Beckett can continue this streak:

the Red Sox have now had an MLB-leading 11 games this year in which the starting pitcher has not allowed a run.
They had 19 such games last year and 21 in 2009. However, in 41 of the 93 seasons for which searchable data exists (since 1919), the Red Sox did not have even 10 such games. The 1964 Angels set the record with 34 "shutout starts". At their current pace, the 2011 Red Sox would finish with 42.

Live blogging will be contingent upon rain and my sobriety levels.

Angels' Aces

There seems to be something of a duel brewing in Anaheim over the question of who is going to be the Angels' ace. Dan Haren and Jered Weaver have each started eight games this season. Over the course of their starts, each has pitched 57.2 innings. Each has given up 12 earned runs. Meaning (do you see where I am going?) each has a 1.87 ERA. Haren has 56 Ks; Weaver has 55. Each has been tagged with two losses already. Both of Haren's losses have come against Boston; Weaver has lost to Boston once and to Oakland once. Otherwise, the only difference between these guys is that Haren has given up a few more hits (41 vs. 39) while Weaver has given up a few more walks (13 vs. 8).

If Beckett is going to be recognized as the best in the league this year, somebody other than the Red Sox will need to be able to get at Haren and Weaver. Until then, if I run into an Angels fan, I'll have to be content noting that opposing batters are batting even lower against Beckett (.174) than against either Haren (.192) or Weaver (.188).