What do Presidents Really Do?

I find it interesting, because every time there's a new one the credit and the blame seem to be put in different places. Either on him or others. I can't really find a good reason for the shifts. So, is it personality? The media? The results?

Take the first president for this current regime, Larry Lucchino. He was the team president and, I presume, ran things at Fenway Park. Underneath him, he had a general manager, Theo Epstein. Generally, it was assumed that Theo was making most of the decisions when it came to the team. The "general managing" if you will. I didn't hear many people give Lucchino credit when things went well. He really only got slammed when things went really wrong. But, I think it was pretty clear that Theo ran the team, and Larry ran everything else.

Then Theo left for the Cubs to become their team president. Chicago was all excited. Theo was coming to change the team, and get them back to winning. At the time, that seemed odd to me. After all, he was going there as president. There was a general manager. Why wasn't he going to be getting the credit? If the team president was really that important, wouldn't Chicago want Lucchino? He's the one who had been team president for multiple World Series winners. Not Theo. I was confused.

Back in Boston, Lucchino went right on being team president over Ben Cherington. Again, Ben got most of the credit, with Lucchino really only ever getting the blame. It was all his decision to hire Bobby Valentine, but all Cherington's decision to sign all the players leading to the 2013 title. It was annoying, but pretty typical. Just like a field manager gets blame but little credit. 

So, maybe that's just a difference between Chicago and Boston? Maybe Boston gave the GM more power over personnel than Chicago did.

But, then came Dave Dombrowski. When Lucchino stepped back from his role, the Red Sox created a new position. They gave Lucchino's President title to Sam Kennedy. Made sense. he was an up and comer in FSG. Then they created a new position, President of Baseball Ops and gave that to Dombrowski. Huh. A new president? Cherington saw the writing on the wall, and went on his merry way soon after the signing. The Red Sox hired Mike Hazen as their GM, and I think that was the last time I've heard his name. Basically every move since then has been credited exclusively to Dombrowski. Whether it was an unpopular one like trading away a top pitching prospect, or a popular one like bringing in a new ace. Twice. 

Suddenly, the Sox had the Chicago mindset. The president was, apparently, making all the moves. The GM was just there to write out the contracts, I guess. Why the shift?

I'd be tempted to say it was because of the talent of Dave Dombrowski. But, Larry Lucchino was no slouch. He should have had a resume plenty long enough to warrant decision making ability. Was he too busy with the Fenway Park improvements to worry about personnel decisions? Did he just not enjoy that aspect of it? Why the change? Was it Theo? Did he grab more of the spotlight than other GMs get? Was it a combination? Was Dombrowski really brought in as GM, but needed to be given the president title to make the hiring work? Would it have looked to bad to fire Cherington, so they massaged the organization by adding a president of baseball ops? How did it happen?

And why?

The Stage Has Been Set

With the Cubs beating the Dodgers in the NLCS, it was all over except the waiting. It meant the Indians and Cubs would be waiting to face each other in Game 1 of the World Series Tuesday night.

As with any match-up of this magnitude, there’s really only one question on anyone’s mind. Who do I want to win the Series?

This year, that decision is trickier than some. There’s no clear cut winner. If the Red Sox are playing, that’s an obvious one. If the Yankees are playing, just as obvious. Sometime my rationale is stupid. I would probably cheer against the Giants because I don’t want them to have more championships this century than the Red Sox do. I’d probably cheer against the Rays because the Devil Rays were so annoying, and for the Phillies because I’ve always felt a kinship with their fans. I would have cheered for the Dodgers because Adrian Gonzalez was cheated out of his 2013 ring with the Sox. Or the Blue Jays because so many Blue Jays fans seem to be fans of this blog.

But, for this match-up, things are a bit murky. Both teams are littered with ex-Red Sox. Both teams have gone a long time since winning their last World Series championship. Neither team is a particular rival of the Sox. I would have expected that I’d be rooting for the Cubs, as sort of a “long championship drought” kinship. And, a few years ago, that probably would have been the case. But, not this year.

I’m rooting for the Indians.

The first reason why is Joe Maddon. While it has slowed a bit since his move to the Cubs, but I’m already annoyed by the treatment Maddon gets from the media. His “genius Joe” routine is beyond annoying. The fact that he makes his team dress up in ridiculous costumes is maddening. For a guy who hasn’t won anything, he’s treated like god’s gift to managing. Imagine if he actually had a ring on his finger to go along with it? I shudder to think. From there, a couple other minor reasons. Jon Lester made a decision to not sign with the Sox. He could have chosen them, but he didn’t. Likewise, Theo made the decision to abandon the team to fit his desires. I figure they deserve to go winless more than other players.

Like the ones on the Indians, for instance. Mike Napoli was ditched by the team. Same with Coco Crisp. It seems to me that Tito Francona was tricked (by Theo) into leaving the Sox before he might have wanted to. I don’t been bad cheering for them. They’re still “one of us.” There’s also the marginal reason to root for the AL team. Keeping it in the League. Or, rooting for the team that beat the Red Sox. It’s slightly easier to swallow if the Sox are swept out of the playoffs by the eventual World Champions. 

Now, I admit, I’m not thrilled about hoping for Cleveland to win another championship this year. I’m not comfortable with them becoming a sports powerhouse to rival Boston’s glory days. But, then I look at the Browns, and don’t worry about that too much. I’m also not all that eager to open the “What if the Sox had traded for Miller instead of Cleveland?” line of questioning. But, those are minor issues in comparison. When it comes down to it, I can’t cheer for Joe Maddon.

Let’s go Indians!

A re-New Phil-Lee

So, I was listening to the radio this morning. The station I was on went to commercial, so I flipped over to the EEIdiots. The reception was full of static. But, I was able to make out, “(static) signed a deal with the Phillies worth (static)” and thought to myself, which free agent is still out there worth announcing to lead the sports flash? Then I heard, “(static) won two games for the Phils in the 2008 World Series” and started laughing. The Phillies had gotten Cliff Lee. The Yankees had not gotten Cliff Lee. The one free agent that the Yankees absolutely needed to sign went to the Phillies. Cliff Lee was in the NL. What could be better?
Oh wait. This could be better. Apparently, the Red Sox are/were in talks with the Phillies about trading for Joe Blanton. Huh? Why would the Sox want Joe Blanton? Well, they don’t. But, the Phillies need to move salary in order to afford Lee, and the Sox were more than willing to help out. How perfect is that? The Sox were basically willing to money launder Joe Blanton for the Phillies so that Cliff Lee would end up in Philadelphia instead of NY (or even Texas). That’s about as much fun as you can have watching a front office do its job. Well done.

So, that pretty much sets up the Red Sox-Phillies World Series in October. Probably not even worth playing the regular season. It certainly does make the path easier for the Red Sox. I’m still not sure that Lee is the stud pitcher that he’s made out to be. But, he’s a very good left-handed former Cy Young winner. Not too shabby. And, with the Red Sox line-up being so lefty-heavy, the thought of having to face Sabathia, Lee, and Pettitte a million times during the season was a bit annoying. Add in David Price from Tampa, and the Sox were facing very good lefties way too often. But, now Lee is in the NL, and the Sox would face him once at the most. What else does Lee’s new deal do for the Red Sox? It makes the Yankees have to beg Pettitte to come back even more than ever. Think Brett Favre level of begging. Like Jeter Rivera, and Posada may already be on a plane to ask Pettitte if he’d “like to come play some baseball.”

So, to recap. The Yankees have to overpay their captain to come play for them. Each side looked a bit foolish in the process, and Jeter’s “team-first” image is tarnished. The Red Sox trade for an elite first baseman in Adrian Gonzalez. The Red Sox mess around with the Yankees Cliff Lee deal, allowing the Sox to sign Carl Crawford. The Yankees lose out on Cliff Lee as he goes to the NL. The Yankees now have to get on their knees in front of Andy Pettitte.

Is this the best off-season ever?

Theology By: John Frascella

This book explores the life and career of Red Sox general manager

Theo Epstein. As most coverage of Theo, it focuses on his career, more than his life. But, the life story does supply important background into the man who holds the career. The book discusses Theo’s goals and views, and how they play out on the baseball field. The subtitle of the book, “How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land” really tells you everything you need to know about what the book covers. It’s a detailed look into the general manage who brought the Red Sox 2 World Series titles in four years.

This book is mostly a collection of research assembled by the author. As such, it is not full of new information. It is, however, organized to give a great story to that research. The author takes a casual approach to his writing. He talks to the reader, which I found disarming at times. (It was weird that I felt that way, since I tend to talk to the reader a lot, right?) But, it certainly didn’t detract from the flow of the book. The casualness occasionally cut back on the quality a bit. It’s sometimes hard to take a paragraph seriously when there are little quips in it. But, again, those instances didn’t detract from the overall storyline. As such, this is a great book. It allows the reader to follow behind the scenes of the Red Sox. It allowed me to put events that I thought I remembered into their proper order and significance. I have read just about everything I can get my hands on when it comes to the world champion Red Sox, as I’m sure many of you have. So, it’s hard to surprise me at this point. But, this book was an enjoyable read.

Rating: 3 bases

Please Tell me There’s More to the Story

Please tell me there’s a reason the Sox didn’t sign their top priority other than money. Please tell me it’s not just Theo showing off again. Please tell me there was a reason the Sox couldn’t add $8 million for the only guy they really needed to resign.

Please tell me its because they needed the money for Carl Crawford. Please tell me the Sox didn’t want to pay him the money to play a lot of first base because Adrian Gonzalez will be at first base for the next seven years. Please?

It’s weird. I never thought the Red Sox were going to get Victor Martinez. I knew they try to avoid those “albatross” contracts. I knew they wouldn’t give him the four years. So, I had sort of removed the idea of V-Mart from my head. So, I’m not sure which is worse. That they lost out over $8 million, or that they actually offered the fourth year, but still tried to cheap it out. Apparently it wasn’t that extra year that was the problem after all. They were just too cheap? Say it ain’t so Theo.

So, what happens now? Clearly the tandem of Tek and Salty will be handling the catching duties. Once again, Theo will try to show off and pay two cheap guys to do a job worse than the expensive guy would. They certainly better not spend any real money to grab another free agent catcher…assuming there are any. So, the Sox have a remaining hole in their line-up over at third. I will put myself in the “not Beltre” camp. His history of only performing in contract years is a little too consistent for my liking. I’d rather try the other corner. Obviously, a big gun in the “Fielder/Gonzalez/Pujols” area would be the ideal. But, I think the Sox could get away with a “steady” bat in that area. A Derek Lee/Lance Berkman type could fill in for a while. At least until the Sox get one of those other three at the deadline.

That really better be what the lack of V-Mart signing means. They need the $120 million plus to get one of those three. If waiting until the deadline cuts down on the prospects you need to give up, I’m OK with that. If you’re SURE you can sign one of them after the season, I’ll play along. For one year, I’ll take the batting line-up of Ellsbury-Pedroia-Ortiz-Youkilis-Drew-Cameron-Saltalamacchia-Lowrie-Scutaro. Really, when you pair that with the Lester-Buchholz-Beckett-Lackey-Matsuzaka rotation, that’s not so bad. Pretty good really…for a year. After that, the money needs to flow. Cliff Lee? Carl Crawford? Adrian Gonzalez? Prince Fielder? Albert Pujols? One of these guys needs to be squarely in the radar. They need to be practically signed and sealed with offers they can’t refuse.

Please tell me that’s the case.

Showing Off?

Sometimes I think Red Sox general managers have a recognition issue. They know they have the money to get just about any free agent they want. Sometimes, though, they seem to want to show off a little bit. After all, anyone can be Brian Cashman. Anyone can simply buy the best three free agents in one off-season, and then just replace them when an even better one comes along. Where’s the challenge in that? You don’t make the Hall of Fame just by spending money. No, you make the Hall by making moves nobody else would. You make the Hall by correctly predicting that the injured star will regain his form and help your team. You make the Hall by correctly predicting that the misused slugger just needs some at-bats become great. That’s how you do it.

Dan Duquette was famous for it. He was always filling the roster with reclamation projects. Half the team, it seemed, was someone who used to be good before he got hurt, or could be good. Very few were players who were actually good. Unfortunately for Red Sox fans, Duquette hit it big pretty early on with Tim Wakefield. He predicted correctly that Tim would regain his form and help the club. And, help he did. That gave Duquette more confidence to fill the roster with those types for the rest of his time in Boston. Unfortunately for Boston, Theo did the same thing when he found David Ortiz. He gets to swing and miss at a lot of “chances” due to the success of Ortiz. The problem is, that it sometimes gets to be too much.

I get taking chances. It’s a part of the process. It’s when you fill the roster with chances that it gets a little tricky. Getting John Smoltz on the cheap is a great move. If he works out, you’re set. If he doesn’t, you didn’t waste a lot of money. Same goes for Brad Penny. You don’t spend a lot of money on him, so if it doesn’t work out, you don’t lose much. Individually, those are fine deals. But, when you have both Smoltz and Penny on the same roster, it gets a little murkier. A couple million on one chance, plus a couple million on another chance is suddenly enough money to afford not to take a chance. Instead of hoping one of four guys comes though, you can just get the one guy you know will come through. Isn’t that a better way to build a team?

I know. It’s an odd time for that little discussion. After all, this weekend Theo didn’t really do that when he picked up Andrew Miller from the Marlins. I see Miller as a wash, worst case. So, it’s not really a hope that he’ll pan out enough to help the team. He’ll help the team. The hope is that he ends up “really” helping the team. That’s a difference. Plus, as I noticed with the SF Giants World Championship…you don’t lose talent. The Giants roster was filled with guys that used to be good, or everyone once thought was good. Those players often end up as decent additions to a team. Andrew Miller is a former first-round pick. He was thought of highly enough to be included in a trade for Miguel Cabrera. There must be something there. Plus, he’s still very young. I don’t know what Theo thinks of Miller long term. But, he’s the type of guy who definitely can fill a role now. As for the future? It has some possibilities. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Along with everyone else.

Randy Moss and the Red Sox

When Bill Simmons created his book, Now I Can Die in Peace, he made it a collection of several years worth of Red Sox articles he had written. He also included an article about the Patriots 2001 Super Bowl championship. His reasoning? That victory allowed the Boston fan base to picture themselves as champions. It changed the whole mental outlook of the region. After the Patriots traded Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings, I realized it should also have been included for another reason. The two teams handle themselves almost exactly the same, whether it’s good or bad. With the Moss trade, it’s the bad way. (Although, it’s nice that it puts Moss in Minnesota in time for the Monday Night game against the NY Jets and a certain gimpy hamstring.)

Both Bill Belichick and Theo Epstein have the same opinion of themselves. They both had some success early in their reigns, which has led them to believe the hype. They both feel they can do no wrong. They don’t need a hall-of-fame wide receiver, or left fielder. After all, any loser they pick up off the scrap heap will instantly become a superstar. They can build their teams on the cheap, and look like geniuses in the process. Of course, the Patriots haven’t won a title since the 2004 season, and the Sox since 2007. But, that’s beside the point. They can do whatever they want with their golden touch.

They both think they can have more success with teams full of interchangeable parts. Who needs actual talent on your team when you can have a bunch of mediocre guys all playing the same positions? Now, I have to give the Patriots a little slack in that area. They have a salary cap to deal with. They have to try to save money when it makes sense. Theo only tries to save money because he thinks it makes him look smarter.

In either case, the two teams have become really dull for their fans. When the Pirates keep trading away their players, everyone mentions how awful it is for their fans. They could only keep Jason Bay so long before he became too expensive. The Indians couldn’t afford to keep Victor Martinez. How awful for their fans that they can’t enjoy these great stars for longer than that. Of course, they both played longer in those cities than they did in Boston. Why would fans create attachment to teams or players when the parts keep leaving in exchange for another, often less talented, part? Why would I watch either team? Take Adrian Beltre. The Sox signed him to a one-year deal. One of two things could have happened. He could have been lousy. In that case, he wouldn’t have deserved my attention. Or, as actually happened, he could have a great year. In that case, you know the Sox will let him walk rather than pay him. Why would I invest my attention into a player only around for one year? In the Patriots case, I know I had little interest in watching the Patriots games before Randy Moss arrived. Now that he’s been swapped out for a generic part? I don’t imagine I’ll watch many games in the future. Five-yard dumps are only exciting for so long.

So, both the Red Sox and Patriots seem to make decisions for the same reasons. Both covet draft picks. Both seem to think the future is more important than the present. Both are intent on creating a balanced organization, as opposed to a talented one. Both don’t want to have many long-tem contracts on the team, for fear of being bogged down.

I just can’t decide if either team wants to win a championship.

Red Sox Magic Number Drops to 28!

OK. This is where it starts to get interesting! The Sox get to play lowly Seattle, while the Yanks and the Rays have to slug it out against each other. If the Sox can win some games, and then somebody sweeps the Yanks-Rays series…

Yeah, I can’t do it either. I’m not going to say it can’t happen. The Sox made up a margin about this big in a lot less time earlier in the season. Heck, didn’t the Phillies make up seven games in a day and a half a couple years ago? But, there one distinct difference between those two instances. The trailing team was trying to win. If the Red Sox are comfortable giving up, then I really have no choice but to follow. It looks like Theo will be able to keep his goal of reaching the playoffs seven out of every ten years right on schedule. In the eight years he’s been the GM, the Sox have made the playoffs six times. That’s actually better than his goal. He can slack off even more now the next couple years.

My main thought at this point is, why is his goal only to make the playoffs? And why doesn’t he want to do it every year? It was pretty clear from his actions this year, that he had no intention of making a run at it, once the season started. His opening day roster was fine. I’ll give him that. But, when things start to happen, a decent general manager needs to adjust. Theo didn’t. He lost two-thirds of his starting outfield in April. He still hasn’t made a move to replace them. Why not? Why is he more concerned with the minor league team than the major league team?

I promise. I understand the need for a strong farm system. I really do. But, I guess the reason I think you need them is so that you can improve your major league club year after year. Theo seems to think you need them so that you have good minor league clubs year after year. At some point, Theo has to realize that there is, in fact, such a thing as too many minor league prospects. The Sox have Beckett, Lester, and Lackey tied into rotation spots until 2014. Clay Buchholz is under club control for the immediate future. So, really, even if those guys stink up the joint, they will be four of your five starters for the next four years. So, with one spot remaining, why keep so many pitching prospects? Why not flip them for a position you don’t have players filling? How about a corner infielder to replace Beltre next season? How about an outfielder to replace Cameron or Drew in 2012? How about a shortstop to take over for Scutaro? How about a bullpen that can actually throw a ball over that white pentagon thing? Sure, just because a player is under contract doesn’t mean everything is rosy. I know that Lackey could break his elbow tomorrow, and free up a rotation spot. But, the Sox aren’t the Royals. If disaster strikes, the Sox have the means to deal with it. IF they choose to. This year, they chose not to. After all, that wasn’t the goal.

Do you think the Patriots goal is to make the playoffs every year? I bet not. I bet that Tom Brady would laugh at me if I even asked the question. Their goal is to win the super bowl every year. I’m sure of it. I know they don’t always accomplish that. But, at least it’s comforting to know that they’re trying. They’re not looking at next year. They wouldn’t rather have a decent future than a great past. Theo likes to say he wants to model the Red Sox after the Braves. He keeps forgetting one thing though.

The Braves only won one World Series during their run.

Delgado Decision

Another interesting move by young Theo. The signing of Carlos Delgado certainly poses some questions.

Not that I don’t agree with the move. It just opens a can of worms, is all. The Sox needed a first baseman after Youkilis went down. Theo went and got a first baseman. Case closed. But, why this particular first baseman? The Sox have three guys currently on their roster than can play first base. Mike Lowell, Victor Martinez, and David Ortiz. Theo could have easily decided that the three-headed monster those players create would be just fine for another month. Once the roster expands in September, he could bring up a youngster to help out even more. That would be a perfectly reasonable plan for a team that was simply playing out the string. The Sox would have an adequate rotation at first, which could get them through the schedule. After all the injuries, that could have been what happened.

But, it wasn’t. Theo went outside the organization to find a first baseman. I’m certainly not suggesting that he went out and got Albert Pujols or anything. But, Delgado has the potential to be the best first base option on the roster. Does this mean Theo thinks the Sox have a chance? Is he adding weapons for a push to the playoffs? That would be a welcome revelation. Is this the beginning of even more moves towards this goal? Did that depend on what happened with today’s game? This weekend’s series? I don’t know. We’ll just have to see.

Personally, I can’t wait.　

Boy Wonder

It’s appropriate that some people referred to young Theo Epstein as “Boy Wonder” when he took over control of the Sox. Boy, does he make me Wonder.

The trade deadline passed this weekend. The Sox had a lot to do in order to make a run at the playoffs. They needed bullpen help more than just about anything. The Sox needed an outfielder. With Ellsbury out for a bit more, and Cameron apparently needing lots of extra rest, a quality back-up outfielder would be huge. They had Mike Lowell tearing up his rehab starts. Since the Sox were apparently in no hurry to add him to their roster, he needed to be sent away. Luckily, there was a lot of good going on with the team. Injuries to stars were starting to go away. Ellsbury is on rehab assignment. Pedroia can start ramping up the rehab again. Victor Martinez just returned, allowing the Sox to stop using their third string catcher. So, how did the Boy Wonder improve his team? Anyone?

He traded for a back-up catcher. What? He traded away a bullpen arm. Huh? He designated his back-up outfielder for assignment. What’s that now? So, he filled a hole that was no longer there, and made two other holes worse? Umm…Ok.

He couldn’t have traded for a decent catcher a month ago? Why did he wait until now? He didn’t have the cash/PTBNL that would have gotten Austin Kearns? Like I said, the Sox have their stars returning. I didn’t need a big splash. I needed some improvement to get the best offense in baseball back up and running.

I’ll cut Theo a little slack in the lack of movement in the relief corps. Grabbing other team’s closers is an expensive way to go about it. If he wants another team’s set-up guy, he can probably get it through a waiver trade without having to settle for a mediocre closer like the Yankees did. He just needs to actually make a move for a middle reliever, and fast. Theo still has options. Honestly, he can probably even still get a not-so-bad bat. (the lone advantage of being in third place) He just has to improve this team so it doesn’t look like he’s given up on the season. He better not be saving everything for next year.

That sure looks like what he’s doing.
　

The Teixeira Tease

The big free agent left on the market is, of course Mark Teixeira. (Although recent reports have him headed to NY) His signing has been the cause of endless speculation this off-season. Frankly, free agent speculation is my favorite reporting. In the effort to scoop everyone else, reporters…even otherwise reputable ones…will throw out any meaningless piece of information they can. Lead stories like, “so and so talking to this team” or “this team shows interest in so and so” are laughable. Frankly, doesn’t every team in the majors have interest in Mark Teixeira? Would a GM calling Boras to check in really be a story? How does one team “have the lead” in the process? Does the highest offer make them the leaders? If that was the case, why hasn’t the offer been accepted? It’s great.

In this particular case, my question involves why the Red Sox are so interested in Mark Teixeira. Like I said, every team could use a 30 home run gold glove first baseman. I just wonder why the Sox are so eager to get this one when they already have one. Kevin Youkilis is a former gold glove winner, and looks to be a player who can give you 30 home runs and 100 RBI. So, would Teixeira really be much of an upgrade? What if you move Youk to third? Then you have Lowell in the way. Didn’t everyone just practically beg Theo to sign Lowell for as long as he wanted? Suddenly, he’s an expendable part? There’s been talk of moving Ortiz to make room for Tex. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of getting “another” 30 home run guy if you get rid of one of the ones you already have? For the money the Sox would have to spend, I don’t really see the fit.

Which I guess is one of the problems I have with Theo. He doesn’t seem to look ahead very well when it comes to free agents. Did Theo not know that Tex would be on the market this winter? Sure you can’t depend on a guy not extending his contract. But, don’t we know that Boras doesn’t do contract extensions? Did he sign Lowell knowing he was going to push this hard just one year later? What about Lugo? He signed him to a huge contract. Did he not know that Lowrie was coming right behind him? What exactly is going on with the revolving door at shortstop? Or Coco? Was Ellsbury’s speed invisible to Theo to the point that he had to trade away Varitek’s replacement to get Coco? Where is the planning? I don’t get it.

I’m not going to sit here and say that Mark Teixeira wouldn’t improve the team. If you replaced Lowell or Youkilis with him, the team would be better in the long run. I’m just not convinced it would be that much better. Especially since you then have spare parts. Ortiz, Lowell, or Youk would be odd man out. Do you trade one? For what exactly? Youkilis probably has the most value. Which position do the Sox need a player equal in value to the second runner up to MVP? Unless you’re trading for Joe Mauer, everything else is taken. The Sox are set at second. There are no shortstops that good out there. Third is still plugged. The outfield is pretty set with bay, Ells, and Drew. The rotation? Even if there was a top of the rotation guy available…the Sox don’t really need it. Their current top three is just fine. The resultant moves would just make a mess. Signing Teixeira looks like one of those moves GMs make just to make a move, and look good in the papers.

I thought Theo was above all that.

Trade Theo!

The trading deadline is a fun time of year for baseball fans. If your team is in the playoff hunt, this is when they can fill the holes they have and become a World Series contender. If your team is not in the playoff hunt, it’s a time to stock up on the future so you’re even better next year. This year, several of the elite teams in the AL had obvious holes to fill going into deadline day. For example:

LA needed some power in their line-up. They have the league’s best record, great starting pitching and a fantastic bullpen. But, they needed some pop in the order to cement their place as the class of the league. So, they traded for Mark Teixeira. Bingo. Hole filled and the Angels got better.

The Yankees had some holes. They needed a lefty reliever. They needed an outfielder to account for some injuries. Same thing with a catcher. So, they grabbed Marte, Nady, and Rodriguez. Bingo. Holes filled and the Yankees got better.

The Red Sox had some holes. They needed bullpen help. They could use a shortstop to cover for an injury (and lousiness). They had one too many centerfielders. So, they….um…traded away their best hitter? Well at least the guy they got back is…um…worse than the guy they traded away? At least they got some bullpen help in the…um…they actually traded away one of their bullpen arms? Well, the other guy they got is a nice prosp…um…they didn’t get anybody else? They actually gave up another young outfielder as well? At least they got some cash in the deal so they could…um…they actually gave 7 million dollars away in the deal? To the Dodgers? What the heck is going on here? Holes got bigger and the Red Sox got worse.

So, the bullpen still stinks. And now, the line-up takes a hit so it’s harder to make up for a lousy bullpen? Was Theo at a Pearl Jam concert yesterday, or being the GM of the Boston Red Sox? From here on in, we get to watch Ortiz get intentionally walked 500 times, and the run production go down the tubes. Yippie. Was the bottom of the order not enough of a drag on scoring?

I think it’d be easier to swallow if the Yankee fans would stop e-mailing and calling to say how happy they are and thanking me for handing them the division on a big silver platter.

I will give Theo a little credit. If you look at the schedules, he at least picked a good time to make a boneheaded trade. In August, the Sox will play Oakland, KC, Chicago, and Texas instead of Tampa, LA, Minnesota, and Seattle. So, for a while, the much easier schedule will make the deal look slightly better than it is. But, things will drop back in September.

I’d say it was the worst trade Theo’s ever made. But, there have been so many stinkers, it’d be hard to say with any certainty which was the worst.