Sox Shouldn't Mortgage Future For Short Term Success

The Red Sox appeared to have solved their hole in center field last weekend with the news that the team had a deal in principle with the Cleveland Indians to acquire Coco Crisp. The Sox were primed to send highly touted third base prospect Andy Marte (ranked the No. 9 prospect in all of baseball in 2005 by Baseball America), reliever Guillermo Mota and catcher Kelly Stoppach for Crisp, reliever David Riske and catcher Josh Bard. However, Cleveland was not satisfied with the condition of Mota's shoulder. It should be noted that reports have said that Mota did not flunk the physical per se, but the Indians objections were enough for them to come back and ask the Sox to renegiotiate the deal. Reports out of Cleveland and Boston had the Indians possibly asking for Manny Delcarmen, the young Boston native who got a chance to play in the big leagues briefly last season.

To trade two of your top young prospects and an established reliever essentially for Crisp, a nice young player but hardly a superstar, would be the wrong move. It would be mortgaging the future of the franchise - remember that newly acquired third baseman Mike Lowell is no spring chicken and the Red Sox bullpen is slightly older and was an area of concern last season - for a guy who really wasn't comfortable as a lead off hitter (the Indians used him mostly as a No.2 hitter in 2005) and isn't really a big name. It would be as if you were dating a nice girl - fairly attractive, nice personality, good match - and dumping her for a girl who is a little more attractive, but may or may not be interested, who you don't know very well and is slightly crazy. You could hit the jackpot or you could make a mistake that shows up on the "It's Your Ex-Girlfriend" page in Maxim magazine. It's just not the risk, not when you could probably trade David Wells to San Diego (his preferred destination) and receive Dave Roberts (a serviceable short-term solution in center with some speed and a New England legend after "The Steal") and a pitcher.

I could be wrong. Crisp could go out and have a monster year for the Tribe. But I don't want to look up in three years and see Marte bashing home runs out of the Jake with Delcarmen shutting the door at the end of games. At a certain point you have to look at the hand you are dealt, the ante, the odds and consider whether or not to walk away. It's tough to say after all the effort put into this deal, but it may be time for the Sox to walk away from the Coco Crisp deal.

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By the way, I highly recommend Bill Simmons' "Curious Guy" Interview with Red Sox Pitcher Curt Schilling (see link to Simmons' home page on ESPN Page 2 on right). Schilling gives some revealing answers on a number of topics and is refreshingly honest about everything. Very interesting for Red Sox fans.

On that note, Simmons is one of my favorite sports writers. Some claim that he leans too heavily upon pop culture refrences, but I find they add a great deal to his work. Not only are his columns full of sports analysis and fact, but also humor. Maybe it's just because I love the "Rocky" movies (especially Rocky IV ; "If I can change, and you can change, everybody can change." The quote that single-handedly ended the Cold War and left Rocky Balboa with permanent brain damage), but I can connect with Simmons. His fan point of view is a nice change of pace and makes him more relatable for the common fan. He understands the agony and pain we've all gone through and that influences his writing. He is a fan, but he's also not afraid to rip the team and/or players when they make a mistake. But he's also not always ready to talk about curses and all that crap - it's not constant pessimisim. Plus nothing is more fun than reading one of his running diaries. I can only hope that someday I can piss off an inadequate sports executive enough for him to make a threat against me on a major radio network on a national holiday.

Barry Bonds Uncooperative? Shocking.

Barry Bonds once again has proven why he won't be on the short list of all-time greatest teammates. Giants manager Felipe Alou recently said he would consider hitting Bonds in the No.2 spot in the Giants lineup - a move which makes considerable sense. Hitting the No. 2 hole would allow Bonds to get more at bats and perhaps even better protection. In all likelihood it is something that should be at least experimented with in Spring Training. But Barry's ego has something else to say on the matter.

Bonds has said he will not hit second. He told the Dominican newspaper El Caribe in its Sunday edition that "I am going to speak with Felipe, because at this point in my career it doesn't work for me to be second bat." Oh, I'm sorry Barry - it doesn't work for YOU to be hit second in the order. Nevermind what might be good for the club, the key thing is to find something that works for you. I understand - your pursuit of stats and records is more important to you at this point in your career than helping the Giants, who are paying you a considerable amount of money, win ball games.

Hey, I'm sure your teammates will understand Barry. You're doing what you have always done - look out for good old No. 1. Barry only cares about, and has always only cared about, Barry. Whether it's dugout brawls with teammates or just being distant and disrespectful to anyone and everyone, Bonds has made it clear that the concerns of his teammates means little to him. He cares about taking Hank Aaron's all-time home crown and padding his own stats -that's it. I said it last year, and I'll say it again - Barry Bonds is undoubtedly talented and an asset on the field, but he still fall far short as a teammate.

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It appears as though the Red Sox are close to filling their holes in center and at shortstop. The Boston Herald reported in its Sunday edition that the Sox have a deal in principle for Indians centerfielder Coco Crisp. The Boston Globe reported that the teams have talked 70-plus times in the last month, with Crisp and the Sox highly touted third base prospect Andy Marte the key elements in the discussions. The Indians would reportedly receive Marte and reliever Guillermo Mota in exchange for Crisp and prospects. Crisp hit .300 with 16 homers and 69 RBI mostly in the No.2 spot for Cleveland in 2005. Crisp is a career .287 hitter and is signed for four more years. The Globe also reported in its Sunday edition that the Sox are close to signing former Marlins shortstop Alex Gonzalez.

Crisp is an inexpensive, young player who has tremendous potential - although it remains to be seen whether he can be a sufficient leadoff man. The Sox are clearly paying a steep price - Marte is highly touted - but they have no choice. The team has virtually no internal candidates to play center and Crisp is likely the team's most viable option with the idea of contention in 2006 in mind. Teams recognized the Red Sox vulnerability and had the leverage needed to ask for a steep price. Marte and Mota fill the needs of the Indians nicely, as the Tribe needs to shore up it's bullpen and will need a long-term solution at third base (Aaron Boone at 32 may be on the downslide). Gonzalez is clearly a stop-gap solution. The team will likely look for a more long-term player during next offseason or may still move prospect Dustin Pedroia back to shortstop, a position he played in college at Arizona State.

Epstein Will Improve Sox in '06 and Beyond

Hello out there web surfers! To start, let me introduce myself. My name is Andy Silva and I am a senior journalism and political science major at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. I am a Boston native, and thus a HUGE Red Sox and baseball fan. I have written a weekly baseball column for the UConn student newspaper, The Daily Campus, for the last two years. Now, I thought I would bring some of my thoughts on America's pasttime here to this space. I'll try to post as my schedule permits (I am a full-time student and managing editor of The Daily Campus).

The big story of the week was Theo Epstein returning to the Red Sox. Epstein's return has brought a variety of opinions from various corners of the sports landscape. When Epstein resigned on Oct. 31 I was extremely disappointed and afraid of this being another instance where the Sox made the wrong decision (Red Sox Make Grave Error In Losing Epstein). I argued that if Epstein did, in fact, leave because of a power struggle with team president and CEO Larry Lucchino then the Red Sox were making a mistake. Epstein put together the team that ended the Red Sox' 86 year title drought and put the non-sense that was the Curse of the Bambino to bed. Lucchino has led the construction of a number of nice new ballparks (Oriole Park in Baltimore, Petco Park in San Diego), but never has any franchise he was at the helm of really contended for an extended period of time.

Following Epstein's departure, the Sox were in disarray. The team has struggled to move disgruntled left fielder Manny Ramirez or pitcher David Wells all winter and allowed centerfield and lead off man Johnny Damon to become another Stormtrooper for the Evil Empire (or, as some of you know them, the New York Yankees). They also traded away both their top options at shortstop (the disappointing Edgar Renteria and top prospect Hanley Ramirez). Granted, the Gang Of Four (as the Sox temporary baseball operations group was called at the time) was able to get an ace-type pitcher in Josh Beckett and a gold glove third baseman in Mike Lowell. However, the Sox appeared to be having a hard time how they wanted to operate. Did they want to give the young Epstein disciples Ben Cherington and Jed Hoyer the keys to Red Sox Nation, or did they (for reasons I still can't understand) want to bring in Jim Beattie, a guy whom the Orioles of all teams decided wasn't a good enough evaluator of talent to keep around. Or was the team, and most specifically owner John Henry, hoping to convince Epstein himself to come back. Reports said Lucchino favored Beattie, but in the end the Sox went with the youngsters. Perhaps this was a signal that Lucchino was not as powerful within the organization as some have believed and led to continued speculation of a return for Epstein and a possible departure for Lucchino (possibly to Washington when they finally get a new owner).

For most of January both sides denied that Epstein would be coming back, even while some media reports had Epstein placing calls for the franchise and involved in almost every major move this offseason. Then came this week's vague press release announcing Epstein's return with a title to be named later. Some argued that there was no way things could work out if something hadn't change. Henry has insisted that Lucchino's power will not be taken away, yet it seems as though Epstein will be running things in the baseball operations department. Many have also begun to question Epstein. If, as it was reported, he had philosophical differences with ownership of the team (he reportedly wanted to go young with an emphasis on pitching and defense while ownership wanted to continue to focus on offense and big name stars) what has changed to convince Epstein that he can honestly be happy putting together a team ownership can be proud of? And what led Epstein, who said he could not say he could put his heart and soul into the team when he resigned, to decide he wanted to be a part of the organization again? And still others have argued that the Red Sox, and Henry in particular, are left with pie on their face over this whole situation. In the end, Epstein is one of baseball's brighest minds and isn't afraid to make an unpopular decision if it means a better team. Some of the luster has come off the one time boy wonder in the process, but the majority of Red Sox Nation remains in his corner and is happy to see him back. It is Lucchino who may have been damaged the most this offseason. He came off as the bad guy for Epstein's initial exit and for having lost Damon to the hated Yankees. People began to question whether he was the right man to lead the Sox, and many (myself included) think it may be best for both sides if Lucchino left for the nation's capital once the Nats do get their long-awaited owner.

What does this mean for the Red Sox in terms of on field concerns? The offseason is almost over and the Sox still have a huge hole in centerfield and at shortstop. I think the Sox will forego overpaying for mediocre Tampa Bay Devil Ray Julio Lugo and will find the answer internally in prospect Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia played second base last season in Double - and Triple-A, but was primarily a shortstop at Arizona State. Epstein had been very high on Pedroia prior to resigning and I don't see that changing. As for centerfield, the Sox options are primarily outside of the organization. There have been a lot of reports of interest in Indians' centerfielder Coco Crisp, a young and inexpensive player who had a career year for the surprising Indians in 2005. Cleveland has been hesitant to move Crisp, however, and the Sox may need to explore other options - perhaps a player like Tampa Bay's Joey Gathright.

When all is said and done, the Sox have greatly improved their pitching staff -both in the starting rotation and bullpen. Beckett, if healthy, could be the team's ace and foundation for the future, while at the same time taking some of the pressure off of Curt Schilling and his fragile ankle. Sox fans hope the Matt Clement of the first half of the 2005 season will re-appear and that Bronson Arroyo and fan favorite Tim Wakefield can continue to be solid at the back end of the rotation. It is very likely that top prospects Jonathan Papelbon and Jon Lester will play a big role in the team's success or failure this season, with the strong posibility that Papelbon may be in the rotation at the start of the season. The bullpen is improved, but the biggest question remains the closer. Can Keith Foulke return to his 2004 postseason form? If not, does Terry Francona turn to one of the veterans - Mike Timlin, Guillermo Mota or Julian Tavarez - or does he turn to the youngster Papelbon, who excelled as a setup man down the stretch in 2005?

Offensively, who fills the hole at the top of the order will go a long way in determining the success of the 2006 squad. It looks as though Ramirez will be back, depsite his desire to be moved, and will continue to power the middle of the Sox lineup with friend and fellow Dominican David Ortiz. New second baseman Mark Loretta should provide solid production and Lowell could have a rebound season in the righty-pull friendly Fenway. The Sox lineup can make up for production lost from the trade of Renteria and Damon, but will need someone to step up and set the table for Ramirez and Ortiz. In the end, what moves Epstein makes in the coming days and months leading up to Opening Day will shape the future of the franchise. Sox fans can only hope he is worth the wait.