Theo stands pat
| 14
|
by user Xinoph
The Trading Deadline for this season has come and gone, and GM Theo Epstein made it official at a 5PM news conference: The Boston Red Sox made no last-minute deals today, let alone any blockbusters.
There had been a number of possibilities rumored over the past couple of days, of course, involving players such as Julio Lugo, Barry Zito, Alfonso Soriano, Andruw Jones, and yes, even Roger Clemens, but in the end the Sox decided there was not a lot to be done to this team without too much being taken from this team.
Often fans scream bloody murder when their team is unable to make a big trade before the deadline, whether for good reasons or not, but this season Red Sox Nation should be fairly content. The only really big addition this team could have made was a mid-to-high-end starting pitcher, and most discussions in that area involved giving too much away. Certainly I don't think the pitching needs were so desperate as to warrant breaking up the best defense in baseball, or giving away some of the best young pitchers in the game. Furthermore, with Trot Nixon hurt, Boston needs its backup outfielders. Given all that, there wasn't really a whole lot to deal with.
Additionally, Boston has a number of players who will be coming off the DL, and at least a few of those could be big contributors. It will be interesting to see how David Wells does today, but getting him back and contributing would be like making a blockbuster trade. Tim Wakefield's return will be a huge boost, and the addition of even a mediocre Keith Foulke to the bullpen would be helpful. Who knows, maybe even Matt Clement will still be able to help somehow - though likely not as a starter, with the success of Jon Lester.
In short, Boston has the pieces in place to do well for the rest of the regular season and in the postseason. Some of those pieces aren't quite healthy, but they likely will be back and contributing in some way before the end of the year. And they'll all be returning at the best possible time, down the stretch.
Theo was wise not to mortgage the future for a blockbuster now. This team can definitely win with the players it has, even considering the moves the rest of the division made today.
Date
Mon 07/31/06, 1:35 pm EST
