Sox Spend To No Effect
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by Tyduffy
Bean-town seemed like a brighter place after the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. Fenway transformed from a decaying dump into a state of the art facility. The surrounding Fens converted from a rundown student ghetto and flashers’ paradise into trendy up-market real estate. Sunburned Sully sucking down domestic beer in the bleachers became a stunning blonde in a Green Varitek jersey sipping Pinot Grigio. Millions of lonely, depressed and self-loathing individuals united to become Red Sox Nation.
Entranced by the gentrifying spirit of the times, the club sought to reflect that renaissance on the field. The “Idiots” who “Cowboyed Up” in 2003 and won the World Series in 2004 were charming with their magical run, but they were a bit uncouth for the newly christened Brahmins. No more would the club dip into the bargain bin to get the likes of Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller, and Mark Bellhorn. If you can afford to shop at Tiffany’s, thought the Sox, why buy your wife a gift at Wal-Mart?
The Sox wanted to supplement their squad, and were willing to break the bank to do so. They needed a starter to replace Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe, and, after flirting with Carl Pavano, signed unproven Cubs’ starter Matt Clement to a 4-year $40 million deal. His contract appeared dubious when he faded down the stretch in 2005 going 13-6 with a 4.57 ERA, bad when he went 5-5 with a 6.61 ERA in an injury shortened 2006, and downright awful as he will not throw a pitch in 2007, and does not figure into the plans for 2008.
The other super-signing of the winter was shortstop Edgar Renteria. Boston wanted a solidifying presence to fill the shoes left by franchise icon Nomar Garciaparra. Renteria seemed like a sure-thing. He was a World Series champion, a four-time all-star, and a two-time gold glove winner. Another 4 year $40 million deal seemed like a good investment. Instead, Renteria was mediocre with the bat and uncharacteristically abysmal in the field, with an astounding 30 errors. Whether it was the field conditions or the pressure of playing in Boston, both sides immediately recognized the mistake, with Boston shipping him away to Atlanta the following winter. Intending to solidify the shortstop position, they instead would make it a revolving door with diminishing offensive returns each time.
Feeling the pain of the previous winter, the Red Sox cut back their wanton spending in 2006. They restrained, smartly, from matching the Yankees’ offer to Johnny Damon. Their major deal was the Hanley Ramirez trade, which brought Josh Beckett as well as Mike Lowell and his $9 million per year salary to Boston. The Sox would eventually sign Beckett to another four year $40 million contract. The price was a blue-chip prospect and $20 million, but with Josh Beckett a strong Cy Young candidate, and Mike Lowell the best 3rd basemen in the AL sans a mysterious blonde friend, it has been well worth it.
However, the thriftiness did not last long as the Red Sox collapsed in August 2006 after the Varitek injury, blowing a five-game lead in the AL East and missing the playoffs after three straight appearances. They broke the $200 million barrier over the winter with just three signings. Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka committed them to at least $103.1 million over the next six years. In what many suspect to have been a requirement to get the Matsuzaka deal finalized, the Red Sox bid against themselves to sign fellow Boras client J.D. Drew to a five year $70 million contract. They also once again tried to fill their hole at shortstop with Julio Lugo, who signed a four year $36 million deal.
The jury is still out on the Matsuzaka deal. He was brilliant at the beginning of the season, but has been hit hard of late. Dating back to August 10th, he has allowed five or more runs in four of the six starts, jumping his ERA nearly a run from 3.59 to 4.41. That, combined with his 14-12 record, has not been terrible, but nor has it been as brilliant as expected. Even when pitching well, he was still prone to the occasional nuclear inning. The Red Sox will hope that his recent troubles have been fixable problems like fatigue, command, or pitch selection, rather than simply that hitters have figured out how to hit him.
The Drew and Lugo deals, however, have been unmitigated disasters. The story with Drew was always that, if he was healthy, he would produce. He has been healthy this year, and certainly hasn’t produced. Expected to hit in the #5 slot and provide protection for Manny Ramirez, Drew has been an incredible disappointment. He is hitting .265 with only 8HR and 52RBI. His slugging percentage is an abysmal .399, .100 below his career average. With four years and $56 million left on his deal, he is un-tradable. He is un-benchable because the Red Sox can’t give up so soon on a player in whom they invested so much money. If he is this bad in his early 30’s, his late 30’s will certainly be a sight to behold. Their only hope is that he gets hurt, so they can void the last two years of his contract.
Lugo, with lower expectations, has also been quite a disappointment. He has always been a favorite of the Bill James contingent, though it is hard to see why. Even with his recent hot streak, he is still hitting .239 for the season. His .644 OPS is Jerry Remy-esque, far below his .729 career or the .871 he put up at Tampa Bay last season before being traded. His only accomplishment this season has been to set the record for most gratuitous crotch adjustments in the history of television, prompting rumors that NESN instructed its cameramen to only shoot him from the waist up. The only positive so far for the Red Sox has been that he hasn’t been embroiled in another wife-beating scandal.
The glue that has held the Red Sox together this season hasn’t been the glitzy names and the big contracts, but the prospects from the revamped farm system. Jonathan Papelbon has become one of the best closers in baseball. Dustin Pedroia will undoubtedly be the AL Rookie of the Year, and may already be the best second baseman in the American League. Young arms Manny Delcarmen and Clay Buchholz have provided depth and quality to the AL’s best bullpen. Jacoby Ellsbury has hit .375 and allowed the Sox to not miss a beat without Manny Ramirez. They have gotten an extraordinary amount of production, from players who will combined make less than Julio Lugo.
The Red Sox’ spending ways since the World Series victory haven not hurt the team, but they haven’t particularly helped it either. This year’s club does not have the best record in baseball because of their big-name signings last winter, but in spite of them. No one is saying that the team should emulate the A’s or the Twins and try to compete on the cheap, but given their past failures they should at least be a bit more discerning with free agent signings, rather than waltzing into the Winter Meetings flashing cash like Pac-Man Jones in a strip club. The sleazy Scott Boras lap dance is tempting at the time, but leaves you unfulfilled and down a significant amount of money. After having their fingers burned on the hot stove in the past, one would hope that Epsten and Co. will learn their lesson, particularly with “the third-baseman” about to void his contract.
Originally Published Here.
