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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Conclusions I Drew


I’ve got nothing.

I swear, every time the Sox make a move this off-season, I get more confused.

The Sox apparently decided that they couldn’t afford a light-hitting shortstop for a year. So, they signed a veteran to come in and fill the spot until Iglesias is ready. That makes perfect sense. Some people might say that stellar defense makes up for a lack of production. But, since Drew is apparently above average in the field, that’s not such a big difference. The only confusion with the move comes from the first sentence of this paragraph. It’s incomplete.

You can’t afford a light-hitting shortstop for a year…if you intend on competing. If you’re going through a rebuilding year waiting for this en masse arrival of the prospects, you can have a year of a weak shortstop. You can lose 100 games no matter who you have at short. So, why would you sign a guy for almost $10 million? It’s a complete waste of money…unless you think you’ll compete.

Can the Red Sox compete? With this line-up? They could. If every member of the line-up, rotation, and bullpen matches the best year they’ve had since 2010, the Sox will win 100 games. I’m not really holding my breath. But, this line-up could be sneaky good. Without Iglesias, there isn’t an obvious hole. Nobody scares you…but nobody’s easy either. They might not be terrible.

But, here’s the problem. If the Sox wanted to compete in 2013…what’s with the other moves? Why trade away Crawford and Gonzalez last season? Why sign Victorino and Napoli instead of Hamilton, or Greinke, or Haren, or Sanchez? Why have they been overpaying for mediocrity if they want to win in 2013? (Assuming that there’s ever a reason to overpay for mediocrity.)

So, they can’t possibly expect to win in 2013. Then why sign Drew?

Is anyone else getting dizzy?

Does this mean a trade is in the works? Is Iglesias gone? Is Drew really filling the hole to get to Bogaerts? Is Bogaerts gone? Is Drew holding the spot for Iglesias after all, but the Sox don’t want to rush the shortstop of the future?

Do you need to pay a placeholder $10 million?

5 comments:

  1. I don't think they are waiting for Iglesias. I think they have decided he will not hit in the majors and are now waiting for Xander Bogaerts instead.

    There were virtually no SS FAs this year so Drew was going to get overpaid by whoever signed him.

    Did you ever see pictures or videos of Gonzalez and Crawford when they were in San Diego and Tampa? They always looked happy and jovial. Did you ever see them look that way in Boston, even before September 2011. I sure didn't. Because of the media, fans, front office, or whatever I don't think either guy was ever happy with Boston. If a guy isn't happy with his work he isn't going to perform as well as if he is. (not just baseball players everyone everywhere) The FO saw a chace to move them without eating their contracts and did.

    To me three years of Napoli and Victorino are greater than 7 years of Crawford and Gonzalez, hands down, no contest. Even while hurt Napoli put up the same numbers as Gonzalez last year. When Gonzalea declines with age LA will still be paying him. When Napoli declines with age we are going to move on to the next player.

    When we signed Crawford I said he was overrated it was a horrible contract. As far as I'm concerned I was right until proven wrong. He has always been a player that relies on his speed and he will continue to get slower every year he plays. If he hadn't got hurt he may have been a 20M player for the first year or two but there was never a chance he would those last 5 years. Good Riddance.

    The Giants have won two world series with lineups worse than our current one. They won it with pitching which is where the Red Sox should focus their money. The problem is the FA SP choices were not good this year. Personally I think Jackson (if Grienke couldn't handle KC the Red Sox need to stay far far away) was the best FA available and he is flawed. They are smart to save the future money to spend on pitching. Are they wasting money this year? Yes, but it washes clean after the season is over and they will have money to chase pitching next year. Our only chance this year is Lester, Buchholz, and Lackey pitch like it is 2010.

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  3. I saw a great post on CLN Radio that sums it up nicely.

    "Following every move the Sox have made this offseason, positive comments from analysts and ex-teammates have focused almost solely on the intangibles that the additions will bring to the team. David Ross is a great clubhouse guy, a great leader. Ryan Dempster works harder than any starter in the game. Shane Victorino is always smiling and enthusiastic, and loves playing the game. Jonny Gomes is charitable and is loved by every teammate he’s ever played with.

    When it comes to the seven free agent additions the Red Sox have made so far this winter, team management has seemed to lose focus of the ultimate goal: giving the fans and the city of Boston the best possible on-field product that will bring another World Series to Red Sox Nation. The focus to this point has been repairing the damaged clubhouse, and bringing in players whose great character seem to outweigh their playing ability."

    I think that hits the nail on the head PERFECTLY.

    They signed "nice guys" and "club house leaders" to try and repair that black cloud of the last two seasons. Winning record be damned. I understand that, to a point, but wasn't Cody Ross a "nice guy", isn't RA Dickey a "nice guy". Aren't there better free agent and/or trade options that aren't complete tools?

    Yeah, I think it's that "intangebles" answer that got us this roster. Now we just need to see how they'll do on the field. They have potential. I have hope.

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  4. I agree. The Mighty Ducks may have won thanks to their fun-loving team. But, the Hawks and their businesslike grumpy team were unbeatable until the Ducks stole their best player. Even in a Disney movie, it was talent that made the difference.

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  5. The Sox were one of the teams that set this silly pay scale in MLB. When you pay guys like Crawford 20 million, do the math. Guys like Drew get 10 million.

    They have nobody to blame but themselves. Horrid signing, but when you don't have a plan or the stones to play a rookie, this is what you do. You pay a bad player 10 million just because he is friendly.

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