On the one hand:It seems like more than a few comments recently have been around this issue. I say "No" to the question.
- Even with all the injuries, the Sox are only 3 games out of the WC;
- Players are already coming back, and by mid-August, many of the guys on the DL or on rehab will be back on the field;
- If Theo tried to make moves now, opposing GMs would extract a heavy price;
- With so many teams still not eliminated, there aren't many sellers and very few guys the Sox could have actually obtained;
- Had Theo been successful in acquiring quality players, the Sox would have had a glut of starter level players when the injured guys returned and faced some of the difficult personnel challenges that may have contributed to their slow start in April; and
- The downturn the Sox are seemingly in the middle of happened pretty quick ...
On the other hand:
- It was entirely predictable that a line-up filled with the likes of Kevin Cash, Darnell McDonald, Eric Patterson and Daniel Nava would eventually hit the wall;
- The time to make a move or two was when things were still going well, as had Theo looked ahead, it would have been easy to predict that the better teams like Tampa and Texas would handle a team as depleted as the Red Sox with relative ease; ...
- Waiting to the deadline to decide whether to deal does ... make it more likely that the prices for useful pieces will go down, but the Sox may be too far back for any moves to make sense after the West Coast trip is over.
Has the patient, "no panic moves" approach made sense? Or would earlier moves not been out of panic but rather reasonable foresight about what was likely going to happen if no moves were made?
The Red Sox are 3 GB in the WC with 70 games to go -- and have many good players on the mend and slowly returning. The amount of injuries this summer has been well out of the ordinary and it makes no sense to disrupt any long-term plans because of it. If the injuries have derailed our chances at the playoffs this year, so be it.
OCD SS makes a good point:
The issue isn't whether or not Theo has been too patient, but can the fan base be patient enough?Your thoughts?
Who is he going to trade for, realistically (without selling the future)?
ReplyDeleteIts not as if the players injured have had career ending injuries. They'll be back, its just a matter of whethering the storm. And 3 out of a playoff spot with 70 left to play is pretty good weathering to me.
But really, he isn't going to find players that are up to the standards of Pedey, V-Mart etc. without selling the entire farm. And say he were to do that, what's he going to do, trade them again when the normal players get healthy? Or trade away the injured players?
He's playing it smart - instead of getting rid of prospects for middle relief, why not create a reliever out of said prospect(Bowden).
I'd be shocked if Theo made any blockbuster trades as a knee-jerk reaction to the slew of injuries that has beset this team. He hasn't been too patient at all, things have gone as expected.
What Tim said.
ReplyDeleteThe issue isn't whether or not Theo has been too patient, but can the fan base be patient enough?
Fans are not patient, but they never are. In 2007 fans were jumping ship when we were still in first place! I count on the FO to be more rational than most fans.
It's easy to vent at Theo or Tito without actually coming up with a plan - i.e., who would you get, what would you give up to get him, what (if anything) could have been anticipated before injuries felled half our starting lineup, etc.
We may or may not make the postseason this year, and if we don't, plenty of fans will be crazed with blame. But that doesn't mean any of them could come up with realistic, coherent plans for what could have been done differently.
If someone does have concrete, realistic ideas for what Theo can do to improve our chances, without selling off our future, I'd be very interested in seeing them.
The same people criticizing Theo for being too patient would go ballistic if he traded Lars Anderson for David DeJesus. For some odd reason teams just don't want to give away their good players.
ReplyDeleteIf you looked at the lineup Thursday night not only did the Sox have four starters out, but in each case the four primary backups were also out.
At some point you grin and bear it and hope to stay in the race.
I agree the answer is "no". Seeing the run they made after the awful start - and knowing who's coming back over the next few weeks - why panic now?
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if he can find rational moves that improve the bullpen, but I sure don't know what they would be.
I think it is a fair question. Indeed, SoSH did a good job of laying out the pros and cons. In absence of a clear cut answer, I am inclined to give Theo the benefit of the doubt here. He has built up enough cred with me... (but I'm still antsy about the rest of the season).
ReplyDeleteAvatar change.
ReplyDeleteMojo?
The issue isn't whether or not Theo has been too patient, but can the fan base be patient enough?
ReplyDeleteLike L-girl stated, fans are a fickle bunch. Always have been. The Sox bandwagon needs a new set of shocks after every season.
There are several key players due back in the lineup in the next few weeks. The biggest hole right now, IMO, is at catcher, with both starters nursing injuries. Getting VMart back will be key. The team can live with Kevin NoCash in the lineup for only so much longer.
Agreed all around.
ReplyDeleteThe same people criticizing Theo for being too patient would go ballistic if he traded Lars Anderson for David DeJesus.
If KC would take just Anderson for DeJesus, I think you'd do that in a heartbeat. But they won't.
Well, I clearly can't be patient. xD
ReplyDeleteHis hands are tied, it was just the perfect storm with injuries?
ReplyDeleteYou just can't replace the guys we lost , we lost like 6 all stars , who has those sitting around to be traded.
Avatar change.
ReplyDeleteMojo?
Me, too.
Yes.
Jeez, I shudder to think that this question even has to be asked around here.
ReplyDeleteI've said for a while that I still see us in the running for winning the division. 6 games back with 70 to go is nothing. And we've stayed this close with (as Casey mentioned) 6 all-star caliber players out, and half of their back-ups out as well.
Trades, aqcuisitions? Sure, if you get the right person for the right deal. But don't make a move just for the sake of making a move. We're actually a pretty damn good team when we're healthy