The Good, the Bad, and the Deal Not Done at the Deadline
Let me start with this: there was not much the Red Sox could do. They shelled out arguably our three best prospects for Adrian Gonzalez, so players like Outfielders Carlos Beltran and Carlos Quentin and Starting Pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. That being said, they knew they had to make a move for at least a starting pitcher, which we now know is because Clay Buchholz’s stress fracture in his back. Overall, I am happy that they took advantage of the trading period to supply depth to the team.
The Good Trade:
Erik Bedard is going to be a huge piece for the Red Sox down the stretch
Red Sox get: SP Erik Bedard and RP Josh Fields
Red Sox give: C Tim Federowicz, OF Chih-Hsien Chiang, SP Stephen Fife, and RP Juan Rodriguez,
Yes, he is essentially a rental. Yes, he gets hurt all the time. Yes, he is over 30 years old. I understand all the negatives against him. But listen: we did not give up a top 10 prospect for him (according to MLB.com’s top 10 prospects). To me, that could be the bottom line. But luckily, there is more. His career strikeout rate is 8.75, his career walk rate is 3.50, and his career ERA is 3.69. When he is healthy, he is good. The question is whether he is going to be healthy or not, and with Curt Young’s new pitching programs. Great bargain in my mind.
The Bad Trade:
To me, not really an upgrade...
Red Sox get: INF Mike Aviles
Red Sox give: INF Yamaico Navarro and RP Kendal Volz
Yes, Kendal Volz is a 23 year old reliever in Single A. Yes, Yamaico Navarro is not the future starting in the Red Sox infield full time. But here’s my argument: neither is Mike Aviles. I know he’s hit .300 in two different seasons, but his BABIP was also high in those two signs. Plus, he’s already 30 years old. So…how is this an upgrade? Obviously this is not a “major move” (quotations intended). At the same time, I don’t see the reason for making this move. For that reason, I just think it’s a bad trade.
The Trade Not Made:
One of the moves that a lot of baseball analysts thought the Red Sox would make would be for a right handed outfielder. To me, I think they thought that if an outfielder was not going to be better than Darnell McDonald, they did not think it would be worth a trade. To be honest, I liked the rumor about Jeff Francoeur of the, the cannon-armed Royals right fielder who mashes lefties. Like I said before, the Met’s Carlos Beltran was the idea option, but they wanted a top prospect in return, too high a price for the Red Sox. There were rumbings that the Sox were also going to snag Ryan Ludwick out of San Diego’s outfield, but I assume that Theo Epstein was not impressed with his strikeout rate. I just think the Red Sox did not see anything they liked, so they did not pull any triggers they didn’t have to.
However, their wheelin’ and dealin’ may not be over. They still can get a player through waivers. I mean, in 2008, the Sox got Mark Kotsay, and he ended up filling in Mike Lowell. Is there an extra piece out there? Maybe, but considering they are in first place, they are in good shape no matter what happens.
Speedster of Beantown 