First, my congratulations to the Chicago Cubs for getting CLOSURE on the Milton Bradley era. I think Big Mike made the difference in swaying Jim Hendry to get the deal done.
The latest Red Sox news is the collapse of the trade of Mike Lowell to the Texas Rangers. The Rangers smartly insisted on checking Lowell’s thumb, and, found out yesterday that Lowell’s thumb requires surgery. So, the trade is off and now, the Red Sox and Lowell face a very awkward circumstance. Lowell may have to return to the team that was so anxious to get rid of him that they were willing to pay $9 million of his $12 million contrct for 2010. Somehow, I think the Sox will find another way to move Lowell before spring training. If I were Lowell, I’d want OUT of Boston.
So, where do the Sox stand now? GM Theo Epstein has tried hard to sell the idea that by acquiring new players Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron and pitcher John Lackey(and moving Lowell), the team will improve its “run prevention.” I’ll be glad to see the Sox defense improve, but Theo’s ”pitch” about his off-season moves isn’t fooling any knowledgeable fans or baseball writers around New England. If this team doesn’t get a first-rate slugger or two by April and goes with its existing personnel, its hitting will likely be WAY TOO WEAK to compete in the AL East. The way Theo has talked recently, it’s as if the Red Sox played in the National League.
Does Theo really think that Red Sox pitchers are going to be SO stellar that the lineup needs to produce only two runs a game? Just think about what happened since October: The Red Sox got swept by the Angels in the ALDS mainly because their hitting was absolutely pathetic – and that was WITH Jason Bay and Mike Lowell. Now, Bay appears gone and has been replaced, essentially, by Mike Cameron, an inconsistent .250 hitter. Lowell will probably be gone. When the season ended, many observers were saying the Sox needed to re-sign Bay or get a guy like Matt Holliday to replace him PLUS acquire another top-notch hitter. Right now, it’s not clear how the Sox will get a quality slugger by April and it seems possible they’ll wait until the trading deadline in late July before trying to get Adrian Gonzalez or someone that good.
Don’t get me wrong: I give the Sox credit for being willing to spend all the dough on Lackey — even though I thought it was sort of crazy to sign him for FIVE years. But, I’ve never bought this idea that if you have excellent pitching and good defense, you can get by with only a mediocre offense. It doesn’t work that way when you’re playing 18 games vs. both the NY Yankees or the Tampa Bay Rays, for instance. Both of those teams can often put up a minimum of a few runs off even the Sox best pitchers. Will the Sox be able to produce more than a few runs against those or other teams? For all of 2009, the answer was NO. The Sox beat up on the bad pitching they faced on bad teams like the Orioles, but, they were feeble against good arms – particularly breaking pitches. So, that’s why I keep harping on their need for hitting. It’s not just a “serious” need. It’s an “urgent” need. Casey Kotchman, Cameron, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Scutaro and an aging Big Papi don’t sound that tough a group — and that’s six out of the nine starters, leaving only Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez.
OK, I’ll try to take a break from my obsession about the Sox weak hitting. It’s just too bad the Padres appear unwilling to trade A-Gon until after the season starts.
I, too, value good defense on a baseball team. I’ve just watched too many AL East games that are decided by a two-run homer in the 6th or 7th inning – even games that have been played with terrific fielding! A team needs balance – with some strength in hitting, pitching and defense.
Now, the Red Sox are in the extraordinary position of having probably the best pitching rotation in baseball – but, they don’t have Manny Ramirez, the old David Ortiz, or, it appears, Jason Bay or Mike Lowell.
You have to score more than a few runs a game to win the wild card or top spot in the AL East. Theo Epstein knows that. I think he’s just trying to keep the fan base calm while we all wait and wait for him to acquire a slugger.
Or, Theo may just have some denial about the Red Sox hitting ability.
