Post-Spring Break Update

Sorry I haven't updated in a while; I've been on spring break. A lot happened with the Red Sox while I was gone, so I'd just like to talk about a few of the moves they made.

1. 3/14/06 - Returned Rule-5 pick Jamie Vermilyea to Toronto.
If you read my mailbag question from the last post, you know my thoughts on this. Vermilyea should never have been picked in the Rule-5 Draft. The front office (which made the move during Theo Epstein's absence) failed to think the pick through, and apparently knew nothing about their own minor league organization and the prospects that are ready to come up. The move cost money and experience on all sides.
Yay or Nay: Nay. Boo front office. Boo.

2. 3/16/06 - Signed Catcher Javier Cardona to Minor League contract.
This move became neccessary after an off-season that saw the trades of Doug Mirabelli and Kelly Shoppach, and the retirement of off-season acquisition John Flaherty. The Sox no longer had a top catching prospect in their system, nor really any options for backstop in the minor leagues. Cardona is a career minor leaguer but has the kind of veteran experience that may help the Sox if things go wrong with Josh Bard or Ken Huckaby. Of course, none of this matters a whole lot at the major league level except on every fifth day, when Josh Bard will now be expected to catch for Tim Wakefield. Regardless of whether Bard masters the art of catching Wakefield's knuckleball, the absence of Mirabelli's bat in the lineup on those days will make for some closer games and perhaps a dip in Wakefield's win percentage.
Yay or Nay: Yay. You can never be too deep behind the plate. The Sox may have the reigning AL Silver Slugger AND Gold Glove behind the plate (AKA the best catcher in the American League) in Jason Varitek, but he won't be there forever.

3. 3/19/06 - Signed OF Juan Gonzalez to minor league contract.
What does this mean for the 2006 Red Sox? Almost nothing. ESPN analysts don't call him "Juan Gone" for no reason. Gonzalez has lost his bat, and he probably won't see any time in the major leagues this season, especially since the Sox have Adam Stern, Gabe Kapler, Dunstan Mohr, Willie Harris, and David Murphy - all of whom have far more potential than Gonzalez. What does this mean for the future of the Red Sox? Simple. Gonzalez's addition to the Pawtucket outfield left Brandon Moss out of the job. Moss was sent back down to double-A Portland, and now is even less likely to make the major leagues any time this season or next.
Yay or Nay: Nay. Gonzalez has nothing to offer this organization except a wasted roster spot.

4. 3/20/06 - Traded RHP Bronson Arroyo and cash to Reds for OF Wily Mo Pena.
Oh Sox! Sox! How could you trade him? He won 14 games last year! He had the ability to dominate out of the bullpen! He was effing cute! Boston fans loved Arroyo, and he loved Boston, which is why he took a steep discount on his contract to stay here. The move, as it seems, was merely made to heighten Arroyo's trade value. What did they get in return? A career .248 with 51 homeruns and 288 strikeouts in 830 at-bats. How. Could. You?

Okay now that I've let loose that rant, I must admit that this move actually works for the Red Sox in a number of ways. The Sox lost a lot of power from the bench when they moved Mirabelli, so this gives management a strong right-handed bat to work with. Pena is young, and Trot Nixon (entering his contract year) is not, making Wily Mo a top candidate to roam right field when Nixon inevitably flies the coop. His bat makes him seem like a risk, but keep in mind that the Sox are somewhat deep in the outfield, with a number of players like Gabe Kapler (who will return from his achilles tendon injury mid-season) who will be able to pick up some slack if necessary. Also, this move is a message to David Wells. The Sox, by trading Arroyo and relegating Jonathan Paplebon to the bullpen, are giving Wells the chance to help this team at the same time as telling him that they have a very capable young arm waiting in the bullpen to take over for him in the rotation if he falters.
Yay or Nay: Yay. It's really hard for me to say that because I love Arroyo, but the Sox may have spent some of their surplus of pitching depth to improve on the somewhat lacking bench offense.

5. 3/24/06 - Claimed 1B Hee-Seop Choi off waivers from the Dodgers.
You might be saying - gee, with Kevin Youkilis, JT Snow, and David Ortiz all slated for some playing time at first base this year, why make the move for Choi at all? Frankly, this move doesn't do anything really to improve the Sox's first base outlook. What it does, however, is provide some insurance over at third base. Mike Lowell is coming off a very down offensive 2005, and he hasn't been shining at the plate this spring, so the addition of Choi means that if the Sox are forced to move Lowell and send Youkilis back to third, then Choi can come up and provide some depth at first.
Yay or Nay: Yay. It's not often that a move for a first-basemen can help improve third base, yet here we are.

6. 3/26/06 - Royals claim IF Tony Graffanino off waivers.
What a mess. The Sox screwed Graffanino by offering him arbitration even though they had no intention of starting the 2006 season with him in the infield. Any team that signed Graffanino then would have to give the Red Sox a draft pick, severly decreasing his value. So what was Tony to do? He accepted arbitration and forced the Sox to sign him to a one-year, 2.05 million dollar deal. Smart, but it left the Sox with a logjam in the middle infield and virtually guaranteed him to be traded before the season. However, the front office dragged their feet on the trade, and no move was made before Graffanino's contract would have become guranteed, so instead the Sox put him on waivers, to be plucked by the team that the Sox originally acquire Graffanino from in '05. By offering Graffanino arbitration and then by not being aggressive in trading him, the Sox have wasted another huge chunk of money (they still have to pay a quarter of the money owed to Graffanino) and not gotten anything in return. Add this to the money the Sox are paying Edgar Renteria to play for the Braves and Bronson Arroyo to pay for the Reds, and you end up having to shake your head at the money that this front office has wasted during the offseason.
Yay or Nay. Nay. If the Sox like throwing money away so much, they should pay me to go cover the Pittsburg Pirates.