That has to be the feeling among Sox brass this afternoon, who surreptitiously swept down and snatched up Eric Gagne from the Rangers before the deadline, stealing him away from the Yankees and Mets, both of which were in hot pursuit, among others.
Someone start getting a hat dirty, Eric Gagne is coming to Beantown.
The deal was first confirmed by NESN, just after Gagne agreed to waive his no-trade clause and become a second set-up man for the Sox (along with Hideki Okajima, obviously). The bearded-Canadian once known as “Game Over” for his Cy Young brilliance as a closer has a 2.16 ERA with a 2-0 record and a whopping 16 saves as the Rangers closer, impressive numbers considering how few chances for saves he’s had with the awful Rangers, and the fact that he shuttled with the now-injured Akinori Otsuka as the team’s closer.
Now, the bad news. On the way out are Kason Gabbard, David Murphy (meh, not such a big deal) and a 16 year-old prospect named Engel Beltre (who?). The loss of Murphy is no big deal, as the outfield prospect clearly had no long-term future with the team and it’s ever-present outfield logjam. And we have absolutely no idea who the hell Engel Beltre is. Look, the kid is 16. He should be a high school sophomore. Who knows if he’ll ever be anything. If he eventually is, props to the Rangers.
As for Gabbard, Stiffler will clearly be missed. But can you blame the Sox for shipping him? After the last round of starts, combined with upside and his emotional comeback story, it seemed clear that Jon Lester was going to stick as the fifth starter. That meant that a Curt Schilling return would key a Gabbard demotion to the pen or - perhaps - Pawtucket.
Then, consider the future. Could Gabbard have earned a spot in the rotation circa 2008? Sure. But he would have had to beat out either Lester, the surging Clay Buchholz and even Justin Masterson, the latest hot name on the team’s minor-league circuit. And that, of course, is assuming Schilling doesn’t re-sign, and that the Sox don’t add another starter, both of which are always distinct possibilities with Theo Epstein and co.
NOW, for the deal that didn’t happen, and perhaps may be just as important: Jermaine Dye.
Sox: No dice on Dye.
The White Sox outfielder has a no-trade clause to block a move to Boston, and he made it clear that he wanted to be an everyday player if he went anywhere. Both of those considerations may have been factors in Dye retaining his current zip code, but another was Boston’s reluctance to part with Manny Delcarmen. It’s an interesting juxtaposition: the Sox were willing to ship a young lefthanded starter, but weren’t willing to move a young power reliever. That, of course, speaks to just how important power arms are in the bullpen; you just can’t get enough of them. With Mike Timlin’s shoulder ailing, the acquisition of Gagne means the team has two strong right-handed options before going to Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon. That’s a nice luxury.
Now, whether a team which has to rely on Eric Hinske and Wily Mo Coyote as the top bats off the bench can score any runs for those set-up men to matter is another question, and it’ll be a very good one down the stretch. Unless we learn two hours from now that Dye actually did agree to the trade and it just beat the wire.
Here’s hoping …
For what it’s worth, here’s the AP’s Gagne story:
CLEVELAND — With Eric Gagne finally pitching like his old self following two elbow operations and back surgery, the Boston Red Sox agreed Tuesday to acquire the reliever from the Texas Rangers, who also unloaded first baseman Mark Teixeira to Atlanta in a seven-player swap.
Gagne, who has a limited no-trade clause, was asked to give his consent to the trade Tuesday afternoon, a person familiar with the talks said, speaking on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not yet been made.
Unidentified major league sources told NESN that Gagne agreed to waive his no-trade clause and agreed to serve as the team’s set-up man.
Once one of baseball’s premier closers, Gagne was to join a Boston bullpen that already has two All-Star relievers: closer Jonathan Papelbon and setup man Hideki Okajima.
But the Red Sox, who entered Tuesday leading the AL East by eight games over the New York Yankees, didn’t want to take any chances of blowing their big lead and acquired Gagne to bolster the back end of their bullpen after consecutive implosions last weekend by Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen.
Boston was to send left-hander Kason Gabbard as part of a package to the Rangers. Also reportedly included in the deal were outfield prospects David Murphy and Engel Beltre.
Milwaukee, clinging to its NL Central lead, also had been interested in obtaining Gagne.
Here’s a riddle for you: Which Sox player is happiest about heading to Tampa Bay for the team’s series against the D Rays? Here’s a hint, he’s on the mound tonight.
The Mad Professor of Knuckle is back in the Trop tonight.
That’s right, Tim Wakefield, he of senior staff status, has been almost unhittable at Tropicana Field. For years. Wake loves the Trop. So, tonight should provide interesting ammunition for the argument of experience vs. previously unseen youth. Here’s why, courtesy Baseball-Reference, of course.
It’s also worth noting how silent the clubhouse has been about the starting lineup. As of 5:10 no lineups had been announced, which you know has to miff Amalie Benjamin and Jeff Horrigan. Hard to tell whether that’s because the team is waiting on a training room decision or just still shuffling the deck as players file in. It’ll be interesting to see who’s batting where in the perpetual, Jimmy Williams-style batting order roulette tonight though.
NOTABLES
- Anyone else feel like Wily Mo Pena is getting even more run to drive up his trade value at the deadline? His name keeps getting mentioned in potential KC Royals pupu plater agreements.
- Sure, Manny Ramirez knocked the cover off the ball last night, but don’t forget Coco Crisp. Old Covelli got back on track a bit last night, and he’s getting closer and closer to .300, despite being pogo-sticked all over the lineup.
- If you’ve been wondering why the Sox are so interested in landing Ty Wigginton, take a look at the other dugout tonight. Then again, don’t plan on too much, because all accounts are that the Rays are - as always - asking for highway robbery in return. Here’s betting that’s not happening on Theo Epstein’s watch.
Just when you thought the Red Sox’ minor league system’s well had run dry of top pitching prospects, you turn around and notice Justin Masterson blazing his own trail.
Justin Masterson may be the next big Sox pitcher to make waves.
Like Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen and, most recently, Clay Buchholz before him, Masterson is turning the heads and radar guns of scouts who have been almost permanently camped in Portland for the past year.
The 2006 second-round pick out of San Diego State has built up a perfect 4-0 record with a nearly unthinkable 1.09 ERA for the Sea Dogs, mowing down batters at a shocking 32-5 pace (32 K’s, 5 BB’s).
So, how is the rangy righty doing it? Well, his size certainly doesn’t hurt. Masterson is listed conservatively at 6-6 and 245 pounds, and he uses his considerable physical assets to help him rear back for a full range of speed on his sinker, which is his clear A+, out pitch. His best sinkers have varied between 86 and 94 miles-per-hour, a wide enough range to keep any and all batters off balance.
Not to be outdone, Masterson’s slider sits in the low 80s but has phenomenal action, which is good enough to help him get out of jams. When combined with what has been described as a rapidly improving change-up, Masterson’s arsenal has made him a rapidly rising prospect for trade discussions and future projections.
Though Masterson is Oregon born and bred, he’s no stranger to New England. In 2005 he dominated the Cape Cod league. Now, he’s spent the past three summers in the region, finishing out a short 2006 session with A Lowell after a late signing.
So, will Masterston make a move to Pawtucket, or even Boston, in the not-too distant future? And will he pitch from the start or break through as a reliever? Those questions are clearly too far away, as Masterson himself as acknowledged in an interview with soxprospects.com.
In the meantime, it’s pretty clear that he’s figured out how to get things done in Portland. Here’s betting that won’t subside any time soon. But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s Amalie Benjamin’s piece in today’s Globe, which also leads with Masterson. Got to love it when the people who travel with the team agree with which prospect is turning the most heads.
HIT AND RUN
The Thursday signing of former big leaguer Brady Clark to a minor-league deal was a direct reaction to the minor groin injury suffered four days ago by top prospect Jacoby Ellsbury. There’s no official report on how much time the center fielder of the future might miss, but early expectations are that he still could be on track to earn a call-up to the big club come September. … Clay Buchholz is set to start again for Pawtucket tonight, and it’ll be interesting to see how he responds from his first outing, where he gave up three runs, one on a monster home run out of McCoy Stadium. He’ll be facing the Toledo Mud Hens, just as Curt Schilling did last night. … Michael Bowden is another arm who keeps coming up in prospective Sox trade talks, though most big fish (read: the Rangers in talks for Mark Teixeira) have requested two prospects from a list that includes Jon Lester, Ellsbury and Buchholz. Naturally, Theo Epstein and the Sox brass have said they won’t part with any of those names, which is bringing on much of the current stalemate in deals. …
Rapidly rising shortstop prospect Jed Lowrie was promoted from Portland to Pawtucket, a move which wasn’t entirely a shock (he was hitting .297 for the Sea Dogs). But, the shift that was surprising was the Rhode Island move-up of right-handed pitcher Lincoln Holdzom. PawSox infielder Zach Borowiak and pitcher Barry Hertzler took the bus ride up to Maine to make room for the new duo. …
According to Benjamin’s weekly notebook, Class A Lowell center fielder Ryan Kalish, who was hitting a preposterous .368, will miss the rest of the season with a broken hamate bone in his right hand. You’ll recall that Big Papi and Wily Coyote both had that bone removed from their right hands after being similarly struck by pitches in recent years. Doctors haven’t determined if Kalish will have to lose the bone altogether, or whether he can hold off and let it heal on it’s own. Here’s betting he does whatever the tell him will least affect his sweet swing.
Here’s a look at tonight’s 7:05 face off back at the Jake. With Josh “I’ll say whatever the f&%* I want” Beckett on the mound and the team rolling a bit, Boston has to feel good about taking Game 3, don’t you think.
Jack Webb and Ben Alexander: Big Baseball Reference dudes.
Then again, there is the Fausto Carmona revenge factor. And doesn’t Fausto Carmona’s revenge sound like a C-rate action flick where Antonio Banderas tries to ressurect his career? Yeah, we thought so, too.
- Tonight is David Ortiz’s first night back as a DH in almost a week. Interesting that he would start a return against a guy he owned for dramatic walk-offs in Fenway a year ago, isn’t it?
- Julio Lugo is in the middle of a career-best 14-game hitting streak. The guy is hitting everything right now. He’s so hot, he may even redeem half of that huge Theo Epstein contract by the end of August … if he can keep it up, of course. So, the question becomes: why do you sit a guy who’s in the middle of a 14-game hitting streak? We really have no idea. Good luck figuring out Tito’s thought process on that one.
- The way the lineups have been scattered lately, you can’t trust anything until Terry Francona walks out to hand over the card. That being said, it’ll be fascinating to see where the blazing hot Coco Crisp bats. He was fifth last night, has hit eighth, lead off and just about everywhere else lately. The one thing that we know at the moment is that wherever he bats, he’s been knocking the ball around.
- From the “Wow, he actually took the road less traveled?” file: Pitcher Joel Pineiro, who was designated for assignment Sunday to make room for Jon Lester, actually accepted a spot in Pawtucket, where he’s planned to pitch tonight. When was the last time you can remember an established major leaguer actually sticking with the team at a lower level? It boggles the mind doesn’t it? And it has to make Sox fans feel a lot better about Pineiro, too. Think he wants to win a World Series ring really, really bad? We sure do.
It’s always a beautiful morning the day after everything goes right in a game against a top AL rival. But it never hurts to have terrific weather to boot, does it?
Dice-K was dealing last night.
BOSTON HERALD
Dice-K drives in a run - Jeff Horrigan drops a Lindsay Lohan bombshell for a lead (he’ll be at the Sands all week people, don’t forget to tip your waiters), but goes on to extoll just how good Daisuke Matsuzaka has been over his past 11 starts, despite a stunning lack of run support.
Sox stay calm in storm - Rob Bradford focuses on how focused the team’s locker room is, and how the Sox are showing a united front heading towards the trade deadline next week.
Ortiz gets lumber ready - Horrigan’s notebook leads with the impending return of David Ortiz, but also hits on last night’s bizarre lineup, Curt Schilling’s rehab start tonight and the blazing bat of Manny Ramirez.
Speed readings on Papelbon’s radar - More than two weeks after the closer initially broached the subject, Bradford writes the sidebar on how Jonathan Papelbon hates radar guns.
The Sox got a little incidental help from an old friend, right fielder Trot Nixon.
“New” Coco old to news to Indians - Bradford’s copious writing continues, touching on resurgent Coco Crisp, who is peaking as he returns to his former stomping grounds at the Jake.
Lester gets Lance’s support - Testing the theory that you can’t have too much Bradford, the sidenote scribe writes the late-breaking piece about Lance Armstrong’s written and personal support of cancer survivor Jon Lester.
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
Dice-K strong-arms Indians - ProJo columnist Joe MacDonald writes about the atmosphere and drama surrounding last night’s pitcher’s duel to end all pitcher’s duels.
PawSox manager gave Delcarmen renewed purpose - MacDonald touches on the subtle yet essential influence that Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson had on Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen erlier this season.
Indecision on Bonds lessens Selig stature - Sean McAdam’s potpourri column leads with Bud Selig heading to San Fran for Barry Bonds’ run at Hank Aaron’s record, but touches on Sox trivia and administrivia as it courses along.
BOSTON GLOBE
Red Sox are a bit better - Amalie Benjamin leads the Globe’s gamer with a touch of the side McDonald wrote for the ProJo, but quickly segue’s to Dice-K’s dominance.
Watch for the Dice-K sighting in this bizarre clip. We promise, it’s the best you’ve seen all year. Honest.
From the looks of it, Epstein needs to stay focused - Nick Cafardo writes Wednesday’s On Baseball column, touching on the dilemma that Theo Epstein faces a week before the deadline, mainly weather to make a more minor move or whether to push full bore into the Mark Texeira sweepstakes taking place in Arlington.
Just like his average, Crisp moving on up - Benjamin leads the notebook with Crisp’s ever improving spot in the Sox lineup, but also hits on Julio Lugo’s current career-high hitting streak, among other oddities and niceties.
‘You couldn’t wait for Manny to come to the plate’ - Admittedly, Cafardo had a hard time finding Indians front office personnel who were around the team in Manny’s seminal 1999 season. But when he did, he knocked his story out of the park. A terrific retrospective on a terrific hitter.
Sox Nest is in favor of more LMontro, all the time.
Red Sox connecting with their cut off man - Oh … my … God. It’s an LMontro story. And a terrific one at that. While we’re disappointed that they didn’t name drop Sox Nest (come on Mark Shanahan, show us some love!), the scribe does a terrific job tracking down all that is the bizarre world of LMontro, where cutting hair gets you a fly car with Louis Vitton wheels. Astounding.
HARTFORD COURANT
1 for the road - Jeff Goldberg’s gamer focuses on Matsuzaka-san, with a healthy dose of support for the bullpen and the team’s situational hitting, which seemed all but dead a week ago.
In tight game, defense huge - Goldberg’s notebook takes an interesting twist, leading with Boston’s impressive team defense, but quickly moves on to Big Papi’s return.
Someone had to go to make room for the call up of starting pitcher Jon Lester. It wasn’t going to be Julian Tavarez. Old Big Lebowski has been too versatile as a starter and reliever. Too multifaceted an arm to throw on the garbage heap.
Hereeeee’s Jonny!
So, one of the relievers had to go. The logical choice would have been to send left-handed specialist Javier Lopez back to Pawtucket. He still has options, and with his recent hit-and-miss appearances, a second round of ‘07 seasoning might have done him some good.
Evidently Terry Francona like his lefties even more than Sox fans thought he did. He just made a $3 million pledge to keep one who started in AAA this spring.
That’s because Joel Pineiro, the ill-fated closer experiment gone awry, will soon be a former Red Sox. The reliever never truly found a regular role, languishing at the bench with a hefty contract, bridging mediocre performances with clutch strikeouts, then dousing the flames of those optimistic hopes with a game in which he’d toss 2/3 of an inning and give up two long balls.
Evidently, in an era where Theo Epstein is clearly not hamstrung by lack of cash, that’s not good enough to keep you on the staff, even when your salary is north of $3 mill after incentives.
Lester time: It’s finally come.
All of this will probably serve two tangential purposes as well: 1) it will cement the err of promoting Allard Baird, the former Kansas City GM who is now a Boston assistant GM, and is batting a firm 0-for-2 in “players he’s explicitly told the Sox to sign.” But, more significantly still, 2) it will detract from some of the focus and hype surrounding Lester’s first start since his cancer diagnosis. And with the overpowering fastball and curve that Lester has flashed at times this season - for what it’s worth he struggled at times in his last start, yielding three runs - he can dominate a game by just playing it without losing his focus. Perhaps, just perhaps, putting some of the focus on a front office error instead of Lester’s physical and mental fitness will take the strain off his highly-touted left arm.
And if it does dim that spotlight a bit, and if that helps earn a win, then maybe the entire failed Pineiro experiment wasn’t a multi-million dollar mistake. At least, that’s what Theo has to hope for.
There’s no way anyone can actually say that they predicted the Sox would lose this series with Kansas City. That being said, they lost it. So, how did Boston drop two of three to the pereniall AL Central doormats … AT HOME? Here’s how the papers saw it:
Julian Tavarez may have plenty of time to contemplate what might have been … while sitting in the bullpen and watching Jon Lester in his starting spot.
BOSTON GLOBE
Slide step - Like others, Gordon Edes leads by comparing Boston’s .500 ball to the surging Yankees. But unlike some stories, Edes’ gamer seems to focus on the team’s struggles - and Yankee comparisons - throughout the piece.
Lugo not likely in leading role - Edes starts the notebook with Tito’s assurances that Julio Lugo won’t return to the leadoff role … yet. But he also hits on the Astros’ reluctance to trade closer Brad Lidge, as well as Jon Lester’s latest Pawtucket start and the sudden surge of Mike Timlin.
Getting it right in left? - Globe intern Daniel Malloy’s latest installment is a piece on the struggles of left fielder Manny Ramirez, who seems to make as many errors as saved runs by playing so shallow in left. The topic is clearly simmering in the minds of Sox fans, and Malloy’s piece is a nice check on that pulse.
Tavarez is still at a loss - Malloy also covers being Julian Tavarez, which last night meant being a pitcher who blows a lead … and can’t last five innings.
BOSTON HERALD
Red Sox losing grip - The title of Jeff Horrigan’s game story clearly underscores the concern of so many Sox fans, and maybe secretly the Sox themselves. Suddenly the Yankees have made this a true AL East race, but Horrigan focuses mostly on the dismal downspin of Tavarez, and how he may have pitched his last Red Sox start.
Bullpen maintains usual strength - According to Michael Silverman, amidst the Sox struggles, the Boston bullpen remains one of baseball’s best, with the sudden surge of Mike Timlin and Manny Delcarmen combining with Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon to form an almost unequalled group.
Sox dealing with reality - Tony Massaroti reminds fans that if they Sox made a deadline deal, they may have to give up a lot to get it done, a cost which - given the strength of the Boston farm system - may make it a crippling move a year or more down the road.
Tito takes offense - Horrigan’s notebook focuses on Terry Francona’s vigorous defense of his team’s sputtering offense which, while hitting for better average, is now struggling to knock in base runners.
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
Tavarez, Red Sox falter again - Joe MacDonald spells Steven Krasner to write the ProJo gamer, focusing - take a wild guess - on the struggles of everyone’s favorite full-time pitcher/part-time bowler.
The only thing they’re hitting is the skids - Sean McAdam writes of the Sox’s sudden struggles, drawing the parallels to the 2006 team’s stumbles and highlighting their lack of offensive production.
Even Wally’s flag waving is drooping a bit, isn’t it?
Lefties getting it right against Ortiz - What, you thought just because Krasner didn’t write the game piece, he wasn’t at the Fens? Instead, the ProJo beat man writes the notebook, focusing on Big Papi’s struggles with southpaw relievers sent in to shut him down specifically. He also has an eclectic mix of other notes: Manny’s fielding struggles, the Royals as free swingers and some frustration for Dustin Pedroia.
Don’t expect Dye to switch Sox - McAdam and MacDonald combine on another potential trade piece, claiming that a source is saying Jermaine Dye wouldn’t accept a trade to Boston, because he wouldn’t be in the everyday strarting lineup. So much for the Wily Mo Pena and a pupu platter trade to land the slugger.
HARTFORD COURANT
Royal visit no treat - Jeff Golberg’s gamer goes where others have boldly treaded: with struggling Sox and booming Yankees.
Just not coming through - Golberg’s notebook focuses on the team’s inability to hit with runners in scoring a position, a problem that is truly becoming conspicuous.
OK, let’s start at the beginning. The Kansas City Royals used to be a great team. Then, after the decline and retirement of George Brett and co., they were a classy organization that was nearly universally respected. It was only a matter of time before they bounced back and put together a contender, or so the logic went. They crested and fell as a middling team, then fell hard.
Not only does Allard Baird have an annoyingly British name, he even looks obnoxiously smarmy, doesn’t he?
Then things really turned bad: They hired Allard Baird. Yes, the man currently esconsced in the Red Sox front office was once the wunderkind who would save Kansas City. Instead, he attached the entire populace of baseball fans in the city to a rock, dragged it to the banks of Missouri River and made sure it would never come up again.
Let’s look at Baird’s tale of the tape, shall we? In five seasons, his Royals teams compiled exactly one winning record. That was turned in by the 2003 Royals, who went 83-79 after breaking out to one of the best records in baseball through April and May, setting the stage for one of the great collapses in recent history. It also set the stage for Baird to talk first baseman Mike Sweeney, at the time one of the best hitters in baseball, into staying put in Kansas City, convincing him that unlike the trades of Johnny Damon and other budding stars in the past, these Royals were going to hold on to their flush cards.
Sorry Mike, turns out Allard was just pulling your leg my man.
That’s because the two years after 2003 were unabetted disasters in the city of, uh, midwestern slaughterhouses I guess? The Royals lost more than 100 games in both 2004 (58-104) and 2005 (56-106), even cycling through three general managers in the course of the 2005 season. 2006 was even worse. In ‘04 they traded away one of the best players in the game, center fielder Carlos Beltran, for young position players, and still failed to sign any decent starting pitching.
Perhaps the 2005 run of managerial roulette came in part because Baird could hear the music. Or the bells. At the end of the 2006 season, they tolled for him.
Here’s how the Kansas City Star’s post mortem felt about Baird:
The organization’s primary failure under Baird was in its inability to draft and develop high-quality players in recent years. The current 25-man roster has only two players — outfielders David DeJesus and Shane Costa — who were drafted in Baird’s six seasons.
Further, several recent lineups mocked the very idea that the club is engaged in a rebuilding plan. The Royals started five players Tuesday against Oakland who were 30 years or older.
While Baird and his staff succeeded in uncovering some real bargains on the free-agent fringe, they proved far less successful in obtaining top value when forced by financial considerations to trade players such as Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran and Jermaine Dye.
It was the Beltran trade — on June 24, 2004 — that marked the latest full-scale effort to rebuild their roster. The Royals received catcher John Buck, third baseman Mark Teahen and pitcher Mike Wood in return.
They are also 99-206 since that point.
Yeah, not exactly a ringing endorsement, huh? Sent his walking papers, the 44 year-old Baird somehow resurfaced at the ready of Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein in the middle of last season. At the time he served as a special assistant to the General Manager, though that title quickly changed to Assistant General Manager at the end of the season. Another nice acquisition by the Sox front office, right? Well, let’s examine his influence so far.
Baird’s boy Runelvys couldn’t stick despite the incredible name AND El Guapo similarities.
Here’s the players Baird has had the biggest influence in bringing to the Red Sox: Joel Pineiro and Runelvys Hernandez. One was such an unequivocable bust, he couldn’t even stick it out with the team’s minor league arms. The other was signed explicitly to be the Boston closer, but is now toiling to find a spot that sticks in middle relief. Here’s Nick Cafardo’s story on Baird’s influence in the Pineiro chase from the Globe. I think we’re noticing a trend here, are we not?
So, the question remains: How can the Red Sox keep making a case to give Baird any power whatsoever? And why, for God’s sake, was he given any power to begin with? It’s a true mystery, and one to which we may never truly have good answers. Now Sox fans just have to hope they’re not trying to answer them another year from now.
