Time for Red Sox to clean house
August 14, 2010 by Andrew Tuttle · 4 Comments
With the trade deadline come and gone and the Red Sox doing very little to shore up a run for the post season, perhaps the rest of this season is more or less try outs for next year.
Of the regular players on the 25-man roster the following players should all be eligible for trading come this winter: Jonathon Papelbon, Josh Beckett, JD Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and Hideki Okajima.
Are more prayers and supplications said at any other time than when Papelbon and Okajima pitch? (Three runs in the bottom of the 9th Jonathan?) You never know if you’re going to get three strikeouts or three straight hits. Consistence and reliability are hallmarks for any player. Neither of these two pitchers have those qualities.
Beckett has been plagued by back problems for several years now. What will it be next year, out all season after a handful of starts? Extending his contract at the beginning of the year for four more years has already turned out to be a mistake. Unless he’s got a magic exercise that keeps his back from freezing up as he gets older, I hope a no-trade clause was left out of the deal.
Drew and Ellsbury have their moments but few and far between to be of any value for a strong team of the future. Ellsbury has the defensive skills but watching what was admittedly, a spectacular diving catch last weekend against the Yankees, it’s a matter of time before he’s nursing another rib injury. (Oh wait, he is back on the DL with a rib injury) And, what’s with the 0-for-16 start coming off the DL, is that a forecast of what’s to come? Doesn’t matter, injuries are a forecast of what’s to come.
With Kevin Youkilis gone for the season, now there is only one starter hitting over .300. The next closest? Marco Scutaro. Who?
Since there are so many players that elicit a “Who?” response on this team, perhaps now is the time to see who can shed that distinction to become a clubhouse regular and fan favorite in the coming years.
This team is still solid on paper and need not be gutted. How about trading for jason bay? It could save his career and the mets mistake.
I agree about Papelbon and I’ve never been a fan of Drew, although he’s better than we Red Sox fans give him credit for, but I’m not sure the Sox should deal Beckett and Ellsbury. Beckett’s 2010 season has been a nightmare and a complete waste, but he’s coming off a 17-6, 3.89 2009 and has been very good to solid since he’s been with the Sox. Back issues are a problem (hell, I have them myself) but they don’t necessarily have to be a career-ender (ask Randy Johnson). Ellsbury is only 26 and is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he led the A.L. in steals with 50 and 70, paced the loop in triples last year and has a .291 average in 349 games. Prior to this year’s injury-plagued season, he amassed more than 600 plate appearances in 2008 and 2009. One serious injury does not a career make.
I think the Sox made a mistake when they let Billy Wagner go. They could have kept Wagner for one more year, groomed Bard to be the closer of the future and traded Papelbon for something that might have shored up a weakness.
Lastly, let’s not forget that if this team hadn’t been absolutely hammered by injuries they’d be in the thick of the pennant race. Sometimes teams just run into bad luck and that’s what’s happened here. Having said all that, it wouldn’t bother me in the least if Theo made the moves you suggested as long as the Sox get something of value in return.
Daniel Bard should be the Red Sox closer for the 2011 season.
Beckett had a good season last year but his back and thumb injuries seem to be getting more frequent and longer lasting. Yankees beat up on him. I say if there isn’t a no-trade clause get something for him now !! Lowrie’s getting to be a pain in the ass along with Ellsbury with injuries. I think Okajima is done along with Wakefield. Slow start, injuries, and post all-star slump along with 2 hot teams ahead of them is where they are now. Oh, and some crappy defense.