The trade deadline came and went and we did mostly what I thought we'd do, get some semblance of a shortstop and a starting pitcher. But after the inevitable news that Clay Buchholz's season just went down the shitter did our hopes of winning the AL Pennant go with his back?
New Acquisitions: Erik Bedard, Mike Aviles, Josh Fields
Players departed: Yamaico Navarro, Tim Federowicz, Chih-Hsien Chiang, Stephen Fife, Kendal Volz
Just talking personnel-wise the move was brilliant. Clay Buchholz isn't coming back in 2011, so you needed a starter. Bang, Erik Bedard. You need a guy that can stay on the field and be a utility guy, enter Lowrie-insurance Mike Aviles. There was a log jam on the 40 man roster when players came back from the DL and the Red Sox would have lost these players in the Rule 5 Draft. So, instead of losing the players for nothing you brought back a starter and a veteran infielder to get through the season with. Every player that was given up has atleast one player if not 2 in front of them in this organization's depth chart of prospects
Some of you may be thinking the often-flashy, seldom-solid Navarro and a pitching prospect are too much for a guy hitting .222. Navarro is not a stud, and was obviously behind Jose Iglesias and Jed Lowrie as SS. Don't forget that Aviles hit .304 last year, tends to hit lefties well (.309 in 2011), and is now moving to a better hitters' ballpark. Kendal Volz is a middling pitcher and they are a dime a dozen in the minor leagues, not a huge loss.
The "haul" in the Bedard deal is another case of clearing out the roster with second tier guys. Federowicz, while probably the best defensive catcher in the Sox system, doesn't have the offensive upside that Lavarnway has so he is therefore expendable. Chiang is putting together a great season .340 with 18 dingers in AA is behind Kalish and Reddick. He could turn into something in a couple years but right now, another commodity. Fife is just like Volz, replaceable.
Theo, you win the battle of acquiring, without giving up anything. Great job, now I have an issue with what you acquired.
I like the Mike Aviles move I really do, I actually think he should take some at-bats away from Scutaro. The Scutaro Experiment is done as soon as Lowrie comes back from his ailment-du-jour, what is it today, Lupus? Scutaro is admirable in the amount of pain he plays through, but he is hurting the team more than helping with his lack of range, less than average arm, missing signs, and lack of presence at the plate. Scutaro will most likely be gone before the end of August via trade waivers, provided Lowrie is back. There is no reason to keep him, Lowrie and Aviles on the same team when they essentially all play the same role. One has to go, it's Scutaro, look for him to go out to San Francisco or the Arizona Diamondbacks for a pouch of half-chewed Red Man and Pablo Sandoval's jockstrap.
Let's be honest the pitching market this July was thin, especially when you find out that Bedard was sloppy-seconds to Rich Harden who may actually have more problems than Jaleel White's acting career. In Bedard, you're getting a pitcher who hasn't thrown past July in any of the last 3 years, never pitched in a pennant race and after surgery has been pitching (or occupying a spot on their roster, see what I did there?) in the AL West. Let's couple that with the fact that he doesn't like the media, and we're essentially throwing him to the wolves aka Dan Shaughnessey. When he's healthy, a good, not great pitcher who in the past has had success in the AL East but hasn't pitched there in 3 years. Here's the real question: Do you feel comfortable with John Lackey taking the ball in the 3rd game of the playoffs in lieu of Clay Buchholz, because I don't.
There are those who think Lackey has turned the corner, while I'd say his offense has made his deficiencies less noticeable. Hard to look pedestrian when your team puts up 8 runs every time you go out, just sayin'. He has won 4 starts in a row, but in two of those starts he has combined to give up 21 hits, 6 runs in 11.1 innings, nothing to write home about is it? Didn't think so.
What was the Red Sox advantage against every team they play, depth at starting pitching, just leveled off and put you about even with Texas and only one starter ahead of the Yankees and Detroit. Texas stabilized their bullpen, prying Mike Adams away from the Padres, and Koji UeHara from the Birds. They are also the only other team that can match the Red Sox in the 'pen, on defense, and in the rotation. The Yankees say they have a championship caliber team, when in fact they do not. They have a championship caliber offense, and one legitimate pitcher. Three pitchers possibly four win in the playoffs, not one.
Look, the Sox have the best record in the AL so we're just splitting hairs here when you're on the first day of August griping about who your #3 starter is going to be in the playoffs. But to say that the playing field wasn't leveled when Buchholz went tits up, would be the understatement of the year.
Stay Tuned
Norton
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