The Red Sox, in an effort to boost their dead offense traded today for Andy LaRoche. They traded two lower level minor players (not top tier prospects) to the Pirates for LaRoche. Over the past 4 seasons LaRoche has hit at least 20HR’s and had 78RBI’s. I am assuming this move is to bolster the Sox lineup if Ortiz/Lowell have any second half issues. Last year, the brother of LaRoche (Andy) was traded to the Pirates in the Manny trade. More on the trade from the Globe’s Tony Maz:
If you’re wondering what leftanded first baseman Adam LaRoche will bring to the Red Sox, here’s an assessment from a respected, longtime major league evaluator:
“I like the move for the Red Sox. … He’s real streaky [offensively] and an outstanding defender. … Most of his bad at-bats come against lefthanded pitching … He’s a rhythm hitter. If he’s a little off, he can look real ugly. If he’s right, he can get real hot. There’s no in-between with him. … He plays the game with a very easy pace. Sometimes people criticize that because it can look lackadaisical. … He’s not just a pull guy. He can go all over the field. There’s ability there. You can’t put up 25 [home runs] and 75 [RBI] every year and not have something.’’
As most everyone knows at this point, the Red Sox needed a lefthanded bat that could provide them with some thump from the middle of the lineup, whether it be from the No. 5 or No. 6 spot. In their last 21 games against righthanded pitching, the Red Sox are batting .221 with a .679 OPS. David Ortiz’s overall decline, coupled with J.D. Drew’s sudden and worrisome ineffectiveness — he’s batting .236 now — left the Red Sox especially vulnerable against righthanders.
Peter Gammons wrote this in his blog today. Take a look at what the Red Sox are doing in comparsion to the Yankees. Very scary if you look at just the numbers.
In the offseason a year ago, Lester’s name came up in discussions about a deal with the Twins for Johan Santana. At the 2007 winter meetings, Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell stood up in an organizational meeting and predicted Lester would be the equal of Santana during the next five years.
“You just don’t find people and talent like Lester, especially that young,” Farrell said.
Phrases such as the following are what define Lester: “When people talk about competing, that isn’t enough. I don’t want to just compete, I want to win. All my physical and mental preparation is about winning.”
So as the Red Sox prepare to sign Lester for five years and $30 million, they will pay Beckett, Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, John Smoltz, Brad Penny and Clay Buchholz less than $36 million this season. Compare that figure with what the New York Yankees are paying two of their pitchers. If you include two $3 million bonuses CC Sabathia will receive during the 2009 season, Sabathia and A.J. Burnett will make $36.5 million. Boston has 2009 obligations to Beckett, Lester and Matsuzaka for $21 million.
Boston’s bullpen of Jonathan Papelbon, Takashi Saito, Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson, Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez will make approximately $11.7 million in 2009. And that doesn’t include prospect Daniel Bard, who struck out the side Sunday against the American League-champion Tampa Bay Rays while throwing 100 mph. Meanwhile, Cincinnati Reds closer Francisco Cordero will make $12 million in 2009.
Yahoo Sports is reporting that the Red Sox have extended Jon Lester for 5 years at $30 Million with a team option for $13 million in 2014. Lester was the Red Sox most consistent starter last year and pitched a no-hitter. Lester is only 25 years old and I think this is a very smart signing for the Red Sox. My only worry is that Josh Beckett’s contract/extension becomes an issue before the season ends. Lester won 16 games in ‘08 and should only continue to improve going forward. The Sox are trying to ensure the future success of the franchise by signing the young stars to team friendly extensions.
From Boston Herald:
Trading prospects is not something the Red Sox do with great enthusiasm. The return would have to be pretty good, so it should not come as a big surprise to hear that the young catchers – Teagarden is 25, Saltalamacchia turns 24 in May, Montero 26 in July – each offers at least one compelling skill that would make life without Varitek, and the prospects, at least bearable.
In Montero, it would undoubtedly be his catching and pitch-calling skills. Randy Johnson in particular is said to have been high on Montero as a catcher, and other Arizona veterans enjoyed throwing to him. For his age and experience – he spent just two years in the D’backs minor league system – the Venezuelan is considered very mature.
Offensively, his numbers have been slow to develop, getting limited at-bats last year with Chris Snyder ahead of him on the depth chart. His offensive stats do not jump off the page – .309 career on-base percentage, .239 batting average, with a more decent 15 home runs in 414 at-bats – but there is a difference of opinion in the scouting community about how much better he can become with the bat.
Offense is not a problem for Saltalamacchia, who has the potential to become a force with his bat. He is still developing catching-wise but, as the youngest of the three, time is on his side. Few would project him to become the type of defensively accomplished catcher that Montero is, but his offense – high on-base, slugging, average capability – could be of a special caliber.
Teagarden offers the most complete package, blending better catching skills than Saltalamacchia and better offense than Montero. That is likely why he would command a more expensive return in prospects, the same reason why his name is heard less frequently than Saltalamacchia or Montero.
In a matter of days, the names of Saltalamacchia, Montero and Teagarden could drift into the background if Varitek and the Red Sox strike a deal.
Lars Anderson
From Keith Law:
7. Boston Red Sox: Probably an aggressive ranking, but their 2008 draft class has the potential to be one of the best. They have become more aggressive at going over slot to obtain premium players in the draft and have become more active internationally. Their system probably had more prospect depth on 2008 short-season rosters than any other but Texas’.
| RANK |
PLAYER |
POS. |
ORGANIZATION |
#AGE |
| 7 |
Lars Anderson |
1B |
Boston Red Sox
TOP ‘08 LEVEL: AA (Portland) |
21 |
Anderson is the best of a fairly deep class of first base prospects in the minors right now, separating himself by his relative youth and advanced approach. Anderson has outstanding plate discipline for a prospect his age – or any age, really, but his relative youth makes it much more impressive. His career OBP sits at .404, and you can see a cerebral approach to the strike zone. As a hitter, Anderson has a high setup and makes a big, quick first move down to get into hitting position; once he gets started, he’s very short to the ball and makes a lot of hard contact with good backspin. He has the swing and physical potential to hit 30-plus home runs, but is still working out which pitches to pull and which pitches to take to the opposite field. He’s adequate at first base despite being a well below-average runner. Despite the fact that he finished 2008 with a strong performance in Double-A, Anderson is a few years away from becoming an impact big-league hitter with both a high OBP and big power, but he has the complete package and only requires development time to get there.
From Ken Rosenthal:
Several general managers of high-revenue teams believe that the economic crisis will hit certain mid- and low-revenue teams hard, forcing them to dump expensive contracts as early as spring training.
The Red Sox have kept their payroll flexible for just that reason, industry sources say. But executives from less wealthy clubs say they already have adjusted to the new landscape.
The fact that approximately 100 players remain on the free-agent market is one indication that teams have not spent beyond their means. Even if salary dumps occur, they probably will not be with players of great consequence, one GM says.
Still, no executive knows what the future holds. A mid-revenue team carrying several big contracts might be counting on a fast start to build attendance. Otherwise, their economic plan might crumble.
Thanks to Deadspin
From Boston.com:
In a conference call a few minutes ago, Red Sox assistant general manager Jed Hoyer said Jonathan Papelbon, who earlier today signed a one-year contract to avoid arbitration, and the team remain open and willing to reach a multi-year contract extension.
“We did have some discussions along the way,” Hoyer said. “I would say, certainly, those discussions are open and we may pick them up. I think both sides felt like in the interest of time and not exchanging numbers [for an arbitration hearing], the best thing to do was to agree on a one-year number today. But we are certainly open to exploring those ideas, and I think their side is, too.”
From Jon Heyman:
Electric closer Jonathan Papelbon has agreed to a $6.25 million, one-year contract with the Red Sox, SI.com has learned. The sum is a record for a first-year, arbitration-eligible reliever.
The 28-year-old fireballer went 5-4 with a 2.34 ERA and 41 saves last year, when he was paid $775,000. Boston’s closer has racked up 113 saves in his first three seasons on the job, making three straight All-Star teams in the process.
The Red Sox have locked up some key pieces over the last two months. Boston gave MVP second baseman Dustin Pedroia a six-year, $40.5 million contract in December and star slugger Kevin Youkilis a four-year, $41 million deal last week.
From Boston Herald:
Rounding out their bench for the upcoming season, the Red Sox re-signed Mark Kotsay yesterday to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with incentives.
Kotsay, whom the Sox first obtained from Atlanta in August, had hoped to find a full-time job elsewhere, but the glut of outfielders on the free agent market, coupled with the economic downturn that has hit the game, saw his asking price drop.
The 33-year-old Kotsay hit .226 with 12 RBI in 22 games for the Sox during the regular season. In the postseason, with Mike Lowell sidelined with an injury and Kevin Youkilis moved to third base, Kotsay became the team’s everyday first baseman, hitting .250 in 10 games.
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