One of my favorite teams, and favorite baseball years, ever. An over-achieving Cinderella team of mostly baseball nobodies that wins a World Series just as improbably as the much more talented 2004 team. Francona's team is still the emotional highlight of my baseball life, but you cannot ignore the feel-good of watching this team keep on winning, going from "worst to first" and climbing that mountain all the way. Even David Ortiz said that this team was one of the least-talented (and I mean that with affection) that has ever won a World Series. Consider:
* No pitcher on the team won more than 15 games. Nobody had the chance to win 20.
* No pitcher (besides Buchholz, who didn't finish with enough innings to qualify) was close to winning an ERA title.
* No pitcher was in the Cy Young conversation.
* Only one player drove in 100 RBIs. And he didn't drive in more than 110.
* Only two everyday players hit over .300. Neither hit over .310.
* No player came close to leading the league in homers, RBIs, or average.
* No player was in the MVP conversation.
* Players in the top-10 in the league in any positive category were in the middle of the pack, or the back of it.
* And that player was either Ortiz (for average, on-base %, slugging %, and maybe homers and RBIs--but, again, placing 5-10 in the top-10 for any of those), Pedroia (for average and maybe on-base % only) or Ellsbury (for stolen bases, stolen base %, and, maybe, batting average).
* World Champions--and Division and League Leaders--always have someone in the Cy Young or MVP conversation, with eye-popping stats, like those of Chris Davis, but not these guys.
So how did they win?
How can a guy who almost led the league in strikeouts also lead the league (and the majors) in pitches seen per at-bat, and be the offensive star of the 1-0 win over Verlander in the ALCS?
How can a player like Daniel Nava, who finished in the top-10 in the league (but who just barely qualified with his low number of ABs) not play in the World Series, or many of the postseason games in general, and be replaced by a guy who, literally, didn't hit his own weight? And not one Sox fan, including me, complained!
How can a staff without a 20-game winner (or even a 17-game winner) and without a Cy Young or MVP candidate win the World Series?
How can such a team beat a Tigers team in 6 games, when the Tigers have the MVP (Cabrera), the Cy Young (Scherzer), the perpetual Great Pitcher (Verlander), the overlooked Gold Glove-candidate (and ROY-candidate) and the wise sage as manager?
How can Shane Victorino win games in the ALCS and in the World Series with a grand slam and a three-run double, and yet still hit way below .200 in each series?
How can a team win two out of three in another stadium when they lost the first one in the bottom of the ninth due to an obstruction call?
For that matter, how can a team go without a World Series title in 85 years, and then win three in the next ten?
God help us cynics, but I think the Sox did it with....teamwork? Consistency? Preparation? Desire? And a lot of luck, of course.
How lucky were they in the postseason?
Lucky enough that the best hitter in all of baseball had such a bad groin injury that it needed to be operated on at the end of the World Series--and it made him unable to get to the outside fastball. How did Tazawa get him out in all of those clutch situations? Outside fastballs. It even hurt him to foul them off.
Lucky enough that a rookie pinch runner gets picked off first base, with one of the best hitters in postseason history at the plate, to end the game.
Lucky enough that they won although Ortiz had just two hits in all of the ALCS. That's right--he was 2 for 22, or something horrible like that. The second hit was a little blooper over second base. The first was the grand slam that tied the second game and woke up Boston.
Lucky enough that Boston had one hit in the first fourteen innings of the ALCS--and still won the second game, and lost the first just 1-0.
Lucky enough that Victor Martinez decided to stop rather than run to second. And lucky enough that Prince Fielder decided to stop rather than score from third. On the same play.
Lucky enough that a magician at shortstop booted an easy double-play ball--and then watched as Victorino hit his grand slam.
Lucky enough that an umpire didn't see that Stephen Drew's foot was a zip code away from second base when Drew started the first of the many double plays that sank the Tigers.
Lucky enough that the Cardinals inexplicably decided to pitch to Ortiz in every single clutch situation in the first five games of the World Series. Or did Napoli scare them that much? Was Napoli the guy they couldn't let beat them, and not Ortiz?
Lucky enough that the other teams ran themselves, or fielded themselves, into all of their losses. The Sox certainly did not hit themselves into all of their wins. Their scarce hits were enough to win the game because the other teams kept shooting themselves in the foot, and not hitting with men on base.
Lucky enough that the one or two hits that a particular player got in an entire series was enough to win one game apiece in that series. Ortiz in the ALCS. Napoli in the ALCS. Ross in the World Series. And Victorino in both the ALCS and in the World Series.
Lucky enough that they were able to win despite David Ross being an offensive improvement over another catcher.
Lucky enough that, during the regular season, they lost their legit closer to injury, then lost their other legit closer to injury, and then plugged an embattled 7th and 8th inning guy as the closer--and got the best results of all! (Bailey and Hanrahan return next year, BTW, so where do you pitch them if Uehara still closes?)
Lucky enough that the team loses three more games than it should have, according to the Pythagorean W-L Theorem--which is a huge sway in the wrong direction--and still handily wins its division?
Lucky enough that, during the regular season, Uehara (4-1), Breslow (5-2), Bailey (3-1), Brandon Workman (6-3), Jake Peavy (4-1), Alfredo Aceves (4-1) and Steven Wright (2-0) go a combined 28-9. Read that one again.
Lucky enough that they win it all even though their top five starters (Lester, 15-8; Lackey 10-13; Dempster 8-9; Doubront, 11-6; Buchholz, 12-1) go a combined 56-37. Which is pretty damn good, but not in the same universe as the top-5 starters for the Tigers, Rays, or Cardinals. Or did you think most World Series-winning teams have two of their top-5 starters finish below .500?
And little things--but lots of little things--like great baserunning, good starting pitching and great relief pitching, and awesome defense. And timely hitting, to the extent that they were either hitting in the clutch or they weren't hitting at all.
And--by far the most important thing this whole year--fouling off pitches, taking the pitch just outside or inside, driving the pitch count up, and getting the starters out of there and slapping around the bullpen.
And having a Gold Glove-winner at second base, and in right field, and--with a combination of Iglesias and Drew--at shortstop. And Napoli was very smooth, and a great scooper, at first.
Unbelievable. What a great team to watch all year, especially after the catastrophe of last year. Especially in the playoffs, when they hit under .220 total and still won each series in six.
We won't see anything like it anytime soon, maybe not even next year, so I hope you were watching as many games, and appreciating them, as I was. You know how we hear all that B.S. about chemistry, about leadership, about working hard and sticking together, about playing hard until the very last pitch?
This year, it was all true. All of it.
Showing posts with label Lackey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lackey. Show all posts
Friday, November 1, 2013
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Game 2--Beltre, Rangers 12 Sox 5, and More
--Still no time to panic, though you are allowed to feel a strong sense of unease. I do.
--To state the obvious, the pitching looks to be a bit of a problem right now. I'm more concerned about the relief pitching than the starting pitching, though you would think Lackey wouldn't leave a pitch middle in to a right handed hitter, especially one of Beltre's caliber.
--If you leave the ball up, the Rangers hitters will hit it. Hard. Everyone, of almost any caliber or type of pitcher, needs to keep the ball either down or away from them. Even their 8th and 9th hitters look good.
--The worry with the starting pitching is that we haven't gotten to Beckett and Dice-K yet, who we expect to do badly. So if the others do as well...
--It's early, but a win today is strongly needed. You don't want to be swept during the first series of the season.
--A little perspective: The Rays lost 2 straight to the Orioles. The Orioles are not better than the Rays, I assure you.
--Ortiz hit another homer, good for him. Then again, so did Ian Kinsler...and Ellsbury looks good at the plate, too. In fact, the whole Sox offense looks good, except for Crawford, who really looks like he's pressing. I was guessing at that yesterday, but a golf-swing and miss on a pitch low and away yesterday proved it.
--The Cleveland pitching staff looks helpless. This against the Chicago White Sox, who don't have a thunderous lineup.
--I won't look at the standings until the Sox win one.
--Lou Gorman was apparently a really nice guy. That's always said when someone dies, but it's been the overwhelming thing that everyone's been saying about him, even before his 30 years or so in the business. He was the GM when I first started watching baseball, in 1984, and I remember that during interview spots he would always talk very slowly, very muffled, and that he cared more about the players themselves than is usual for GMs, then or now. He was the exact polar opposite of Dan Duquette. I have a very vague memory of maybe talking to him--or at least he was in the same room with me--when I was at McCoy when very young. This is back when Mike Stenhouse was involved with the team and he gave my Dad tickets, or maybe just AMICA in general.
--Dunkin' Donuts doesn't sponsor Sox games anymore? No more Dugout? I saw a Honey Dew commercial on NESN and I almost fell over.
--The Sox pitching coach will be earning his money starting right now.
--I want to see Varitek behind the plate today. Let's see if he can bring the staff ERA down. If he is in, and if Bucholz has a good game, I want to see him in there the next day, too. Even if Salty has a batting average a 100 points higher than Varitek's, it won't be worth it if Varitek calls a superior game and takes hits and runs off the board doing so. I believe this can happen, and that it has happened. With the Sox lineup the way it is, they can afford a great game-caller with a weak batting average hitting ninth.
--Castig has gotten even more nasal, if that's possible.
--By the way, why's Lackey the Number 2 over Bucholz? At this point, Lackey and Beckett are capable of each winning 20, but are presently lumbering innings-eaters. Let's have the younger guys who've been pitching much better and winning more consistently at the top of the rotation, okay?
--If you have 3 doubles, 2 triples and 2 homers (one a grand slam) hit off you in 3 2/3 innings, now that's a bad day.
--Someone needs to keep the cameras off of pitchers during obvious f-word moments, such as Lackey's yesterday right after Beltre's slam. They're obviously putting the lens on these guys at those moments so that we, the viewers, can see them mouthing the f-word.
--Completely unnecessary, by the way, as we are saying the same thing at the time ourselves.
--The guys next to me were very vocal against Francona, as if they expected him to pull his starting pitcher, who is getting paid about $12 million this year to win and eat innings, in the fourth inning of the second game of the year. There's 160 of these left, guys. Take it easy.
--I see now why sports pros from across the country say that Sox fans are unique in their rabidity for the team. Every game really is life or death for many of these guys. These guys yesterday were an example, confusing the second game of the year for an ALCS or World Series game.
--By the way, kudos to my better half, who sat through five innings of a game, at a local restaurant/bar, surrounded by these guys, watching her second game in a row--while not appearing tortured. Though she still calls "uniforms" "outfits." I tried to explain that ballplayers wear uniforms and tennis players wear outfits, but she was not deterred.
--She said that she was now a Rangers fan because they at least make things happen. And said that all teams should use just one pitcher every day. I took that opportunity to speak about the 1880s Providence Greys, and Old Hoss Radbourne, and how teams then did just have one pitcher, who would often win 40-60 games a season while tossing 400 to 600 innings. Luckily she was on her second Mojito at the time and so was able to make it through my explanation without her eyes glazing over. (I did have to explain who Nomar was.)
--Beltre 1, Sox 0 for those keeping track.
--Speaking of Beltre, I didn't know that he'd been offered a one-year, $10 million contract by the Sox last year. Instead he signed a guaranteed 5 year, $80 million contract with the Rangers. That's an average of $16 million a year, each year for five years, for those bad at math. I'd turn down the Sox offer for that, wouldn't you? Sox fans vilified him, as they had Damon when he left for much more money than the Sox offered.
--As part of that contract, Beltre makes $14 million this year, and one million more each year until 2016, when he drops back down to $16 million a year. Included also is the stipulation that the Rangers can defer $12 million of the 2016 contract at 1% interest. Oh, and it's in his contract that he gets uniform #29.
--Remember that this guy was in the slush pile after 5 very bad years in Seattle, on an exorbitant contract that he landed after his one--and, at that time, only--great season with the Dodgers. His stats that year, especially the 49 homers, are dubious when compared to those 5 terrible seasons, a drop-off that he has never fully explained. Then one more great year, this time in Boston, and he uses that one good year again to garner an exorbitant long-term contract. I hope he does well this year, or else this would form a very questionable pattern of behavior, if you know what I'm sayin'.
--And speaking of money, Cliff Lee said No to the Rangers this past offseason when they offered him a 6-year/$138 million contract so he could return to the Phillies. That's an average of $23 million per year. And he said No. Tough to fathom, isn't it?
--To state the obvious, the pitching looks to be a bit of a problem right now. I'm more concerned about the relief pitching than the starting pitching, though you would think Lackey wouldn't leave a pitch middle in to a right handed hitter, especially one of Beltre's caliber.
--If you leave the ball up, the Rangers hitters will hit it. Hard. Everyone, of almost any caliber or type of pitcher, needs to keep the ball either down or away from them. Even their 8th and 9th hitters look good.
--The worry with the starting pitching is that we haven't gotten to Beckett and Dice-K yet, who we expect to do badly. So if the others do as well...
--It's early, but a win today is strongly needed. You don't want to be swept during the first series of the season.
--A little perspective: The Rays lost 2 straight to the Orioles. The Orioles are not better than the Rays, I assure you.
--Ortiz hit another homer, good for him. Then again, so did Ian Kinsler...and Ellsbury looks good at the plate, too. In fact, the whole Sox offense looks good, except for Crawford, who really looks like he's pressing. I was guessing at that yesterday, but a golf-swing and miss on a pitch low and away yesterday proved it.
--The Cleveland pitching staff looks helpless. This against the Chicago White Sox, who don't have a thunderous lineup.
--I won't look at the standings until the Sox win one.
--Lou Gorman was apparently a really nice guy. That's always said when someone dies, but it's been the overwhelming thing that everyone's been saying about him, even before his 30 years or so in the business. He was the GM when I first started watching baseball, in 1984, and I remember that during interview spots he would always talk very slowly, very muffled, and that he cared more about the players themselves than is usual for GMs, then or now. He was the exact polar opposite of Dan Duquette. I have a very vague memory of maybe talking to him--or at least he was in the same room with me--when I was at McCoy when very young. This is back when Mike Stenhouse was involved with the team and he gave my Dad tickets, or maybe just AMICA in general.
--Dunkin' Donuts doesn't sponsor Sox games anymore? No more Dugout? I saw a Honey Dew commercial on NESN and I almost fell over.
--The Sox pitching coach will be earning his money starting right now.
--I want to see Varitek behind the plate today. Let's see if he can bring the staff ERA down. If he is in, and if Bucholz has a good game, I want to see him in there the next day, too. Even if Salty has a batting average a 100 points higher than Varitek's, it won't be worth it if Varitek calls a superior game and takes hits and runs off the board doing so. I believe this can happen, and that it has happened. With the Sox lineup the way it is, they can afford a great game-caller with a weak batting average hitting ninth.
--Castig has gotten even more nasal, if that's possible.
--By the way, why's Lackey the Number 2 over Bucholz? At this point, Lackey and Beckett are capable of each winning 20, but are presently lumbering innings-eaters. Let's have the younger guys who've been pitching much better and winning more consistently at the top of the rotation, okay?
--If you have 3 doubles, 2 triples and 2 homers (one a grand slam) hit off you in 3 2/3 innings, now that's a bad day.
--Someone needs to keep the cameras off of pitchers during obvious f-word moments, such as Lackey's yesterday right after Beltre's slam. They're obviously putting the lens on these guys at those moments so that we, the viewers, can see them mouthing the f-word.
--Completely unnecessary, by the way, as we are saying the same thing at the time ourselves.
--The guys next to me were very vocal against Francona, as if they expected him to pull his starting pitcher, who is getting paid about $12 million this year to win and eat innings, in the fourth inning of the second game of the year. There's 160 of these left, guys. Take it easy.
--I see now why sports pros from across the country say that Sox fans are unique in their rabidity for the team. Every game really is life or death for many of these guys. These guys yesterday were an example, confusing the second game of the year for an ALCS or World Series game.
--By the way, kudos to my better half, who sat through five innings of a game, at a local restaurant/bar, surrounded by these guys, watching her second game in a row--while not appearing tortured. Though she still calls "uniforms" "outfits." I tried to explain that ballplayers wear uniforms and tennis players wear outfits, but she was not deterred.
--She said that she was now a Rangers fan because they at least make things happen. And said that all teams should use just one pitcher every day. I took that opportunity to speak about the 1880s Providence Greys, and Old Hoss Radbourne, and how teams then did just have one pitcher, who would often win 40-60 games a season while tossing 400 to 600 innings. Luckily she was on her second Mojito at the time and so was able to make it through my explanation without her eyes glazing over. (I did have to explain who Nomar was.)
--Beltre 1, Sox 0 for those keeping track.
--Speaking of Beltre, I didn't know that he'd been offered a one-year, $10 million contract by the Sox last year. Instead he signed a guaranteed 5 year, $80 million contract with the Rangers. That's an average of $16 million a year, each year for five years, for those bad at math. I'd turn down the Sox offer for that, wouldn't you? Sox fans vilified him, as they had Damon when he left for much more money than the Sox offered.
--As part of that contract, Beltre makes $14 million this year, and one million more each year until 2016, when he drops back down to $16 million a year. Included also is the stipulation that the Rangers can defer $12 million of the 2016 contract at 1% interest. Oh, and it's in his contract that he gets uniform #29.
--Remember that this guy was in the slush pile after 5 very bad years in Seattle, on an exorbitant contract that he landed after his one--and, at that time, only--great season with the Dodgers. His stats that year, especially the 49 homers, are dubious when compared to those 5 terrible seasons, a drop-off that he has never fully explained. Then one more great year, this time in Boston, and he uses that one good year again to garner an exorbitant long-term contract. I hope he does well this year, or else this would form a very questionable pattern of behavior, if you know what I'm sayin'.
--And speaking of money, Cliff Lee said No to the Rangers this past offseason when they offered him a 6-year/$138 million contract so he could return to the Phillies. That's an average of $23 million per year. And he said No. Tough to fathom, isn't it?
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Morality Bloodhounds
Okay, so it's been awhile. Okay, so it's been a long while. Had some things goin' on, lost a family member, got really sick, got tied up with Paying the Man. But now I'm back, talkin' baseball, so let's get caught up with a few things:
--The Bonds trial has quickly become a circus. The topic in court today was how he walked around with a smaller size bat, if you know what I'm sayin'. What that has to do with him perjuring himself, I don't know, as that soon won't be something you can lie about, if you further know what I'm sayin'. This tells you something about Barry: Yuckiness seems to follow him, 700+ homeruns or not. Bad for baseball. Bad for my acid reflux.
--I worry a little about the Morality Bloodhounds. First Barry. Clemens is next, mark my words. The same legal moral railing didn't turn out so well for Kenneth Starr, and it won't end well for whoever's in charge of this fiasco, either. Bonds is a jerk, not the Antichrist. Slap him with a year in jail, or probation, and take away his HOF entrance for 14 years (You can't keep him out. He's up there with Ruth and Williams, 'roids or not, and you can't just whisk that away.) and move on. Stop bathing baseball fans in the mud.
--The Yanks may win more games than you would think. If they have the lead after the 7th, they'll win about 99% of the time. Soriano and Rivera are the newest Rivera and Wetteland. The Yanks may be playing 7 inning ballgames this year. And with that offense, they'll have a lot of leads. But with that starting pitching...Don't rule these guys out. They could surprise and win the division.
--But I don't think they will. Go Sox. The Fenway opener against the Yanks will mean more than usual, even if it is the very beginning of the season. Speaking of which, the games with the Rangers will show a lot as well. But why start at 4, then 8, then 2? I'm just sayin'. I mean, we all have DVR.
--When I heard that Jeter's shirts and apparel were the best-selling in baseball, by far, his recent contract made a lot more sense to me. It ain't all about the play on the field.
--By the way, Pedroia outsold A-rod, for those of you keeping track. And I was very surprised that Pujols barely made the top-10. That ain't right.
--Beltre could've hit 30 homers a year at Fenway alone, had he stayed. Just take a knee, and swing. I haven't seen a swing better fit for Fenway, ever. That swing would make all of those shots go over the Wall for Beltre, too. He didn't have too many wall-balls last year.
--There's something going on with Beckett that we may read about in a few years. Maybe Pap, too.
--The Sox and Yanks measure up closer than you'd think. Both have questionable starting pitching that could either excel, or flame out. The Sox starters, overall, are better, with Lester and Buchholz, but if Beckett and Lackey don't perform, and Dice-K's arm falls off, this could be a very disappointing year. The 8th and 9th innings should be great for both teams--with the Yanks getting the nod--and the offense should be stellar, as well, with the Yanks getting the nod there as well, though the Sox's offense could pull away, as they've gotten younger while the Yanks have gotten older. But this year may be a draw, with the Sox getting the upper hand offensively for the next few years. The difference could come down to middle relief, of all things. Or injuries.
--Because of this, watch out for the Rays. And Rangers. The Rays may still surprise, despite the firesale. If their rookies perform well--and they might--they could be in the thick of the wild card.
--Sox and Phils at the end.
--The Bonds trial has quickly become a circus. The topic in court today was how he walked around with a smaller size bat, if you know what I'm sayin'. What that has to do with him perjuring himself, I don't know, as that soon won't be something you can lie about, if you further know what I'm sayin'. This tells you something about Barry: Yuckiness seems to follow him, 700+ homeruns or not. Bad for baseball. Bad for my acid reflux.
--I worry a little about the Morality Bloodhounds. First Barry. Clemens is next, mark my words. The same legal moral railing didn't turn out so well for Kenneth Starr, and it won't end well for whoever's in charge of this fiasco, either. Bonds is a jerk, not the Antichrist. Slap him with a year in jail, or probation, and take away his HOF entrance for 14 years (You can't keep him out. He's up there with Ruth and Williams, 'roids or not, and you can't just whisk that away.) and move on. Stop bathing baseball fans in the mud.
--The Yanks may win more games than you would think. If they have the lead after the 7th, they'll win about 99% of the time. Soriano and Rivera are the newest Rivera and Wetteland. The Yanks may be playing 7 inning ballgames this year. And with that offense, they'll have a lot of leads. But with that starting pitching...Don't rule these guys out. They could surprise and win the division.
--But I don't think they will. Go Sox. The Fenway opener against the Yanks will mean more than usual, even if it is the very beginning of the season. Speaking of which, the games with the Rangers will show a lot as well. But why start at 4, then 8, then 2? I'm just sayin'. I mean, we all have DVR.
--When I heard that Jeter's shirts and apparel were the best-selling in baseball, by far, his recent contract made a lot more sense to me. It ain't all about the play on the field.
--By the way, Pedroia outsold A-rod, for those of you keeping track. And I was very surprised that Pujols barely made the top-10. That ain't right.
--Beltre could've hit 30 homers a year at Fenway alone, had he stayed. Just take a knee, and swing. I haven't seen a swing better fit for Fenway, ever. That swing would make all of those shots go over the Wall for Beltre, too. He didn't have too many wall-balls last year.
--There's something going on with Beckett that we may read about in a few years. Maybe Pap, too.
--The Sox and Yanks measure up closer than you'd think. Both have questionable starting pitching that could either excel, or flame out. The Sox starters, overall, are better, with Lester and Buchholz, but if Beckett and Lackey don't perform, and Dice-K's arm falls off, this could be a very disappointing year. The 8th and 9th innings should be great for both teams--with the Yanks getting the nod--and the offense should be stellar, as well, with the Yanks getting the nod there as well, though the Sox's offense could pull away, as they've gotten younger while the Yanks have gotten older. But this year may be a draw, with the Sox getting the upper hand offensively for the next few years. The difference could come down to middle relief, of all things. Or injuries.
--Because of this, watch out for the Rays. And Rangers. The Rays may still surprise, despite the firesale. If their rookies perform well--and they might--they could be in the thick of the wild card.
--Sox and Phils at the end.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Carl Crawford, and Beyond
Well, I have to say I'm surprised. I like the signing, even at 7 years / $142 million. I like Carl Crawford, and you'd have to say the Sox offense is on par now with the Yanks', or even better. It also probably says goodbye to Jacoby Ellsbury, and I'm surprisingly okay with that. There's been something up with him that the casual fan--or the more involved fan like me--doesn't know about. A friend said to me today, "He says he's still sore," and I responded, "Yeah, literally and figuratively," because there's a lot of animosity there that hasn't come out to us. Ellsbury is very upset with the Sox about how they treated his rib injury, and the Sox are very upset with him about how he's responded to it--and about how upset with them he is. There's also something else, I believe (with admittedly little or no proof), that someone is hiding from us. Some disability, or addiction, or problem, or something, that's being explained with, "Rib injury." His ribs are definitely injured, but there's something else...
At any rate, though it would be wonderful to keep him, you now have a severe glut of outfielders. This is a great problem to have, because a couple of them, at least, are going to be traded for relief help, and you'd have to be a fool if you didn't ask for Ellsbury in return for a really good reliever. Drew's not going anywhere, so he'll be in right, with Kalish/McDonald/Nava backing him up--because you know his neck and back will bother him. A lot. Crawford will be in left, or in center; ditto for Cameron, who isn't going anywhere for the same reason Drew isn't: they're too expensive, and no one wants them. I'd love to pawn them off on someone, but who'd take them? The ideal situation is Drew/Kalish in right, Ellsbury/Kalish in center, and Crawford in left, though Crawford could play center for me any day. That leads McDonald and Nava available, but I can't believe anyone would part with a high quality reliever for those two guys. But I do believe that lots of teams would part for one, or both, of those guys, and Kalish. I also believe lots of teams would part with a quality releiver, straight up, for Ellsbury (with McDonald or Nava thrown in, but you're overpaying for a high quality reliever if you give up Ellsbury and Kalish for one guy), especially considering Ellsbury's health concerns.
That's the point of this deal: Ellsbury, Kalish, McDonald and Nava are all expendable now, and you could get at least two high quality relievers for any combination of those guys. Or you could just sign Kerry Wood, which I would (assuming the Sox haven't emptied the cookie jar already, which is a very real possibility), and then trade Ellsbury OR Kalish for another good reliever, with any combination of Nava and McDonald if someone insists. (I think those two are part-time or three-quarters players, like Cameron, but Cameron even now is much better. None of those three will ever be a full-time permanent major league player.) I think the Sox think that Kalish is the prime player here, and would rather lose Ellsbury, for the reasons I explained above.
I'm surprised, though, about the Crawford signing because, really, the Sox didn't need him. With Kalish/Ellsbury/McDonald/Drew and Nava in the outfield, the Sox still were second in the majors in runs and offense last year. They missed the playoffs because of their starting and relieving last year, plain and simple. So they could have traded any combination of those guys for a couple of relievers--one great, one good--and they still would make the playoffs next year, if not go all the way. They didn't need another outfielder. This signing means that three or four of those guys definitely will go, and you'll definitely get those two relievers, and who knows what else they'll do by then? With that relief help, and Beckett and Lackey returning to something that even a little bit resembles what they're supposed to be, and I'm writing about next year's Series winner now.
All of this also means that they're playoff contenders for the next 7 years, and that Ortiz, Papelbon, Cameron, Drew, etc. will definitely not be back after next year. They just spent all the money they were saving by jettisoning those players by getting Crawford and Gonzalez now. And who could blame them? I'm okay with losing Papelbon after this coming year for the same exact reason I am about losing Ellsbury. I'll be said to see Big Papi go, and maybe they'll resign him to a much cheaper, incentive-laden contract (which I think both sides would be very happy with), but nobody can deny that the big guy has been slipping, even if last year was a bit of a rebound from the year before. But he's clearly not going to get better, and he's clearly not going to be able to stay at last year's level, either. Now would be a good time for him to start slimming down, too. Make that swing a little quicker, maybe. Make the body last a little more. But if you lose him after next year, and if you have a couple of those outfielders (minus Ellsbury and/or Kalish, who'll definitely be traded by then), then you can platoon them at DH, and move around the outfielders to DH to give them an occasional day off in the field, and you wouldn't lose much offensively when you tally the numbers at the end of the year.
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