The Red Sox didn't even try to keep Jon Lester here

I'd rather have Yoenis Cespedes now than next to nothing when Jon Lester walks as a free agent. That's not why I'm disappointed/enraged at the Red Sox today. I'm mad because I'd much much much MUCH rather have Jon Lester over Yoenis Cespedes. There's essentially nobody the Sox could have gotten in exchange for Lester that would have left me content. Unfortunately the Sox made no legitimate effort to keep Lester here. The fact that he's gone, and that we'll never know how much of a hometown discount he would have accepted to stay, leaves me shaking my head.

How could the Red Sox do this to themselves?

The Sox traded a guy who had recently become a bona fide Ace, and who had also grown into a leader, for a Homerun Derby winner. That's like trading Kevin Durant for the winner of the slam dunk contest. And this happened because the Sox hardly tried to keep their Ace. That lack of effort is the most irritating aspect of what unfolded at the trade deadline.

The $70 million offer for 4 years offer was an insult, not a starting point. You can't negotiate with insults. Watch Shark Tank and see how the potential investors react when someone makes an absurd demand. Or go to a car dealership and offer to buy a brand new Mercedes for half the sticker price. The dealer won't make a counter offer, they'll just move on, because it's clear you're not serious.

I've heard some people question Lester's camp for not making a counter-offer, but how do you counter a joke? How can you negotiate with someone who thinks that you're worth slightly more money a year than Clay Buchholz was? How can you negotiate with someone who is clearly terrified of long-term commitment, which I'm sure is something Lester wants? Lester has been underpaid by the Sox for years, this is his chance to cash in, and the Sox were too cheap.

Or were they? Were they cheap or did they want to make a token offer they knew would get rejected? They've done similar things before.

These cloak and dagger, deceptive, disingenuous tactics are what we've come to expect from the Red Sox front office. And don't exclude Ben Cherington from these mind games. He's King John's pawn, he's Lord Lucchino's foot soldier. He's happy to be their puppet, or to stay out of baseball decisions when his masters get involved.

The Red Sox have no clue what it will cost to sign Lester in the off-season. They don't even know what his hometown discount rate might have been. That's the proof that their "negotiations" with him were not negotiations. If you don't at least come away with knowing what the other party wants, then you haven't negotiated.

If Lester signs a massive deal somewhere else, let's say $200 million for 7 years, I won't praise the Red Sox for knowing the price would be too high. They don't know anything. They made a crap offer that pissed off their Ace, then failed to immediately make a legit offer, then traded their best player from the 2013 World Series run. They sent a pitcher with 110 career wins, a 3-0 record in the World Series, and 2 rings to Oakland in exchange for a guy with 66 career homeruns and 2 HR Derby trophies.

If this had been the end of a hard fought negotiation, then it would be easier to accept. It's not, though.

5 years and $100 million, perhaps with a vesting option for a 6th year. Maybe 5 years at $110 million. That might have been enough to keep Lester. We simply do not know, though. We'll never know. Which is why this whole situation pisses me off so much.

Photo Credit: Barry Chin/Boston Globe

The Red Sox Are at Rock Bottom

I hope everyone had a fun Labor Day weekend. Speaking of which, watching the Red Sox has become a labor. After yesterday's 4-1 loss in Seattle, the Sox have dropped 7 in a row. They're 9-22 since the start of August. 9-22. That's .290 baseball. They've been outscored 60 to 16 on this West Coast trip.

The rotation has deteriorated to the point that it's hard to call some of these guys starters. They're more like low-grade middle-relievers that happen to be the first pitcher on the mound. Aaron Cook has nothing. Felix Doubront has nothing. Daisuke Matsuzaka has had a few brilliant moments, but more painful ones. Clay Buchholz hasn't been bad, hasn't been good.

The offense doesn't exist. Dustin Pedroia is red hot (and collected his 1,000th career hit yesterday) but the rest of the lineup is a hole-ridden patchwork of underachieving disappointments and role players that have regressed to the mean. Jacoby Ellsbury is hitting .262. Ryan Lavarnway isn't showing any of the power he showed last season.

If you're able to watch this team without drinking, or using the broadcast as some sort of drinking game (take a sip every time Bobby Valentine smiles, pound a beer every time Don Orsillo giggles uncontrollably. take a shot when Jenny Dell mispronounces something), you must have the patience of a saint. Or you're a masochist.

This team sucks, blows, stinks, and sucks.

Jon Lester faces Blake Beavan, who is a cartoon creation of Mike Judge. Thankfully the game starts at 10 so you can fall asleep or pass out without enduring another 9 innings of torture.

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AP Photo

Ortiz Hits 400th, Sox Lose 40th

The Red Sox went 7-2 on their homestand. And then went to the West Coast to play two of the worst teams in the AL. And they went 2-5, including a 3 game sweep at the hand of the Oakland Athletics. And so ends a 16 game stretch against inferior opponents that I felt the Sox could take advantage of. Instead, they went 9-7.

The pitching has been fine (apart from Matsuzaka's horror show). As it was yesterday. Aaron Cook went a very respectable 6 innings, allowing 3 runs. That's not great, but it gave the Sox a chance to win.

A chance they didn't take advantage of yesterday, nor have they taken advantage of on this road trip. They scored 14 runs in 7 games. That's 2 runs per game if your nursing a firework hangover.

This came after scoring 69 runs in 9 games (7.67 per game).

The only thing consistent about the Red Sox offense has been their inconsistency.

David Ortiz hit his 400th homerun. It was a solo homerun. His 22nd of the season. He's on pace for over 40 and will thankfully not be taking part in the Homerun Derby. He's been the most consistent and by far most prolific member of the Red Sox offense.

Maybe things will improve when Ellsbury returns. Maybe not. We're just slightly over halfway through the season and the Sox are on pace for 84 wins. They win 7 of 9, then lose 5 of 7. All against mediocre and poor opponents.

They have a 4 game homestand before the All-Star break. The Yankees are in town starting Friday, then a doubleheader Saturday, and a game Sunday night.

This series is an opportunity to reclaim ground in the divisional race. Or to be knocked out of it completely.

Josh Beckett opens the series for the Sox (why does that give me a bad feeling?). He opposes Hiroki Kuroda. In June he was 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA. This could be difficult for the Sox.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Matsuzaka Meltdown

On the bright side, Daisuke Matsuzaka's painful performance (both for him and for Sox fans) allowed many in New England to fall asleep at a normal hour.

In the second inning, Daisuke threw 17 pitches. 10 were balls. 3 were struck as hits (a single, a double, a homerun), 2 were foul, and 2 were strikes. Bobby Valentine mercifully pulled him out of the game.

This game was one of the worst I've ever seen him pitch. He was fooling no-one. Even the Mariners would have scored off him. Carl Crawford would have hit him. Adrian Gonzalez would have knocked him around, even in clutch situations.

It was ugly.

Daisuke's supporters always use the win-loss argument. Well, he's 0-3 now. With a nearly evil ERA of 6.65.

The word is that he's had neck stiffness. He's had it throughout his rehab but has usually been able to pitch through it. But after this debacle, he might be placed on the DL.

Daisuke's dreadful outing overshadows how feeble the Red Sox offense was last night and has been in the Pacific Time Zone. They've scored 10 runs in the last 5 games. Before coming out West, they were scoring in bunches. That's been the story all year long with this lineup: flood or drought, feast or famine.

6 hits last night, 5 of them singles. 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Ortiz and Gonzalez each grounded into a double play. The Sox made Sean Doolittle look amazing. He threw 2.1 perfect innings of relief.

The good news is that Jon Lester is on the mound tonight. Before the season, Lester got all pissy because he wasn't considered "elite." Well here's yet another chance for you to demonstrate your elitiness, Mr. Lester. The Sox are on a 2-3 slide, last night's starter got shelled, the offense is struggling, and the team needs something special from you to help them turn the tide.

He faces Bartolo Colon, who is 6-7 with a 4.22 ERA. Colon has been very inconsistent this season. For instance, in April he was 2-2 with a 2.86 ERA. In May he was 1-3 with a 7.92 ERA. An inconsistent starting pitcher against an inconsistent offense. The Sox will either score less than 3 or more than 10.

In his career, David Ortiz is 5 for 43 against Colon (.116 average). One of those hits was a homerun.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Inconsistent Sox Offense Strikes (Or Doesn't Strike) Again

The Sox went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position. They lost a series in Fenway to the A's for the first time since 2006.

Will Middlebrooks made his MLB debut and did well. He was 2 for 3 with a walk, a double, and stole a base.

The Sox got their share of baserunners. Brandon McCarthy has given up a lot of hits in each of his starts. But the Sox never got timely hits with runners in scoring position.

It's an inconsistent lineup. The Sox scored 16 runs in this series. That's 5.3 per game. Not bad. But 11 of those runs came in one game. The Sox only managed 5 total runs in the other two. This series has been a trend for the Sox all season long. It's either feast or famine. It's either 3 runs or less, or 9+ runs.

To be fair, Ellsbury and Youkilis are out. That hurts the lineup. Ross, Saltalamacchia, Sweeney, and Aviles have all contributed to the offense, but they shouldn't be relied on to regularly produce. These guys went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position last night.

Guys like Adrian Gonzalez, though, should be counted on to produce.

The Sox welcome the 2nd place Orioles to Fenway Friday night. Jon Lester faces 2-0 Wei-Yin Chen.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Rain and Jarrod Parker Cool Sox Off

The Sox just can't seem to climb over .500. Jarrod Parker shut them down for 6.2 innings last night. Doubront had a subpar start. And despite a late rally, the Sox could only manage 3 runs. That's the trend with this Sox offense, either score 3 runs or less or 9+ runs. There is no middle ground.

Doubront has been a bit of a success story this season. This is the first time he's failed to go 5 innings. He was coming off back-to-back Quality Starts. He's been a serviceable #5 pitcher. This was his first setback and I'm interested in seeing how he responds to it.

The Athletics are a very poor hitting team. Only one of their starters has an average above .300, five are below .250, and three are below .200. Doubront didn't get lit up. The A's chipped away at him though, single by single. He did strike out 8. Against a better hitting team and on a warmer night, he might have gotten crushed.

We'll see how Doubront does in his next start. Which will be against the Royals on Monday.

Daniel Bard takes the mound for the Sox tonight. He faces Brandon McCarthy, who's pitched decently (4 Quality Starts) despite his 1-3 record. He does give up a lot of hits, though, so maybe the Sox can put up a few crooked numbers.

The A's haven't won a series in Fenway Park since 2006.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

What the Buchholz?

It's been feast or famine for Red Sox hitters this season, and last night David Ortiz and the lineup ate well.

Ortiz hit a pair of solo homeruns, raising his RBI total to 20. Aviles was 2 for 5 with a homerun and 4 RBI. Darnell McDonald was a triple shy of the cycle. Marlon Byrd was 2 for 4 with a double, and is now hitting .333 since being acquired from the Cubs.

Buchholz was fine until the 7th inning. He allowed a run in the 2nd, but it wasn't an ugly inning. He was crisp in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. Then he just fell apart in the 7th. His pitch count was low to start the inning (72). He simply stopped throwing strikes. And his strikes weren't fooling anyone. He only threw 36 balls in the entire game, 11 were in the 7th.

Buchholz showed the promise of potential. We know what he's capable of. Then he collapsed. I think he should get 2 more starts to work out whatever it is he needs to work out. If he can't, then he needs to figure things out in Pawtucket.

Oddly, he's 3-1. Which demonstrates the meaninglessness of the W-L stat.

Felix Doubront is scheduled to face Jarrod Parker tonight. Parker has made 2 career starts in the Majors. The weather might not cooperate, though.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Athletics Sign Manny Ramirez

The Oakland Athletics have signed career controversy maker Manny Ramirez to a 1 year deal worth $500,000. The steroid assisted slugger will have to sit out 50 games before he can play, but I think this is a good signing for all parties involved. The Athletics risk almost nothing to acquire a player with 555 homeruns under his belt. He'll be able to play for over 100 games and if he doesn't work out, then little is lost. And for Manny, he gets an opportunity to earn a larger contract in 2013.

The Athletics' 51st game will be May 30th in Minnesota. The A's host the Red Sox for 3 games starting July 2nd. Sadly, the Athletics will make their only trip to Fenway Park well before Manny's suspension.

Hopefully one of those games gets rained out and a makeup game can be played in August or something.

More on the Andrew Bailey Trade

The Sox sent Josh Reddick, infield prospect Miles Head (yes, the Sox gave Head for Andrew Bailey), and minor league pitcher Raul Alcantara to Oakland. In return, they received Andrew Bailey, and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.

There's nothing not to like about this move. Reddick was a decent 4th outfielder, but that's something easily acquired. Ryan Sweeney, for instance, has a .283 career average. Bailey, on the other hand, considerably improves the Red Sox bullpen. Which needed improving.

He's closed for three seasons in Oakland. And while he's never recorded more than 30 Saves in a season, that's probably because Oakland hasn't finished above .500 in the three seasons he's been out there. He's only blown 9 Saves in his career, and only 5 in the last two years. That's an 89% conversion rate, and that's not bad. Papelbon converted 88% of his Saves.

It'll be interesting to see how he handles an increased workload. He only pitched 41.2 innings last year, and 49 the year before. Again, as closer for the A's, opportunities to work are limited. He threw 83.1 innings in his rookie season and did quite well.

He doesn't have the track record of an established MLB closer, but he has done the job. Unlike say Daniel Bard. Speaking of which, it's almost a foregone conclusion that Bard will be in the rotation.

It's kind of funny how boring and frustrating this Red Sox season has been that this seems like a huge acquisition.

Sox Acquire Andrew Bailey

Buster Olney has tweeted that the Red Sox have made a trade with Oakland for closer Andrew Bailey. The deal is rumored to involve Josh Reddick. Bailey is 27 years old and recorded 24 saves last year. He has 75 career saves. We'll have more on this story as it develops.

NOT WORTH STAYING UP FOR

Well John Lackey registered his first good start of the season. Not so surprising considering his record in Oakland and against AL West teams. Oakland also has a poor offense. It's just a shame that the Sox' batters and bullpen had to let such a fine start go to waste.

Is it me, or are 90% of starting pitchers lefthanded these days? It seems like every day the Sox are facing a southpaw. And therefore half the lineup is either on the bench or ineffective.

The Sox managed a mere 5 hits, all of them singles. They were 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position. We've seen them hit against Toronto's stable of forgettable pitchers, but against good arms, they're really struggling. When Lowrie and Pedroia aren't getting 3 hits a game, there's little chance for any scoring.

I don't understand why Lackey was lifted after only 93 pitches through 6 innings. Was it to save his confidence? Take him out of a game while he's doing well, instead of risking a confidence crushing collapse? I hope not. He was cruising. And the Sox' bullpen sucks. Wheeler did well, but then Okajima put the game out of reach.

The bullpen is still my biggest concern. All five starters have given at least one impressive performance. Except Buchholz, and he'll likely cut through Oakland's lineup this afternoon. And hitters like Youkilis and Crawford will assuredly raise their averages well over .200. But this bullpen... who knows? They might be this terrible for the duration of the season.

Buchholz faces Gio Gonzalez at 3:30 Eastern. Gio is 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA. And yes, he's a lefty.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo