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Boston Red Sox

Two Heads are Really Better than One?

By NickMalicious, Section MLB
Posted on Wed Dec 21 2005 at 2:57 PM EST Printer Friendly Page
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Ben Cherington and Jed Hoyer, Co-GM's of the Boston Red Sox, have fans along Yawkey Way wondering why they woke this morning to find that the Grinch(es) had stolen Christmas.  By allowing the Yankees to swipe Johnny Damon out from negotiations once controlled by Boston, these GM's have crippled the team for 2006 leaving fans confused as to the direction this team is taking for the near future.

After dealing prospects for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell and adding, through another trade, a 34 year-old second baseman (Mark Loretta), it seemed that the Red Sox were bolstering their team for immediate impact in 2006.  Then management dealt Edgar Renteria to Atlanta for top prospect Andy Marte.  Though Renteria never got comfortable in Boston, this move weakens the team for the next few years.  Because of the money sent to Atlanta in the deal, the Red Sox are effectively paying Marte $4 million a year as a back-up plan if Mike Lowell further declines.  Finally, by remaining firm on their original 4 years for $40 million they allowed the Yankees to hang around in the Johnny Damon bidding long enough to lure him away for an extra $12 million, the Red Sox, barring a holiday miracle, have taken a big stride backwards from contention in 2006.  

      Looking at the Boston roster today, it is hard to tell what direction this team is going.  The run-producers, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, are in their prime, but the supporting cast leaves us questioning if somehow rather than augmenting a team that has made the playoffs in three out of the last four years is somehow rebuilding.  If the season started today the Red Sox would have Alex Cora at Short Stop and Trot Nixon or Adam Stern filling at Center Field.  None of these three are good fits and in all likelihood the Red Sox will make more moves to fill these gaping holes.  The acquisition of Alex Gonzalez becomes imperative, and because he remains a free-agent, a likely match.  Center Field however gets a lot tougher as the Red Sox will be forced to make another trade, further depleting their roster, likely of pitching.  It is hard to envision a scenario outside of swapping David Wells to San Diego for Dave Roberts, in which the Red Sox will be able to get a good Center Fielder via a trade without giving up Matt Clement or Bronson Arroyo.  The Red Sox might have believed that Damon was not worth more than the $10 million a year that they offered Catcher Jason Varitek and Renteria last year, but his value on the team was irreplaceable, even before mentioning the losses that they will incur by having to fill Center Field through a trade.  The Red Sox, by taking on the $9 million owed to Mike Lowell, have shown that they are willing to pay for even questionable production.  This leads us to question why paying Johnny Damon $3 million dollars a season somehow was too much.  After all, this is the man who single-handedly knocked the Yankees out of game seven in 2004, and the initiator of an offense that scored six runs a game.

    Not only does losing Johnny Damon deplete the Red Sox both offensively and defensively, but when added to the division rival Yankees, his value increases dramatically.  Just as the Mets grabbed Billy Wagner and Carlos Delgado from within the division weakening the Phillies and the Marlins, the Yankees have taken one of the best players away from a rival franchise.  This point I believe is the most relevant.  A case could be made that Damon wasn't worth $13 million a year and that he wont produce in Yankee stadium the way he would in Boston.  To me, this is almost beside the point when we're talking about winning and losing games.  Even if his batting average and power decline significantly, he will still score 110 runs.  He will still shag balls in center that Bernie Williams and Ruben Sierra couldn't get playing together out there.  He will be an addition to his new team and by leaving Boston opens an unsuturable hole in the leadoff spot and in Center Field.  Losing Johnny Damon was a real blow for the Boston Red Sox and now Cherington and Hoyer will be left scrambling to restore the faith of the fans.  The Media bemoaned the lack of action from the Bronx all winter claiming that the Mets and the Red Sox had made the moves to get better while the Yankees had not.  Suddenly the Yankees seem to have filled every one of their voids. With four new members of the bull-pen and RHP O. Dotel seemingly the next to sign, a new centerfielder and leadoff hitter and the re-signing of Hideki Matsui leave the Yankees with one of the best off-seasons around.  With Baltimore and Tampa struggling to get free-agents to sign, Toronto still two power bats shy of really contending, and the Red Sox without a Short Stop, a Center-Ferilder, a healthy Closer and a clear direction for the upcoming season, there is little doubt that the Yankees are in good shape to repeat as they've done so often in recent years as AL East Champs.  The more things change, I guess, the more they stay the same.  But I imagine that there will be fans all over Boston wishing that Theo Epstein was back at the controls.      

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Two Heads are Really Better than One? | 3 comments (2 topical, 1 editorial, 0 hidden)
good article (#2)
by yourbiggestfan on Wed Dec 21 2005 at 1:30 PM EST
well written and informative article.  i agree, the red sox may regret this - and the yankees may benefit - but his presence on the team will always be bitter-sweet to me.

in my opinion (#3)
by jmorrill16 on Wed Dec 21 2005 at 6:34 PM EST
this is the first article you've posted worth reading, good job. shortstop is one word, lowercase though.

Two Heads are Really Better than One? | 3 comments (2 topical, 1 editorial, 0 hidden)
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