Michael Silverman, Herald:
The rebuilding of the Red Sox begins today. ...And with the ink not yet dry on the agreement between the Dodgers and red Sox, the smear campaign has begun.
Through a mixture of underperformance and bad seeds in the clubhouse, the Red Sox, out of the playoffs mix since 2009, have needed a massive overhaul that most thought would begin in the offseason.
Nick Cafardo, Globe, on Adrian Gonzalez:
... a good defensive player but one who was part of the chemistry problem in the Boston clubhouse ...
Gonzalez had become a whiner who seemed to be involved in starting a group to complain about Valentine. He seemed to have an opinion on everything, and rubbed his managers the wrong way. Gonzalez was never the guy we thought he was supposed to be, no leadership skills whatsoever.
Dodgers get: Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Nick PuntoOver The Monster:
Red Sox get: 1B James Loney, RHP Rubby De La Rosa, and three minor leaguers: INF Ivan DeJesus, OF Jerry Sands, RHP Allen Webster
This is perhaps the most monumental trade made by the Red Sox since Babe Ruth made his way to New York nearly a century ago.Michael Silverman, Herald:
The Red Sox are not just cleaning house.Alex Speier of WEEI explains the team's sudden financial flexability:
They are gutting it. ...
The names the Red Sox are set to receive are not familiar to most but that is not the impetus behind the trade. The impetus is being able to clear as much as $271.5 million in committed payroll, a drastic slash-and-burn attempt by a Red Sox organization eager to return to the club to stable footing after losing its bearing the last couple of years.
A Red Sox source said last night that the Dodgers would be on the hook for "more than $260 million" of the remaining contracts of the four Red Sox players, which is nearly 96 percent.
While the Sox are reportedly going to send some money to LA in the blockbuster, the increase in flexibility beyond the 2012 season could be staggering. In one fell swoop, the Sox would go from $99.59 million in guaranteed deals to $38.8 million.Alex Speier, WEEI:
The incentive for the Red Sox to steam forward in a sweeping roster overhaul ... is fairly evident. ... [This trade] makes all the sense in the world for a Red Sox team that has fallen out of contention.Peter Abraham, Globe:
It’s no secret: In a 12-month span from Dec. 2009 to Dec. 2010, the Red Sox made a series of calculated, high-risk gambles meant to secure a championship core for the long haul, only to see their bets blow up in spectacular fashion.
The biggest thing the trade does is give the Red Sox a chance to re-set their organization after what amounts to three years of failure. They can get back to the business of player development instead of spending on free agents. ...Marc Hulet, Fangraphs:
It's a franchise-changing deal. In one day, the Red Sox changed the look of the team, created huge financial and roster flexibility, and improved the tenor of their clubhouse.
It's a good day to be a fan of the Boston Red Sox.The Dodgers' claim on Gonzalez expires at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The rumored trade between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers will save the east coast club more than $200 million but it will also infuses the organization with some young, cost-controlled, high-ceiling talent. ...
The key to the deal is de la Rosa. A hard-throwing native of the Dominican Republic, just 23 years old, he has the ceiling of a No. 2 starter. Only his lack of consistent command and control keep the No. 1 label from being adhered to de la Rosa. ...
Allen Webster, 22, would give Boston a second hard-throwing, right-handed prospect. ... He has the ceiling of a No. 2 or 3 starter, or could strip down his repertoire to become a dominating high-leverage reliever. I'd slide Webster onto the Red Sox updated Top 15 prospect list at No.3 behind infielder Xander Bogaerts and right-handed starter Matt Barnes.
44 comments:
The trade is complete and Cafardo kicks off the smear campaign against Gonzalez:
"... a good defensive player but one who was part of the chemistry problem in the Boston clubhouse ... Gonzalez had become a whiner who seemed to be involved in starting a group to complain about Valentine. He seemed to have an opinion on everything, and rubbed his managers the wrong way. Gonzalez was never the guy we thought he was supposed to be, no leadership skills whatsoever."
***
Wow.
(Not at Cafardo, worthless hack. At the trade.)
This is perhaps the most monumental trade made by the Red Sox since Babe Ruth made his way to New York nearly a century ago.
This is perhaps the biggest hyperbole I have read since Derek Jeter was declared the Messiah.
Wow.
(Almost) never a dull moment.
Well, Beckett ain't starting tonight, as planned!!!
Not going to lie, as worthless as Cafardo is, I kinda feel the same way about Gonzalez - watching interviews/reading his comments, always kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Then he reversed on his sitting out the AZ all star game, which furthered my thoughts. Then the whole text message thing. Definitely did not seem like a leader, from what I've seen/heard/read, whatever limited amount that is.
======
So, now that the "shit" is out of the clubhouse, maybe Terry will come back?!
I can hear the Dodgers now: "Taking Gonzo and Crawford and Beckett and having you guys pay only $2 million a year (!!!!!!!!!!!!) in cash is all right, I guess, but we don't do this deal unless you include NICK PUNTO."
"I kinda feel the same way about Gonzalez - watching interviews/reading his comments, always kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Then he reversed on his sitting out the AZ all star game, which furthered my thoughts. Then the whole text message thing. Definitely did not seem like a leader, from what I've seen/heard/read, whatever limited amount that is."
What does any of this have to do with baseball though?
:-) Having LA take Punto is the cherry on top of a super-size sundae.
I don't see why there's any need to paint Gonzalez as a clubhouse cancer to make this look like a good deal. But I already think Cafardo is loathsome...
Again, needed to be done. Cafardo is full of crap re Gonzalez however IMO, I think he has never been 100% healthy until now and will absolutely rake in LA.
Dodgers are going for it and good for them. I hope to be rooting for them in the WS.
Hopefully we will have 1 bridge year and be strong in 2014.
Any reload of salary needs to be for shut down pitching only....
...time for the stupid sellout streak to end anyway...maybe I can get some free tix to go enjoy a hot dog or two and watch some hungry kids play....
punto = centerpiece
How good defensively is Lavarnway at first base?
2013: ?
1B Lavarnway
2B Pedroia
3B Middlebrooks
SS Aviles
LF Podsednik
CF Ellsbury
RF Ross
C Napoli
Bench
Ciriaco
Saltalamacchia
Boegarts
Nava
"What does any of this have to do with baseball though?"
He's a great player. Just seems like an asshole. I do think that, as much as the media over blows it, clubhouse chemistry is important, especially after a loss/during a losing streak.
Two Gammons tweets:
"The Dodgers so wanted Gonzalez they took Crawford and Beckett's money and traded two great arms to get him."
"If, as a gm claims, Webster/delaRosa are elite, if ownership allows a bridge year, Red Sox are freed to be a baseball team, again"
SS Aviles
Since Aviles is signed only for this year, I say Iglesias.
Abraham says:
Aaron Cook starts tonight.
Che-Hsuan Lin and Jose Iglesias are up from Pawtucket. James Loney will be the 25th guy on Sunday.
Deal not officially announced, butBeckett has agreed to waive his 10-5 rights and Crawford, who had a limited no-trade clause, has agreed to the deal as well.
ESPN is right: "The off-season has begun."
Off-season began quite a while ago for me!
I'm sorry to see Gonzalez go. Based on his past performance, I have to think he's just having an off year. I understand this has to do with salary considerations that I don't follow or care about. But just as a player on our team, I would rather have him than not.
I'm with L. I am sorry to see Gonzalez go, though I think this deal is great for the sox on the whole.
Also, Crawford has always been one of my favorite baseball players, and it sucks he didn't get to contribute here. He was way better than his first year with us, but 20+million for a guy with a .320OBP is probably a bad deal for us.
dodgers think gonzo in middle of their lineup will yield a pennant.
Fair chance they are right and willing to take on huge baggage and salary to make a run. Good for them.
We will watch Gonzo tear it up in LA for years.....but shut down pitching is our only way to another flag.
It sure all has me paying attention again, fascinating stuff! A lot more moves to come after the WS for our Boston Red Sox.
I guess I am all in again :) Heck I was all in in 64,65 and 66...with 500 other folks in a run down Fenway!
Patrick echoes my sentiments almost exactly. Seeing EB and CC leaving town makes me sad but, in the long run, this will be for the better of the team.
Should be an interesting night at Fenway watching from my usual perch. Jere, will you be there?
Bums away? Really? There is no need for that kind of headline.
I am saddened that things have come to this, but optimistic that the front office seems to be putting in effort to better things. Whether these are good or bad decisions remains to be seen, but at least they are moving. The status quo wasn't going to work.
I agree with Patrick. We have not had the opportunity to see the true Carl Crawford. But there are only so many times you can say, "Wait until next year."
Onward and upward.
All i will remember about Gonzalez is at the last game last year he was bitching the red sox play to many sunday night games. As I sit here i have trouble thinking of an at bat that stands out. Maybe my memory is bad . But i remember Mark Bellhorn having bigger at bats than Adrian...
I like the trade, even though it shits all over Theo. I assume this means Bobby V will be back next year.
Maybe they turn some of the Dodger players around into another deal, who knows...
Who out there would you want? Cabrera , Votto, Tulo, who knows?
And we saw the true Carl Crawford, he just played with the Rays at the time...
I wonder how much this signals a FO philosophy to not go big on free agent contracts, which could have serious implications for Ellsbury (who may want out of Boston no matter what the Sox offer).
Fenfan: I won't be there 2nite. Got no August tix this yr to allow for other summertime fun. Have a few Sept games.
This really spins my head. I guess they really wanted Gonzalez pretty bad.
Someone on SOSH may have said it best: this doesn't in itself improve the team. What it does is give us the flexibility to rebuild, a mostly do over. How that is done, and how those moves pan out, is yet to be seen.
Allan, is it some kind of inside joke, the frequency with which posters use the word "fungible" on SOSH?
I am glad that Punto Tweeted a photo of him and Josh and EB looking happy on a plane to LA. It's a bit of mixed feelings how this will affect the Giants (I live in SF and root for them in the NL), but I hope they like it there and that the Sox don't lower this smear campaign on them as they have in the past. If it's just Cafardo, I don't have to worry because I don't click on any stinking link of his.
Fans may not take hrstrat57's attitude, and we may be a long shot to contend next year, but at least fans can see the team is trying to correct mistakes and not become a bloated mess. I see the team with a chance to snap out the mentality of "Why doesn't 2004/7 happen again? And AGAIN?"
Potential payroll obligations:
2013: $45.6 million
2014: $34.4
2015: $12.75
2016: $2.45
2017: $0
***
SoSHer Carl Everetts Therapist:
"The best part about this deal is that we were all scratching our heads wondering what Vernon Wells's of the world we'd have to take back for Beckett, Crawford and Lackey. We were all wondering how much we'd have to pay them to play somewhere else. Well two out of three of those guys (the highest paid 2) are gone and we actually got a return. This is Christmas"
***
Heyman tweet, 1:30-ish: "Dodgers sent a private plane for Gonzalez, Beckett, Crawford, and Punto. Plane is in the air going back West and players are headed to LA."
From Punto's twitter: A picture of Beckett, Bert, and the Shredder on the plane!
Tom Werner, Saturday AM:
"Hopefully this deal will go through today. If it falls into place, the deal sheds us from tens of millions of dollars of long-term commitments. It gets us great prospects who will improve our major league roster as soon as next year. It brings us a player in James Loney who was 'untouchable' a couple of years ago. It allows us to start over with free agents. We want to win for our fans and we now have huge financial flexibility to improve the team."
Amazingly, the only players on the team with contracts past this year are: Lackey, Pedroia, Lester, Buchholz, and Iglesias.
This could be a radically different team next year - and will certainly be in 2014.
Somebody on SoSH compared the current situation to being in the middle of a heart-lung transplant. The first half of the operation went better than we could have dared to hope. But it's a long way from over.
Bums away? Really? There is no need for that kind of headline.
I was thinking the same thing. Mediots.
I assume this means Bobby V will be back next year.
This is the saddest thing I've read today. (Granted, it hasn't been a big reading day. But damn.)
Cherington tweets:
"I think we realized we aren't the team we want to be."
"It was going to take more than cosmetic changes. It was going to take something bold."
I'm still trying to digest all this. I've never seen such an outpouring of relief over a billionaire and a few multi-millionaires finally gaining "financial flexibility". Over at the LA Times, they're gushing at their new ownership group's financial muscle and how they're throwing it around. Meanwhile, at the Globe, after a week of taking attendance at funerals, PAbe on his blog telling somebody to be careful how to use the word 'cancer' (after 2 days of brand-building around it), we now have Cafardo worrying about Lackey moving into Beckett's locker (formerly owned by Yaz, no less).
I just want to see Iggy play short and what these new guys look like (except Loney--I've seen him and he's average).
Oh yeah, almost forgot. I also want to see what Ben does from here on in. Or is Lucky pulling the strings?
after a week of taking attendance at funerals
Translation, please?
Edes says Sox tell Ross they want him back in '13.
Translation, please?
There was a small-sized media frenzy when it was revealed that only four Red Sox players went to Pesky's funeral.
There was a small-sized media frenzy when it was revealed that only four Red Sox players went to Pesky's funeral.
Thanks. And you all read these mediots because...?
Don't answer that. Just being rhetorical.
"and you read all these mediots because?"
Something about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different outcomes. There's a word for it but I just can't ...
Mor anti-Gonzalez shit from Cafardo in his Sunday column:
Adrian Gonzalez's comments to ESPNdeportes.com are laughable: "In Boston, there is always a novel — in here, they never talk about baseball; it's always the same. That's one of the reasons why I almost never talk to the press here. Very few times they ask me about baseball. But most of the time it's about gossip, rumors, plots, well . . . a soap opera." A soap opera created by whom? The media, or by you, Adrian, and your partners in crime?
***
Now he is a criminal!!! What law did he break, you lazy hack water-carrying idiot?
Mr Cafardo, something's laughable, but it's not Adrian Gonzalez.
(Also, Gonzalez's use of the word "novel" may reflect the Spanish word for soap opera: telenovelas.)
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