Do you ever get the feeling like there’s no one on earth who loves you? That feeling that you’re completely alone in the world, completely abandoned by people who once cared so much for you?

I bet that Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles fans feel that way all the time. These two franchises had so much to look forward to at one point in their history: World titles, All-Star players and recorded-setting teams are now all gone. The fans of these teams have nothing left but to watch the Angels, Rangers, Red Sox and the Yankees dominate their respective divisions. There isn’t much to brag about or look forward to if you’re a Baltimore or Oakland fan. Almost as if the grace of God is non-existent.

And if anyone in either city still even believes in God, they’re about to have one more reason to abandon faith because Manny Ramirez may be headed to one of these two sorry, sorry franchises. Apparently, the rumor mill (and reputable news sources, but what’s the difference anymore) is spouting some talk of Manny being Manny in Baltimore or Oakland. I can’t even believe that the management of these (I almost wrote respected) teams are even considering taking in a player who is way past is prime and won’t even play in the first 50 games of the season. If I lived in Oakland or Baltimore and I read the headline “Manny’s coming to Town!,” I’d quickly flip to any and all stories about drive-byes and missing children to cheer me up.

Why Bother?

At this time, there’s no contract information available, but if the O’s and A’s are smart, which they aren’t, they better not sign him for more than the league minimum. Also, they should add in a ton of incentives. It’s a smart way to try to actually get something out of him.

The issue is: what’s left for Manny Ramirez to give? His last few seasons where way below the usual Manny production and after a year off, I highly doubt he’s found “it” again. He’d certainly be limited to just a designated hitter, but then again, if they’re considering Manny, then they’d probably let him play centerfield and maybe close a few games too.

From what is being reported, Oakland needs a DH and they find Manny to be an intriguing signing. As for the Orioles, Dan Duquette is Baltimore’s GM and he’s obviously dealt with Manny before, so he’s willing to take this risk. In 2001, he signed Ramirez to a $160 million deal with Boston and referred to him in his press conference as both “interesting”and “entertaining.” I highly doubt he’ll use either of those words when all the Orioles fans slash his car’s tires.

Do These Teams Have Anything to Gain?

I don’t entirely blame two of the lowest ranking teams in baseball to want to shake things up and stir some interest in their teams. The circus atmosphere will certainly have people coming to witness what could be a giant calamity. I don’t know how many national ESPN or FOX games one single player would help these teams get to, if any. Oakland actually has a decent, young team, which with the right management and signings could actually redeem the franchise a little.

I’d hate to see Manny come in and alienate people and pout/get bored when the losing streaks start. The A’s actually have hope (the O’s not so much), but Oakland can do something someday, much like Texas very slowly built a two-time AL champion. They need to be smart right now, not naive to “entertaining” signings. They may even move to San Jose in a few years, so positive press is a must right now.

Baltimore’s Motives

As for Baltimore, if they want to use Manny to bring in more to Camden Yards, that’s fine. He may even hit a little, considering it’s a small ballpark. But, this too has disaster written all over it because I don’t think Manny is really the Buck Showalter “type.” He has an attitude problem and Buck isn’t the type of guy who’s going to sit back and take the typical Manny being Manny being an ass, especially since Manny wouldn’t be in the same position in Baltimore as he was in Boston. Showalter would have much more of a right to complain about Manny and call him out in interviews. I don’t see these two mixing well, not one bit.

And yes, I am aware that in a recent interview, Ramirez told ESPN and Pedro Gomez that he wants to show everyone that he can change and that he can still play ball. I’m not saying Manny is a bad guy atall. I’m sure he’s actually a pretty decent man if you met him, but I don’t really believe what he told ESPN. Maybe he’ll change for a day, a week or a month. And then what? He gets bored and like a little kid, he starts trouble. He’ll open his mouth and it’ll rub someone, or everyone, the wrong way. Then, when that happens, you’ll end up (just like in Boston) with a whole mess of people angry at him and one or two making excuses for him. Does any team really need that?

He Won’t Change

He’s going to be sitting out the first 50 games. Let’s remember this; he’ll be sitting around doing nothing for 50 straight games. He’s better off serving the suspension at home because there’s no need for him to sit in the dugout, unavailable,
watching his team lose until mid-May.

Usually, when it comes to players with bad attitudes, I’m fairly passive. I’ve always adopted the stance that as long as they keep their attitudes and off-the-field drama away from the stadium and batter’s box, it’s fine by me. But Manny brings his issues with him where ever he goes. It’s not like I’m trying to make Manny out to be some brood, dark trouble maker. No, if anything, he’s like a child. He can have that childlike characteristic about him where he can make you love him, but also he can kick and scream until everyone’s good time is ruined.

And unfortunately for Oakland and Baltimore, they hardly ever have any good times to begin with.

© andrew macdonald for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox.

The Boston Red Sox have been rumored to be after just about every starting pitcher for the past fifteen seasons. There will never be a winter where the Sox aren’t in the running, even if it’s hearsay, for a free agent. With a little less than three weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, we know for sure that starting pitcher Edwin Jackson will not be headed to Fort Meyers as a Red Sox. The 28-year-old Scott Boras client was a modest 12-9 with an ERA of 3.79 in 2011, which was divided between the Chicago White Sox and the Cardinals. The Red Sox had offered Jackson about $5 million for one-year, but were outbid by the Washington Nationals, who doubled their offer.

Boston Does Have Other Options

The Red Sox didn’t need Edwin Jackson, but he would have been a good fit as a back-of-the-rotation starter. He has very solid numbers last season and over the course of his nine-year career, has been the model of consistency and durability. Over the past four seasons, Jackson has thrown 806 1/3 innings, just missing the 200-inning mark last season for the first time in two years.

I really like this model of pitcher. The work horse is a much underrated member of the pitching staff. Most “work horses” aren’t very flashy, but they are valuable assets to teams, but once again, the Red Sox don’t need him. Boston already has a long list of fourth and fifth starter hopefuls for next season.

The Sox haves names like Aaron Cook, Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard vying for those last remaining spots. I have full faith that anyone of these pitchers could easily fit into this role and could very easily find themselves fairly successful on the fourth and fifth days. The back of the rotation doesn’t ask for much. They don’t have to be flashy or worth big money. Jackson will be a second or third starter in Washington and that’s great for him, as he’ll have a great place to grow and advance some more as a player. In Boston, he would have been fifth out and under the biggest microscope. This is something he may have considered in his decision.

Oswalt May Not Be a Good Fit For The Red Sox

Roy Oswalt is still out there and, to be honest, I’m not too big on him. Much like Jackson, Oswalt is a worker and he does have an advantage when it comes to playoff experience, but he just doesn’t fit with Boston at the moment. If this was three years ago, I’d be ecstatic just to hear that the Red Sox were even mentioned in the “Roy Oswalt sweepstakes.”

Today, however, I find it laughable that there are journalists even bothering with the phrase “Roy Oswalt sweepstakes.” This isn’t a sweepstakes. The team that “wins” Roy Oswalt gets a starter with back injuries and a declining set of skills. He missed 23 games for the Phillies last season and was only able to muster up nine wins and a 3.69 ERA. Yes, I understand that most of the blame on Oswalt’s season was his back and a very good pitcher like Mr. Oswalt could bounce back, but why take the chance? He’s not going to be the pitcher he once was and the Red Sox are in no position to take on any charity cases right now.

This isn’t the “bridge” year for the Sox, it’s a redemption year. They can’t test out players with one year deals and make experimental signings, like they did with Adrian Beltre a few seasons ago. Yes, that worked out well for the Sox and his career has been back on track ever since, but this is a completely different scenario. Beltre was a good hitter, who had lost it, coming into a hitter’s ballpark and Boston had nothing to lose.

In Oswalt’s case, he’s a good (but declining) pitcher coming into the AL East. There’s a lot at stake here. There’s a lot that can go wrong, I mean, I’m sure the Sox brand new GM doesn’t want to look ridiculous in his first year by signing an unnecessary pitcher who could very well be a bust. Anything short of a strong playoff run will be considered a failure for the Red Sox in 2012. The team is still very good with what they have.

What’s a one-year deal for Oswalt really going to accomplish for the Red Sox? If the top three starters can’t get the job done, then what chance do the Red Sox have? Oswalt or no Oswalt: the team’s success isn’t going to come out of the fourth starter position. It’s going to hang on the balance of the (hopefully newfound and rejuvenated) work-ethic and discipline of Beckett, Bucholtz and Jon Lester.

© andrew macdonald for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox.

The legacy of any player to spend time in the Red Sox organization is established when his time at the organization ends and he moves on in his career. The exception to this is former Sox players whose paths lead them to the rival Yankees. This scenario has popped up multiple times this offseason, as both Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima have agreed to minor league deals with New York over the past couple months.

Delcarmen and Okajima in Boston

Delcarmen was a member of the Sox bullpen from 2005-2010 when he was traded to the Colorado Rockies. He grew up in the Boston area and was fun to watch for the first few years of his time with the Red Sox, including throwing 74.1 innings in the 2008 season while posting a solid 3.27 ERA. However as time passed, he became notably less effective, only appearing in 9 more Major League games after his trade to the Rockies.

Okajima started his big league career in 2007 when he burst onto the scene as a rookie out of Japan, making the All-Star Game via the final vote and being a key contributor in the bullpen for the Red Sox 2007 World Series Championship. He quietly lived in the shadow of Daisuke Matsuzaka, but made an impact in the game as he became one of the best left-handed relievers in the game in his first few years. However slowly the league started to figure out his awkward delivery and his ERA rose to 4.50 in 2010. He played in just 7 games last year after contract disputes with Boston and ended up signing with New York.

Yankees Bullpen

While Delcarmen and Okajima give little reason to believe the New York Yankees bullpen is any better, it is noticeable that they have a large amount of depth to their roster. With tremendous set up men like David Robertson and Rafael Soriano backing up Mariano Rivera, these two small additions show how deep the Yankees could be in 2012 if their bullpen is hurt by injuries as they were in 2011 with both Soriano, Joba Chamberlain, and Pedro Feliciano. Their additions of Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda only further their strength in pitching, something usually lacking with typical New York teams. Either way, it should be interesting to see if Delcarmen or Okajima can make the club and if the Sox will get a crack at their old teammates.

© Matthew Bond for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Red Sox.

Prince Fielder finally found his suitor. The National League slugger waited and waited all offseason to find the right fit until the Detroit Tigers made a $214 million, nine-year offer that he just couldn’t refuse. Hard to blame him considering he’ll now be a part of the best 3-4 combination in all of baseball alongside Miguel Cabrera. Arguably the two best offensive first basemen in the game have teamed up, a move made possible after a probable season ending injury to Victor Martinez. Fielder and Cabrera can now share first base and the designated hitter spot, and when Martinez returns Cabrera is expected to slide back to his old position at third base. One way or another, this move was a big one for the Tigers, and certainly creates shockwaves around the American League.

Fielder in Mo-Town

Without a doubt, the most exciting thing about Prince Fielder now being a member of the Detroit Tigers is seeing he and Miguel Cabrera make managers and pitchers tremble. There’s no doubt they’ll each produce, Fielder finished third in the National League in MVP voting, while Cabrera finished fifth in American League voting, as teammate Justin Verlander took home the honor. If there is any weakness on the Tigers, it has to be depth in the rotation after Verlander, as Doug Fister and Max Scherzer may not be the most reliable second and third starters. Still, their bullpen is solid, backed by closer Jose Valverde, who recorded a perfect 49/49 saves in 2011.

American League Impact

The American League certainly has gained some stars this offseason. First it was Albert Pujols crossing leagues to join the Los Angeles Angels. Then Yu Darvish signed the largest contract for a right-handed pitcher in baseball history when he agreed to pitch for the Texas Rangers. Now Prince Fielder is going to Detroit, where he and the Tigers should be heavy favorites to dominate the AL Central, a typically weak division that projects to be a one-team race. With what should be a wild race in the West between the Rangers and Angels, and an equally thrilling three-team battle between the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays in the East, the Tigers are effectively the only sure bet in the American League for the playoffs in 2012.

Adrian Gonzalez vs Prince Fielder

Before the 2011 season the Red Sox traded for first base slugger Adrian Gonzalez, who is comparable to Fielder, playing the same position and being a young left-handed hitter coming from the National League. Gonzalez will be receiving around $21 million each year starting this season until 2018 from the Red Sox, until he is 36 years old. Fielder’s contract with Detroit gives him $23 million each of his first two years, and then $24 million until 2020, when he is 36 as well.

Each team is paying a lot for a great amount of talent in two potential Hall of Fame players, but the Red Sox have the better deal. Gonzalez is one of the best defensive first basemen in the game, and while Fielder is better defensively than he physically appears, they’re in different leagues in that regard. Gonzalez is also expected to be the everyday first baseman for the Red Sox throughout his time in Boston, while Fielder will certainly see a good amount of time at designated hitter.

As a slugger, Fielder’s strength is pulling the ball out of the ball park, while Gonzalez is best when he goes the other way. Gonzalez’s style fits much better at Fenway Park than Fielder’s does at Comerica, where he will likely see a drop in home run totals. Gonzalez was expected to hit more home runs in Boston, given his transition from the pitcher friendly Petco Park in San Diego to the drastically smaller Fenway, but Gonzalez actually hit just 27, his lowest total since 2007.

Looking Ahead

No matter how you analyze Prince Fielder as a Detroit Tiger, there’s no doubt that offense in the American League as a whole this year should be strong. The league switches of Fielder, Pujols, and Gonzalez over the last couple years set up an interesting development for Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who will be in a similar situation after the 2013 season, unless he signs an extension. Fielder, on the other hand, has found his home, the same one his father Cecil Fielder had for the majority of his baseball career.

© Matthew Bond for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox.

Goodbye Heidi. It was nice knowing you.

Everyone, say hello to Jenny Dell!

Dell, a UMass graduate, will become NESN’s new Red Sox in-game reporter, according to the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn. She replaces Heidi Watney, who left at the end of last year to become a reporter for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dell has been working at ESPN as an on-air reporter, and also did some work off-camera too. She worked at the Winter X-Games as part of her last gig in Bristol.

Thoughts on the new Red Sox reporter?

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Red Sox, Top Story.

After trading starting shortstop Marco Scutaro last week to free up salary, the Red Sox have already put their newfound financial flexibility to use.

Pending a physical, the Red Sox have agreed with free agent outfielder Cody Ross to a one-year, $3 million contract, as reported Monday night by The Globe’s Peter Abraham and Tuesday by ESPN’s Gordon Edes. Ross later confirmed the deal on his Twitter account, saying, “Looking fwd to meeting #redsoxnation fans!”

The deal also stipulates that Ross will receive incentive bonuses based on plate appearances, sources say.

Ross, the 2010 NL Championship Series MVP for the San Francisco Giants gives the Red Sox the right-handed bat in the outfield they have long desired. But how effective will he be at age 31 after a sub-par 2011?

Vs. Left-Handers

Ross will most likely get the majority of his playing time in 2012 platooning in right field with the left-handed Ryan Sweeney. He has put up good numbers against left-handed pitching in the past, batting .282 and slugging .563 with an OBP of .912 over his career. Those numbers dipped to just .234/.362/.698 against left-handers last year, however, albeit in just 94 at-bats. With CC Sabathia, Ricky Romero, David Price, and Matt Moore all in the AL East, and a roster dominated by left-handed hitters, Ross will have to return to his career numbers to make a difference in the Red Sox lineup.

Depth

He does provide some much-needed outfield depth for the Red Sox, primarily as an upgrade over Darnell McDonald. Ross presents a little more pop at the plate, with 100 career home runs compared to McDonald’s 17. He also has a longer track record in the major leagues over eight seasons, while McDonald didn’t break through for significant playing time until 2010 (and then only out of sheer necessity from a plague of injuries). Ross also has experience at all three outfield positions, playing at least 22 games at each position for the Giants last year, so he should be able to fill in anywhere in the outfield.

Ross also serves as a contingency plan if Carl Crawford isn’t ready to take the field following January surgery on his left wrist. Considering how finicky the recovery process can be with wrist injuries (see: Garciaparra, Nomar), the Red Sox really needed an outfielder with a history as a full-fledged starter. Besides, with how bad Crawford was last year, Ross could end up being an upgrade over both McDonald and the 142 million dollar man.

The Verdict

In the end, the Red Sox signed a much-needed right-handed batter to balance out an entirely left-handed outfield, serving as a much better outfield option than Mike Aviles. While his 2011 left much to be desired, he could benefit greatly from moving outside the NL West, where less cavernous parks like Fenway and fewer at-bats against Mat Latos and Clayton Kershaw should prove more hitter-friendly. He also has experience making a run at a World Series and performing on the biggest stage in the postseason, meaning he should hold up under the high atmospheric pressure of playing under the scrutiny of the Fenway Faithful and the Boston media.

Although Ross might not replace the production of the departed Scutaro, he comes nearly $5 million cheaper. This should allow Ben Cherington and the front office the flexibility to add some more pieces before spring training gets under way in less than a month.

With Nick Punto set to see some starts at shortstop and Daniel Bard making his first foray as a major league starter, the Red Sox could still use some upgrades, including the potentially tantalizing option of Roy Oswalt.

Considering their primary goal this offseason has been to stay under the luxury tax threshold, though, let’s hope with Ross they didn’t spend it all in one place.

© Nick Bohlen for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox.

The Red Sox have completed their quest to free up some payroll, trading shortstop Marco Scutaro for the Rockies for pitcher Clayton Mortensen, according to ESPN’s Jim Bowden.

Scutaro, 36, will play second base in Colorado, who will also take on his $6 million salary. He had one of his best seasons last year, hitting .299/.358/.423 over 113 games.

Mortensen, 26, has a 5.12 ERA over his three-year career, which includes stints with Oakland, St. Louis and Colorado. He is still in his pre-arbitration years, and could be a bullpen candidate for the team.

With $6 million off the books, the Red Sox may now pursue free agent starter Roy Oswalt, who is said to be seeking a one-year, $8 million deal to reestablish his value. The Red Sox and Oswalt have been in discussions for a while now.

Without Scutaro, Mike Aviles and Nick Punto will likely platoon at the position to start the season. Though, it could be time for prospect Jose Iglesias, who is gifted defensively, to take over full-time at shortstop.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Red Sox.

When the New York Yankees went ahead and revamped their starting rotation, trading for 23-year-old pitching phenom Michael Pineda and signing Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal, they immediately became the favorites to win the AL East again in 2012.

On paper, that is. (Allow me this one glimmer of hope, please and thank you. September 2011 was not kind to me.)

It of course prompted immediate speculation on how the Red Sox would respond. What would rookie-GM Ben Cherington do to answer Boston’s biggest rival? Would the Red Sox continue to sit pat? Would they make a play for Roy Oswalt, purportedly only asking for a one-year contract in the range of $8 million?

According the WEEI’s Rob Bradford, the Red Sox would reportedly have to move payroll in order to meet Oswalt’s contract demands. Yup, the team with player salaries already topping $170 million, the same ownership group that signed off on $142 million worth of Carl Crawford, aren’t willing to take the luxury tax hit. Apparently John Henry maxed out his credit card buying $300 headphones to massage his players’ egos and eardrums.

With Kuroda, Ryan Madson, and Oswalt all available for what amounts to the spare change rolled up in the tarp at Fenway, the Red Sox remain remarkably and ridiculously steadfast (read: stingy) in keeping together a team that squandered a nine-game lead in less than a month. (So the Red Sox are shooting for that newfangled extra wild card spot? Is that it?)

For the sake of argument, let’s say Cherington comes to his senses and realizes how desperately he needs a reliable frontline starter to hedge his bets on Aaron Cook, Carlos Silva, and Vincente Padilla. On a scale of “No Way, José Valentin” to “Manny Being Manny,” who would the Red Sox unload to make the numbers work?

Sawx Foh-evah

Clearly Cherington won’t unload any cornerstones of the franchise, particularly the homegrown talent that has been central to Red Sox success in recent years. That means Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz with their long-term, team-friendly deals won’t be going anywhere. Nor will Adrian Gonzalez, who cost the Red Sox a pretty prospect. No way, no how for any of those guys.

If Julio Lugo and Edgar Renteria had a Child…

On the other side of untradeable, these are the terrible players and their monster contracts that not even Frank McCourt pre-divorce would try to take on. I’m talking about you, John Lackey ($15.25 million per year), Carl Crawford ($19 million), Daisuke Matsuzaka ($10 million), Bobby Jenks ($6 million), and yes, even you, Josh Beckett ($15.75 million). They’re all immovable objects, and not just because of their beer guts.

That is, unless Cherington can convince the San Diego Padres to reopen negotiations on John Lackey. But without a Red Sox secret agent at the helm, it may be tough to pull off another heist like the Gonzalez trade (Anthony Rizzo almost lasted a full year before they deemed him a bust!).

Forgive Me, Father, For I Have Sinned

This possibility makes me want to let Carl Everett headbutt me until it makes sense, but it can’t be overlooked: Jacoby Ellsbury.

I’m well aware that he just finished second in the 2011 MVP voting and that he is the sexiest player this side of El Guapo. But his salary arbitration will skyrocket every year if he keeps it up, or he’ll merit a lucrative long-term deal (if Crawford got $142 million, what will Ellsbury command?!). And if the Red Sox can’t even shell out $8 million to Oswalt this year, how do they expect to hang onto Ellsbury in the future? Could it be that they trade him for a serious haul of top-level prospects?

My suspicion (call it a conspiracy theory) is that the Red Sox are actually refusing to go after Oswalt in order to reset their luxury tax payments and reserve that money for signing Ellsbury to a massive extension. Let us pray.

The Real Deals (To Be Made)

Now, obviously the small contract guys like Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Ryan Sweeney, Mike Aviles, Franklin Morales, and company can be written off because they don’t even make a splash next to John Henry’s yacht. Seriously. They probably make as much as Henry’s seaward butlers.

No, the Red Sox have two players they might be able to move to clear space for Oswalt: J.D. Drew Kevin Youkilis and Marco Scutaro. I’ve already outlined why I think Youkilis could make a decent trade chip. To recap, he has value as one of few power-hitting third basemen in the major leagues and is relatively affordable at $12 million this year. The Red Sox could get a decent return on such a trade, and it’s not like he has been extremely reliable on the field or in the clubhouse for Boston the last two years. He’s also 33.

Scutaro is also on the back-end of his career, in the last year of his contract before Jose Iglesias presumably takes over. That makes his $6 million option eminently expendable, with no long-term role on the team. His trade value probably isn’t as high, but Scutaro is a reliable starting shortstop with decent fielding and the second-best batting average among players at his position in 2011.

Who wants to make a deal?

Paper-Thin Dreams

Unfortunately, the Red Sox traded the one player best primed to take over for either Youkilis or Scutaro, shipping Jed Lowrie to Houston for reliever Mark Melancon. Mike Aviles could presumably serve as a suitable replacement for either player, but that would figure to be a significant downgrade offensively.

Still, to essentially trade Youkilis or Scutaro for Oswalt’s consistently sub-4.00 ERA (career 3.21), strong strikeout-to-walk ratio (over 3 to 1), and pedigree as an ace unafraid to pitch under pressure? Might not be a bad idea.

On paper, that is.

© Nick Bohlen for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox.

With their latest addition of Vincente Padilla, the Red Sox continue their spree of signing old and terrible pitchers. To the frustration of many fans, the Red Sox continue to pass on established starters such as Roy Oswalt for the likes of Carlos Silva and Aaron Cook. Meanwhile, the Yankees acquired Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda to create quite the formidable starting rotation. Simply put, the competition got a lot better. Did somebody just say “third place threepeat”? Probably.

Nevertheless, two observations can be made with these “low-risk, high reward” signings. For starters (pun) the Red Sox are really cheap. Secondly, Boston is clearly trying to imitate the 2011 Yankees’ plan of striking lightning by adding pitching depth with low-cost deals. The only problem? The Yankees did it the right way, while the Red Sox are doing it the wrong way.

The Yankee Plan

Instead of overpaying via trade of free agency for starting pitching in 2011, New York opted for low-risk deals. Heading into spring training they were ridiculed, and deservedly so. A Yankees rotation that included Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon was unacceptable. Neither of these old and injury riddled pitchers had been effective for years. But to everyone’s surprise, these two exceeded expectations. Garcia put up a solid 12-8 record and 3.62 ERA, while Colon could boast a respectable 8-10 record with a 4.00 ERA. Sure, these players were only shadows of their former selves, but they were productive in the sense that the Yankees weren’t doomed to lose whenever they pitched.

But here’s the thing–both of these pitchers already had accomplished resumes. Garcia and Colon were both two-time All-Stars. Garcia led the league in ERA in 2001. Colon was the 2005 America League Cy Young winner. At one point or another, both were effective pitchers. If either could recapture just a glimpse of their former glory, the Yankees would be more than set. With a division title to show for it, the Yankees certainly did a decent job.

Boston’s Problem

Roy Oswalt is apparently not happening. Instead we are reading about Carlos Silva and Aaron Cook coming to Boston. Fans are being assured not to worry– after all that this is what the Yankees did and look what happened to them! The only problem is that there is no truth to that whatsoever.

Most starting pitchers don’t get significantly better in their late thirties. As seen with the Yankees, Colon and Garcia had at one time been great pitchers. Their older, injury-prone selves were not going to pitch any better than they did seven years ago, but maybe they could accomplish just a fraction of that. The ceiling was high, albeit unlikely to reach.

On the other hand, these pitchers signed by the Red Sox have always been pretty darn terrible. Aaron Cook has only won more than ten games twice. He’s never thrown 100 strikeouts. Carlos Silva has had an ERA under 4.00 only two times. In addition to being insane, Vincente Padilla has a career ERA of 4.31, and has never had an above average season. My point? These pitchers are horrendous and always have been. Cook and Silva are 32. Padilla is 34. They are not going to get better. As a result, their ceiling is too low for even Dustin Pedroia. None of these three will ever be a decent major league pitcher, just as they never have. The Sox are better off keeping the ancient Tim Wakefield. I honestly think a Daisuke Matsuzaka or John Lackey months away from recovery could pitch better.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the 2012 rotation you can look forward to!

What to do?

It goes without saying that most low risk/low reward signings don’t pan out. For every Freddy Garcia, there is a John Smoltz or a Brad Penny. But the Yankees only needed Garcia and Colon to be not awful. The Red Sox don’t have the same luxury of only depending on mediocrity. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Clay Buccholz are not the most durable players around. The truth is, in addition to consistency, Boston needs some productivity.

If they want to turn to low-risk signings, they should be looking at starters who were actually talented at some point. Instead of Cook, Silva, and Padilla they should set their sight on Ben Sheets, Brandon Webb, and Rich Harden. Those names are coming from obscurity, but so are the excuses of starting pitching the Red Sox have signed so far.

As a last thought, Roy Oswalt is reportedly seeking $8 MM (Chump change for Boston). I know the math doesn’t work out perfectly, but at one point, do all these small scale deals approach or surpass $8MM? Sox management is trying to avoid spending pennies and it makes no sense. Maybe if we all agree to purchase Oswalt jerseys, it will compensate for his salary and the resulting luxury tax? In the meantime, let’s get excited for Vincente Padilla.

This may take a while…

© Josh Segal for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | 15 comments
Filed under: Featured, Red Sox.

Uh oh.

Red Sox outfielder underwent surgery on his left wrist in Arizona on Tuesday after experiencing soreness toward the end of the season, and again during offseason workouts.

“It was consistent with soreness he had periodically over the last several years, but more concerning to Carl given the time of year he was feeling it,” said Cherington.

Cherington added that Crawford could be ready by Opening Day, but may miss some time during the early part of the season.

Crawford was looking for a fresh start this season, but that’s pretty impossible at this point given the timing of the surgery.

The injury leaves the Red Sox with just three healthy major-league-ready outfielders: Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Sweeney, and Darnell McDonald. Ryan Kalish is recovering from left shoulder surgery, while Mike Aviles is a converted infielder.

Meanwhile, the Yankees recently made major movies to acquire Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda. Ugh.

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