Santana in Beantown? Maybe not so smooth...

by MegECass110

Carlos Santana reference? Get it? Smooth? Moving on...

Originally, I heard this and I was appalled. Not that JOHAN Santana isn't a great pitcher, because he is. But I just imagined who the Red Sox would have to give up. Apparently, the Sox were considering offering center field God Jacoby Ellsbury and that-guy-who-threw-a-no-hitter-in-his-second-career-start Clay Buchholz. I thought Theo Epstein had lost his mind; after building up the farm system and having young guys contribute significantly to a world championship team, he was ready to give up two guys who, by my estimation, have the chance to be superstars.

Now, the latest rumor is a little more reasonable, maybe a lot more reasonable to some Red Sox fans. The deal has Santana coming to Boston for lefty Jon Lester, center fielder Coco Crisp, AAA shortstop Jed Lowrie, and an unknown fourth player (AA starter Michael Bowden is listed in the ESPN article). Coco Crisp is now expendable since Ellsbury has all but cemented his spot in center. Lowrie was picked by the Sox in the 1st round of 2005 out of Stanford, where he an All-American, and is listed as the fourth best prospect in the system. Bowden is a 21-year-old who finished 2007 with a 4.28 ERA in AA Portland; he's listed as the 3rd best pitching prospect in the system.

This is where I get into trouble for being a girl who loves sports. I'm a sap. I fall in love with underdogs, rookies, comebacks and everything else waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too easily. I want my teams to keep players because they're good-looking or glue guys in the locker room or playing every game like it's their last or active in the community. Given the above, I'm completely, utterly attached to Jon Lester. I completely understand Red Sox fans who cite his ERA and high pitch counts and lack of control, and consider him expendable for a guy the caliber of Santana. They're the rational ones. I, in this case, am not. A 23-year-old cancer survivor who wins the clinching game of the World Series who pitches with that much fire on the mound? It's the perfect storm for him to be one of my favorite people in sports. If he goes, a part of me will understand, another part will hurt for days. I told you I get emotionally attached.

I know how filthy Santana is, and I know that the Sox will keep him away from the Yankees if they grab him. I also know he's 29. I also know Boston already has one ace (Josh Beckett) that may or may not have the personality to handle having someone just as good, maybe better, than he is in the starting rotation. I also know he's never played in a place like Boston, where the pressure is always on. I also know the Sox were rumored to be approached by teams numerous times in the past few years to get Lester, and they did not budge.

More than anything else, I know the 2007 World Champs are World Champs because of a combination of youth and experience. It seems to me that Theo wants to keep these guys together for a long time, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If everything stays as is, here's what I think the rotation will look like at the start of 2008...

Beckett

Matsuzaka

Schilling

Lester

Buchholz

Bottom line: Barring injuries, we don't need him.

NejoshiDiv-I Stud

733 days ago

Score 1

If Ellsbury, Buchholz, or Pedroia, the "untouchables", are not implicated in a deal for Santana, why not pull the trigger? However, I bet the Yankees will probably offer something better than Boston would and end up with him.

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MegECass110AAA-er

733 days ago

Score 1

I hope the Yankees get him. I do. He's destined for a Johnson-Pavano-esque collapse.

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MegECass110AAA-er

733 days ago

Score 1

I wouldn't blame them if they did pull the trigger. Their farm system is fairly deep, and they have the chips to pull it off. This is just what happens when I fall in love with prospects for no apparent reason. And they will probably have to give him the largest contract a pitcher's ever gotten if they choose to hang onto him.

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AllBallsLittle Leaguer

733 days ago

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That's exactly what I said at http://allba...logspot.com/

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RomiezzoLegend

733 days ago

Score 1

We don't need him. He'll just be another player with a lot of hype. The Red Sox will end up competing with the Yankees for him, and if we get him, I don't think he'll do miracles for us. We already got a good starting rotation, and you don't know how he's going to affect the team chemistry. So, I don't want him. It's just like the A-Rod rumor, IMO.

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Bobbyjim45Draft Pick

733 days ago

Score 0

If we can make this deal with only those four guys, no complciations (which is unlikely) Epstein would have to be an idiot not to pull the trigger and I think he'd lose a lot of respect, from me at least. To me Crisp should be gone anyway, and I think he will be traded eventually, as Elssbury clearly stepped up as the best option in center last year.

Then there's Lester. He's a great comeback story and it's touching. It's a sports writer's dream to be able to tell the story of a guy like that who comes back from cancer... BUT, Johan Santana is, in my opinion anyway, the best pitcher in baseball right now. He's in his prime, and he dominates year in and year out. 2007 was his worst year since about 2002, and he finished with a 3.33 ERA and 15 wins. You can only hope and pray that Jon Lester, when he reaches his prime in 2 or 3 years, becomes the kind of guy who can throw for a 3.33 ERA and 15 wins. Chances are very high that Lester will never become close to being as good as Santana, so why not take a guy in his prime who is the best pitcher in baseball if this is all you have to give up?

I know you cais the rotation is good anyway but isn't this a little better?

Santana, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Schilling, Buchholz

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Bobbyjim45Draft Pick

733 days ago

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*I know you SAID the rotation is good... don't know how I typed "cais"... it's early

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Bobbyjim45Draft Pick

733 days ago

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*Ellsbury get me some Hooked on Phonics

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The PipDiv-I Stud

733 days ago

Score 1

I'll take him if that's the deal, but I will cry. It'll be worse than letting go of Arroyo. Lester is special, that's why the twins want him, and guys like him don't come around very often. I like the trade, but the second part of the Santana issue is what bothers me: the contract he wants. If $80m over 4years (extension) was too much of a hometown discount for him then that makes me worried about how much he wants, and what player won;t come back to pay for him: (Manny? Papi? we can't afford it all, even the rich have limits). Like most Sox fans, Santana is an amazing pitcher, but he's too expensive let him go to the Mets.

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Niteowl049AAA-er

732 days ago

Score 0

Yankees once again have the Red Sox backed into a corner having to trade for a pitcher they don't really need just to keep the Yankees from getting him. I am sure the Red Sox are content without Santana but they don't want the Yankees have him and improve their pitching staff which is not as strong as it was especially if Pettitte retires. Giving up Ellsbury or Lester would be a huge mistake but Twins will probaly hold out to get Lester since I doubt that Ellsbury will be going anywhere.

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