On December 4th, the Red Sox made the biggest personnel move of Major League Baseball’s young Hot-Stove season. (Previously known as the “off”-season, but there is no off-season in sports anymore; not with the 24-hour news cycle.) In case you’ve been living in a cave under water on one of Saturn’s moons, then allow me to fill you in. That day, Boston completed a trade with San Diego to finally land the man Theo Epstein has been fawning over for two years, Adrian Gonzalez.
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| Red makes Gonzo smile. |
When the news broke, Red Sox Nation let out an enormous “WOO HOO!” Twitter and Facebook immediately blew up with celebratory posts. Sons called fathers. Fathers called grandfathers. Friends rejoiced. And, the Nation howled “Suck it!” the their rivals to the south.
The Hot-Stove season was immediately successful.
Little did the Nation know, it had only just begun.
News broke on December 9th that the Red Sox had signed the #1 free agent hitter on the market, Carl Crawford. Rumor has it, Lenny Clarke actually fainted into his bowl of Fiddle Faddle when the ESPN crawl reported it. The collective jaw of Red Sox Nation dropped to the floor in disbelief. Surely, the Angels were getting Crawford. That’s what we were told. And, if not them, then the Yankees. Not the Sox. Not after Jayson Werth signed that ludicrous contract with the Nationals. No way. No how. No effing way. NO EFFING WAY! Yet, there it was. Carl Crawford agreeing to terms with the Boston Red Sox.
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| Carl Crawford looks good in red. |
If the Hot-Stove season had been a success after acquiring Gonzalez, the Crawford signing officially stamped it as one of the greatest in Boston history.
In the course of five days, the Red Sox, who were hampered in 2010 with injuries and a sub-par line-up had acquired an All-Star outfielder and a top five first baseman, immediately placing their line-up among the best in baseball, on paper.
With a transaction feast as robust as Thanksgiving dinner, Red Sox Nation officially plopped their asses on the couch, leaned back, put their feet up, unbuttoned their pants, and let out a satisfied sigh. But, the cook is not resting. Not yet. As the Nation digests this deliciousness, Theo Epstein, General Manager of the Red Sox, is still in the kitchen, preparing dessert.
Because, this Hot-Stove season is far from over. And, I’m not referring to the bullpen help that Epstein spoke about on December 10th. That’s more like the post dinner cup of coffee. Nope. Theo’s got something special cooking, something sweet that the Nation will devour. I’m sure of it.
Why? Aren’t the Red Sox recent indulgences satisfactory? Yes. Of course they are. And no, not quite. There’s still work that needs to be done. I can see that. And, seeing as I’m just an observer, I have to believe the master chef Epstein is seeing the same thing.
Like a democrat who can’t get his party’s bid, the Sox lean too much to the left.
Now, that may seem like I’m picking nits™ only hours after the Sox re-became an offensive juggernaut. But, I’m not. Really. The Sox line-up, albeit much better, still may struggle in the American League East. Look at the pitching staffs in their division. The Yankees already have lefty CC Sabathia. If they re-sign Andy Pettite and acquire Cliff Lee, (which seems inevitable in lieu of their rival’s recent acquisitions) then the Bombers will feature three left-handed starters. The Toronto Blue Jays already have three lefties in the rotation, and the Tampa Bay Rays big arm, and Cy Young candidate, David Price, is also, you guessed it, left handed. That’s a lot of left-handed starting pitching for this lefty-heavy line-up to face in 2011.
A right-handed bat would complete the Red Sox line-up like Dorothy Boyd did for Jerry McGuire. And, there is no doubt in my mind that Theo Epstein is working the phones to ensure that bat lands in Beantown.
But who is that right-handed bat? Rumors are floating that Theo has had conversations with Scott Boras regarding the status of Magglio Ordonez, and with Sandy Alderson, GM of the New York Mets, about the availability of Carlos Beltran, who is technically a switch-hitter, but still fills that void. (I’m not THAT nit-picky)
Both players are a shadow of their former All-Star selves, and neither would seem to be able to be impact players anymore. Beltran has spent more time on the Disabled List than he has on the field the past two years. And, when he’s actually played, he has been less than impressive, compiling 17 home runs, 75 RBI, and 14 stolen bases in 145 combined games. Oh, and there’s the small matter of his enormous contract. Beltran is due to get nearly $19 million in 2011, and, contrary to popular belief, the Red Sox do not have a bottomless wallet to pay for him.
Ordonez draws little enthusiasm as well. He hasn’t slugged .500 the past three years and his home run total has declined as well. He had somewhat of a resurgence in 2010, but spent half the year injured. He’s had run-ins with management and is known as a clubhouse hemorrhoid. (pain in the ass) And, with Scott Boras by his side, there’s no doubt that he’s looking to get paid more than he’s worth. To top it off, he’s a sub-par defensive outfielder who is unwilling to work at getting better.
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| Future Red Sox CF Carlos Beltran |
So, let’s say the Sox get Beltran. That would put four starters for three outfield positions, causing a log-jam with Crawford, Ellsbury, Drew, and Beltran. Not to mention Mike Cameron earning $7.75 million at the 5th outfield spot. Someone would need to go.
That’s when the real coup happens.
Jacoby Ellsbury gets traded in a package to the Kansas City Royals for Zack Greinke.
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| future Red Sox pitcher, Zack Greinke |
BAM!
The Crawford signing screams for this move. With Crawford in place, they have a speedster to hit atop the line-up. Carlos Beltran would play center, and JD Drew would lame-duck it in right. Mike Cameron would be the fourth outfielder, which, with the inevitable DL stints by Beltran and Drew, would mean significant playing time. It would also mean not having to start an outfield of Nava, McDonald, and Patterson again next season.
Ellsbury’s actions during his extended Disabled List stint rubbed the team and management the wrong way, as did his voicing of concerns with the medical staff. You can give him the benefit of the doubt, claim that he’s a kid and he is probably too young to really know what to say or what to do. Perhaps. But, he’s also balked at changing his style at the plate, becoming a more disciplined hitter, something the Red Sox covet. He’s a wonderful young player and could very well be an All-Star down the road, but when you play in Boston, you have to win now, and trading him probably gives the Sox the best opportunity to do just that. And, one thing this ownership team has shown, if you are a clubhouse problem, your ass is gone. Ask Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra.
With my projected trade, the Sox line-up looks like this:
Pedroia 2B
Crawford LF
Youkilis 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Beltran CF
Ortiz DH
Lowrie SS
Drew RF
Saltamacchia C
Solid! Real solid!
And, the pitching staff would be:
1. Lester
2. Greinke
3. Buccholtz
4. Lackey
5. Beckett
Wow! Lackey and Beckett would be the fourth and fifth starters. If that’s not the best rotation in baseball, then, well, screw it, it is. No analogy necessary.
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| deranged Yankee fan. |
Can you see Tito Francona raising the Commissioner’s Trophy over his head once again as closer Daniel Bard does NOT Riverdance in the background? Can you? I know I can. It’s a pretty darn good vision.
“picking nits” is unofficially trademarked by Bill Simmons.
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| The Sports Guy Bill Simmons |
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