Talkin Sox with Dan

Where baseball fans gather for commonsensical, opinionated Red Sox banter.

Archive for the tag “John Lackey”

21 Jan 2013

News on Baseball, the Red Sox

Photo via boston.com

Ahhh. That’s better.

After an absolutely brutal Sunday evening, it is important to remember that life goes on. You’ve got to be able to go out there and get ‘em the next day. So today, that’s what we’re going to do.

— Mike Napoli and the Red Sox made their deal official last week. It consists of $5MM guaranteed for one year. The powerful right handed hitter will have the ability to make up to $13MM as long as he does not spend any time on the disabled list due to a hip injury. Expect the Red Sox to add some insurance at first base in case Napoli breaks down. A bit more on Napoli later.

— Craig Breslow successfully avoided arbitration (and then some) as he and the Sox came to terms on a two-year pact worth $6.25MM on Saturday. The Red Sox possess a team option worth nearing $4MM for the 2015 season. Breslow was acquired by the Sox at the trade deadline last season from the Diamondbacks. The lefty specialist is a Yale graduate and a Connecticut native.

— Courtesy of the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham, here is the list of players that the Red Sox reached agreements with, avoiding arbitration:

OF Jacoby Ellsbury: $9 million
RHP Joel Hanrahan $7.04 million
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia: $4.5 million
RHP Andrew Bailey: $4.1 million
RHP Alfredo Aceves: $2.65 million
RHP Daniel Bard: $1.8625 million
LHP Franklin Morales: $1.487 million
LHP Andrew Miller: $1.475 million

— A couple quick notes on the arbitration process: Headlines are often misleading, especially for those who are not familiar with the the process. (As an aside, if you’re not well-versed in the stimulating world of salary arbitration, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Seriously.) For example, “Ellsbury signs one-year deal with the Red Sox worth $9MM.” That is true. He did. But it makes it seems as though he could have signed elsewhere. I saw a few people on Twitter who are fans of other teams saying things like “we easily could have gotten Ellsbury if the Red Sox only gave him a one-year contract!” Players who are eligible for arbitration are also under team control–they’re not free agents–it’s just a matter of negotiating salary for a one-year deal, like Ellsbury, or a multi-year agreement, like Breslow.

— Despite the fact that it took well over a month for the Red Sox and Napoli to finalize the deal that they first agreed to, in principle, on December 3, I never thought the two parties would go in different directions. The Red Sox needed Napoli to fill a gaping hole at both first base and in the middle of their lineup. As it turned out, Napoli needed the Red Sox to serve as a landing spot to rebuild value as a free agent. The Rangers approached Napoli about returning to Arlington but were ultimately turned away–not because he didn’t want to return to Texas but because he will have more of an opportunity to play day in and day out in Boston. Nolan Ryan and Co. do not have an obvious need at first base or catcher. It is easy to see Napoli spending 2013 here, experiencing success, and subsequently leaving in free agency, but I wouldn’t make that assumption. Napoli isn’t represented by Scott Boras, and 2013 could easily be the first year of a nice little marriage between the former Ranger and the Red Sox.

— Francona: The Red Sox Years hits shelves on Tuesday. From everything I have heard/read, I think this book is going to be real good stuff. I wouldn’t expect Tito to expose John Lackey, Jon Lester, and Josh Beckett for drinking beer and acting completely unprofessional in the clubhouse during the 2011 season, but I would anticipate some great stories from the eight years he managed in Boston — some of which will be funny and entertaining while others make John Henry and Larry Lucchino look quite bad. No matter what, it will reaffirm what we already know–managing in Boston is not easy. The two book covers below illustrate that point. Long live Tito.

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20 Dec 2012
1 Comment

Where the Hell is Mike Napoli?

Photo via nashuatelegraph.com

On December 3, the Red Sox agreed to a three-year deal with free agent Mike Napoli. That’s right.

The third.

Seventeen days later, Napoli has yet to sit in front of the fake brick Red Sox/Dunkin’ Donuts overlay, donning the home white while GM Ben Cherington and Company introduce him to the media. No one is saying much of anything. Mum is most definetely the word.

“There’s really nothing to comment on. As with any free agent, until it’s done, it’s not done. We continue to work on different ways to improve the team. I’ll comment on it as soon as I can, but I can’t right now. We’ve had some more dialogue. I wouldn’t classify it as one way or the other,” Cherington said at Ryan Dempster‘s introductory presser on Tuesday.

Well, that was very Belichickian of Cherington. But really, what do we expect? It’s a sensitive situation that affects both the Red Sox as a team in 2013 as well as Napoli’s value as a free agent. It benefits no one to discuss the snag.  Nevertheless, it certainly doesn’t stop us from dissecting what is approaching a post-agreement disaster.

What this means for the Red Sox

In the end? Probably nothing. Napoli will likely still sign with the Sox for either two years or three years with a well-defined injury clause similar to John Lackey‘s. Will Carroll of SI.com recently reported that Cherington and the Red Sox are in fact looking to have Napoli and his agent agree to reduce the pact to a two-year agreement. I’m sure that there is some validity to that. We know one thing for sure: If Napoli is a member of the Red Sox in 2013, the Red Sox will be well-protected against any sort of injury.

I’ve heard the theory that this is just another case of Red Sox doctors fouling up a situation involving a player. The next quasi-logical thought is that this process, especially if it ends with an unhappy Napoli, will deter future free agents from looking Boston’s way in the future. I will never buy the argument that free agents are going to go to other teams because the media in Boston is tough, the clubhouse can be a rough place to be, or the medical staff has a bad rep. Just follow the money. In the end, nothing else really matters.

For now, Cherington has to keep his options open. I don’t believe the agreement will end up falling through, but as a GM, one must be ready for any situation he is thrust in to. That means not losing touch with guys like Nick Swisher or Adam LaRoche. Lesser first base options like Mark Reynolds and Kevin Youkilis have signed with Indians and Yankees, respectively. Trade targets, like Kendrys Morales, will not hang around, waiting for Napoli’s three week long doctors appointment to come to an end. It benefits the Red Sox to get this wrapped up as soon as possible.

The same can be said for Napoli.

What this means for him

The bulky right handed hitter set out to do two things this offseason: Establish himself as a free agent catcher, not a first baseman, and come to terms on a four-year deal. He missed on both. The Red Sox, like other teams, evaluated Napoli as a full-time first baseman who possesses the ability to catch here and there when needed. As soon as it was reported that the former Texas Ranger was looking to land a four-year deal, the Sox immediately let their foot off of the gas pedal. They seemingly drew the line in the sand at three-years. Their decision proved fruitful as they netted Napoli for three-years and $39MM, plenty lucrative for a player who is looking to rebound after a below average, injury plagued 2012 campaign. Napoli’s goal of a guaranteed four years could easily be cut in half should the negotiations following his physical lead to his camp and the Red Sox agreeing on a two year guaranteed contract with an option, for example.

There is, of course, a chance that Napoli finds himself on the open market yet again. His value would naturally be much lower than it was before he agreed to the three-year deal with the Red Sox. I cannot see a team offering anything more than a two years, and even that may be a stretch.

Ultimately, the Red Sox need Napoli as much as Napoli needs the Red Sox. I would expect this to be resolved on either Wednesday or Thursday of this upcoming week, just before the beginning of 2013.

—–

Update: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the snag is concerning an issue with one of Napoli’s hips. Local reports are indicating that the deal could easily fall through. Based on Rosenthal’s report, I believe that is a bit overstated. You can decide for yourself. Here is the link. I still believe this deal gets done.

Posted in Free Agency & Trades and tagged , , , , , , , ,
18 Aug 2012
1 Comment

Quick Hits – Red Sox

Before we delve into all things Red Sox, I’m going to be upfront by saying that I’m not going to directly deal with the latest off the field soap opera. If I touch on it in passing, that’s all it is–a passing thought. It’s not that I don’t believe it is important (it is), but I loathe the drama that seems to follow this team. Hearing about it day after day makes me want to do this. I care about baseball. I care about what occurs between the lines. I hope you do too.

Let’s one-stop shop.

— Jason Varitek is not fit to manage the 2013 Boston Red Sox. He is not far enough removed from the situation. Managerial experience is not a prerequisite for me, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Maybe in the future, Captain, but right now is not the time.

— The thought of another hiring process makes me tired just thinking about it, but it is probably inevitable. John Farrell is ideal but less than likely. My early guess? Sandy Alomar Jr.

— The Orioles are better than the Red Sox, and that hurts to admit. I was dead wrong about that team. Wei-Yin Chen has been excellent, and Adam Jones is a fun player to watch.

— Reports have come out lately that because of the turbulence and clubhouse that seems to follow the Red Sox like the plague, free agents will opt to sign elsewhere during upcoming off-seasons. Not the case. The worst clubhouse in the league can suddenly be the most attractive when the dollars are counted. Players follow the dough. The rest barely matters.

— Some ardent Red Sox fans jokingly talk about rooting for another team as our Local Nine continue to fade. I’ll admit that it is fun to wish the Pirates well or hope that Josh Reddick‘s squad out west finishes strong. In reality, it provides me with absolutely no comfort. I’m a one-team kinda guy.

— Every time you hear or read a story about how awful the Red Sox clubhouse is — pretend they were winning before coming to a conclusion. Let me elaborate with the help of an example.

  • The Red Sox are 20 games above .500, and John Lackey is “double fisting” after a win in the clubhouse on the road in Cleveland. Lackey, unlike Jacoby Ellsbury in 2010, remains with his team, despite being unable to contribute on the field due to injury. A couple of beers to go with the post-spread after yet another win is anything but a big deal. Big Lack performed poorly in his first two-years with the Sox, but it is clear that he is dedicated to his teammates and the organization.

A team’s win-loss record dictates how it is perceived by the media, by the fans. Nothing else matters.

— Red Sox brass is criticized for being too concerned with public opinion. Wins and loses take a backseat to how the average fan perceives the ball club, sort of thing. A large segment of fans are busy hitting blogs and radio talk shows clamoring for the Sox to rid themselves of Josh Beckett and Lackey Eat the cash and move on. If John Henry and Co. permits GM Ben Cherington to work a trade that would ship one of the two (or both) malcontents elsewhere this off-season, wouldn’t he just be catering to popular opinion? Just sayin’.

Posted in Daily Notes and tagged , , , , , , ,
21 Mar 2012
1 Comment

Bard in Limbo

According to a report from CSNNE’s Sean McAdam, Daniel Bard could be heading back to the bullpen to begin the 2012 season.

Recently, it has seemed like Alfredo Aceves would be the one boxed out of the Red Sox rotation. McAdam’s report contradicts that belief entirely.

“One Red Sox staff member has told others outside the organization that, when all is said and done, Alfredo Aceves and Felix Doubront will have spots in the rotation, with Daniel Bard returning to the bullpen.”

Hmm. What happened to giving Bard a chance to show his mettle as a starter? Throughout the winter and spring, it has not seemed as if there was even a question as to whether the hard throwing righty would be in the rotation or the bullpen. Sure, there was competition for fifth spot in Boston’s rotation but certainly not the fourth–that was Bard’s. Times have changed, I guess.

Has Bard put together an exceptionally good spring? Not at all. But heck, the guy has thrown less than 13 innings. Is that enough to formulate an opinion? WEEI’s Lou Merloni certainly does not believe that is the case.

So for now, we will wait and see what happens. In a perfect world, Aceves and Bard would serve as cogs in the Red Sox bullpen (that would be one solid ‘pen) because John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka would be the bottom half of the rotation. However, that is simply not the case. Pragmatically speaking, one of the two will have to occupy a spot in the rotation.

If I’m choosing, it is Bard. Aceves is versatile and has an arm made of rubber. I’m pretty sure he pitched in every game from August 1 of last year until the final game of the season, or at least it seemed that way. Ultimately, I believe Bard will stick in the rotation, but we will keep you updated.

Posted in 2012 Preview and tagged , , , , ,
21 Feb 2012
5 Comments

Tuesday’s Notes

109 years ago today, Tom Yawkey was born. 30 years and four days later, he bought the Red Sox.

As for today’s news on all things Red Sox…

  • It only took four months, but the Red Sox finally received their compensation from the Cubs for letting former GM Theo Epstein out of the final year of his contract. It’s not Starlin Castro. I’m 100 percent sure it is not Matt Garza, and when I last checked, John Lackey was still under contract with the Red Sox. Chris Carpenter is a 26 year old right handed relief pitcher who throws hard but lacks Greg Maddux-like control to say the least. A former third round pick, Carpenter had a cup of coffee with the big club last season on the south side of Chicago. However, he pitched primarily in Double-A and Triple-A. Sounds good to me. Glad it’s done. Let’s all move on with life…unless the Cubs want Lackey. No? Alright, just checkin’.
  • Carl Crawford believes that he will like playing under new manager Bobby Valentine. The Globe’s Peter Abraham thinks that Valentine will do Crawford a ton of good. At this point, I’ll hang my hat on anything when it comes to this guy. Unless he rebounds this season, Crawford will take over as the new J.D. Drew, a player who is haunted by a massive contract that overshadows his performance on the field.  The guy desperately wants to succeed. He works hard and tries even harder. Count me as someone who will be rooting hard for CC when he gets back from his wrist injury.
  • Crawford, a soft spoken guy, didn’t really like John Henry’s comments concerning his position against inking the speedy free agent last winter. Whatever. It doesn’t really seem like it’s going to be an issue. I’m sure my boss regrets hiring me, so no sweat.
  • I hope we can all collectively move on from the clubhouse issues that allegedly plagued the 2011 Red Sox. Jon Lester owned up to whatever mistakes were made. Josh Beckett was about as contrite as you’re going to see him. I’m beyond tired of hearing people who call into the sports talk radio shows in our neck of the woods and say they want an apology because the Red Sox wasted the fans’ money. Get real and stop wasting my time. Let’s just play baseball.
  • Dice-K and Valentine played catch together today. I had a toaster strudel for breakfast. Thrilling on both counts.
  • As expected, Valentine has already begun to stress fundamentals. In past years, pitchers went through drills in Spring Training by simulating the throws to the respective bases rather than using baseballs. This was designed to preserve the arms of pitchers participating in the drills. This spring? Not so much. Hands were not empty during today’s workouts. Pitcher participating used real baseballs. Valentine’s reasoning was simple: “If we’re going to practice something, I’d like to have it as close to game-real as possible. Otherwise, why bother?” I dig it.
Posted in Daily Notes and tagged , , , , , , , ,
13 Jan 2012
4 Comments

Theo Epstein on WEEI

On Thursday morning, Cubs’ President and former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein made an appearance the Dennis & Callahan Show on WEEI. I listened and watched the majority of the interview in my apartment on NESN and the latter half in my car. There were several important points that Epstein touched on. Let’s review a few of them.

  • John Henry was not blowing smoke when he said he did not want Carl Crawford. Epstein corroborated this point during his interview: “The bottom line was that’s right. I think John didn’t want to do that one.” Although it was idiotic of Henry to admit this during his impromptu interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub in October, it is kind of refreshing to know that he was in fact telling the truth. That aside, it is important that Epstein confirmed Henry’s claim because, regardless of the owner’s opinion, Crawford ended up inking a massive deal with the Red Sox. In other words, it may be a collaborative decision-making process onYawkey Waywhen it comes to personnel, but ultimately, baseball decisions are handled by the individuals in baseball operations. That is a vital separation to have as an organization.
  • Epstein knows that signing John Lackey was a big mistake. He’s not going to come out and say that he wishes he never pulled the trigger on Lackey. That’s not good for business (more of a John Henry move). But it is easy to read between the lines: “To do that one over again, we made too much of an assumption he would still pitch up to his capabilities and maybe at some point he would have Tommy John.” Essentially, Epstein signed the best available starting pitcher in what was a shallow market. He knew the guy he was getting had a trash elbow and rolled the dice.
  • We are all idiots for thinking that the Cubs would take Lackey’s dead weight or part with Matt Garza as compensation for Epstein. The Red Sox will be lucky to get a bag of rosin at this point, and Epstein knows it: “Throughout the history of baseball there’s really only been a handful of instances where there’s been any compensation whatsoever for executives.” Epstein did acknowledge that there will be compensation, however. Can’t wait…
  • More than anything, losing is what sparked the soap opera that ensued after the Red Sox September collapse. Epstein, like many, understands that if the Sox had somehow squeaked into the playoffs, gotten hot, and won the World Series or even made a deep run in October, none of the gory details concerning matters in the clubhouse would have surfaced. If fans heard that members of the starting staff for the 2011 World Series champion Boston Red Sox enjoyed some chicken and washed it down with a beer or eight before, during, or after games, it would have been thought of in the same light as the Jack Daniel’s sipping ’04 team. Instead of free and fun-loving, the staff is fat and lazy. Winning changes a lot.

Photo courtesy of chicagonow.com

Posted in Miscellaneous Baseball Notes and tagged , ,

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