Before John Lackey was relegated to the permanent disabled list for 2012 with Tommy John surgery, I was hoping he would be traded to the Twins. Not that I think he is the crafty veteran the Twins pitching staff needs as a leader, but I was imagining I could have a dozen or so home starts to show Lackey what I think of him. My plan was to bring a half dozen signs, sit as close as possible behind the Twins dugout and be in his line of sight each time he came off the field.
1st Inning – “Hey, Lackey! Wanna beer?”
2nd Inning – “Was that last pitch a spitball or chicken grease?”
3rd Inning – “Lackey is named ‘Hoss’ cuz of his teeth.”
4th Inning – “Lackey’s Ex survived 2 cancers: breast & clubhouse”
5th Inning – “I Hate John Lackey.” (I need to think of something more clever)
6th Inning – “Made 6 signs cuz Lackey can’t go 7.”
Extra (when Gardenhire pulls Lackey after 5 1/3) – “See? I told you!”
Obviously, there has been a never-ending stream of what the Red Sox need to do to improve the team for next year. There have been more bad ideas than good, like blowing up the team and starting fresh or trading away prospects like Ryan Kalish and Will Middlebrooks for more established players. I believe team chemistry stems from playing together for a long time. Players who knew each other in the minors can reconnect in the majors and that builds unity. One of the problems of the 2011 team was there were too many new parts. However, I agree there are some players that need to go away. After the jump, I give my take on many of the players on the roster.
Pitchers
1.) Josh Beckett – keep, 1 of 5 starters
2.) Jon Lester – keep, 2 of 5 starters
3.) Clay Buchholz – keep, 3 of 5 starters
4.) Alfredo Aceves – keep, make SP, 4 of 5 starters
5.) John Lackey – stuck with him. It would have been nice if the new manager went to Lackey and told him he has one year to increase his trade value, otherwise he would be met with a career ending injury in September. Then, to prove he was serious, on the first night of Spring Training, give Lackey a blanket party, a la Full Metal Jacket. He could hire Gabe Kapler as bench coach and enforcer.
6.) Tim Wakefield – keep. I would like to see him surpass that loud-mouthed Texan asswipe, Roger Clemens, for all time wins for a Red Sox starting pitcher. I think Wakefield stays in the bullpen until mid-May to allow the offense to gel. He’s going to need heavy run support to get his wins. Then, give him a deadline of mid-August to get the record. Afterwards, put him back in the bullpen for junk time and focus on winning the division.
7.) Erik Bedard – drop like a hot rock.
8.) Daisuke Matsuzaka – drop like a hot wok.
9.) Matt Albers – gone.
10.) Scott Atchison – keep.
11.) Daniel Bard – keep.
12.) Michael Bowden – make a decision with him already. Make him a starter, make him a reliever, move him to the big leagues, keep him in the minors. Just figure out what you want to do and stay with it.
13.) Jonathan Papelbon – it would be nice to keep him, but I hear the Twins will not exercise Joe Nathan’s option, so he will available. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Red Sox uniform.
14.) Felix Doubront – probably needs some more time in the minors to develop. An uninjured first half could have him being a positive contributor after the All-Star break.
15.) Andrew Miller – out.
16.) Trever Miller – might as well keep him.
17.) Franklin Morales – keep.
18.) Junichi Tazawa – keep and bring him up mid-season.
19.) Kyle Weiland – keep in the minors.
20.) Dan Wheeler – might as well keep him.
21.) Bobby Jenks – sunk cost.
Position Players
1.) Jarrod Saltalamacchia/C – keep. He was able to get his average to .260 at one point during the season. He looked like he was trying to do too much at the end. I have no issue with his play. Plus, the Red Sox can’t have a revolving door at catcher.
2.) Adrian Gonzalez/1B – keep, as in “keep the God stuff to yourself, churchy!”
3.) Dustin Pedroia/2B – keep. May have been the teacher’s pet with Francona, but you can’t deny his passion and ability to play.
4.) Marco Scutaro/SS – pick up his option.
5.) Kevin Youkilis/3B – may be time to cut ties. He’s starting to look like Mike Lowell in his final years. If so, Mike Aviles and Jed Lowrie can platoon.
6.) Carl Crawford/LF – keep. Too much raw talent not to turn around performance.
7.) Jacoby Ellsbury/CF – back up a semi-trailer full of cash to keep him.
8.) Darnell McDonald/RF – keep the spot warm for Ryan Kalish until September 2012. There are a few platooning options I would consider. He didn’t have a great season, but I think he needed more playing time.
9.) David Ortiz/DH – keep if he isn’t going to be a pain when negotiating his contract.
10.) Ryan Lavarnway/C-DH-RF? – keep him in the majors. He can be the back-up catcher and/or DH. He has a little experience in right field, too. He isn’t quick, but if the Red Sox can have Adrian Gonzalez in the outfield, maybe they can get by with Lavarnway. As a right-handed hitter, he could replace a couple different left-handers (Ortiz, Reddick). He can be the determining factor in a lot of other Red Sox moves.
11.) Mike Aviles/IF – keep. He is either the utility man if they keep Youkilis or the starter if Youkilis is traded. A Youkilis/Aviles platoon means Jed Lowrie is the odd man out.
12.) Lars Anderson/IF-OF – keep. He offers a lot of versatility in the OF and 1B to spell A-Gone should the Red Sox trade Youkilis. He can platoon with McDonald in RF as a left-handed hitter.
13.) Jose Iglesias/SS – keep. Hopefully, he can find his hitting groove with some more time in the minors.
14.) Jason Varitek/C – release. I would like to see him mentor Saltalamacchia and Lavarnway for a season, but the Red Sox can’t have three catchers; unless Lavarnway can be useful in other positions.
15.) Jed Lowrie/IF – trade. I’ve pulled for Lowrie for a long time, but I think it’s time to cut ties. If Youkilis gets traded, then he can fill-in for Aviles or Scutaro.
16.) J.D. Drew/OF – get rid of him if he doesn’t retire.
17.) Josh Reddick/OF – trade. Lars Anderson offers more in terms of versatility.
18.) Conor Jackson/OF – release. Thanks for the one or two great catches, but that’s it. You’re done!
No comments:
Post a Comment