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Adiós, Julio by Jared Carrabis
Red Sox designate Julio Lugo for assignment, a look at Theo's kryptonite

Since being named the Red Sox general manager in 2003, taking the place of Mike Port, Theo Epstein has brought his team to postseason play all but once, winning two World Series titles in that time.

Of his six seasons as general manager, the teams that he has assembled have made it to the American League Championship Series four times and have gone unbeaten in their two World Series appearances. The boy wonder hasn't given Red Sox Nation much to complain about. He's turned other teams' trash into a Red Sox treasure, for example, by signing David Ortiz to a 1-year, $1.25 million deal. But, the chinks in Theo's armor are shown vividly when you take a look at his track record at the shortstop position.

Since the monumental trade that sent Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs and sent shockwaves throughout New England, the Red Sox have fielded an eye-popping eighteen shortstops since number five's departure.

With the exception of maybe two of those eighteen, none of the men that took the field between second and third base have brought satisfaction to the fans of this franchise. Orlando Cabrera, with his slick fielding and fun-loving attitude, helped solidify an otherwise shaky defense for Boston in 2004, and thus, helped contribute in a big way to the Sox' World Series title.

Epstein, however, did not re-sign Cabrera after his '04 campaign, and received two compensation picks in June's 2005 draft. Thanks to O-Cab's departure, the crafty GM hand-picked two Pac 10 studs by the name of Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie. Thanks, Orlando!

The other shortstop that was undoubtedly the furthest from a failed experiment was another diamond in the dirt found by Epstein, Alex Gonzalez. In 2001, Gonzalez led all Major League shortstops with 26 errors for the Florida Marlins. In 2006, he set the Red Sox record for most consecutive games without an error, going 52 straight contests of perfection. Gonzo would become the first Boston shortstop to accumulate an AL leading fielding percentage (.985) since Rick "The Rooster" Burleson put together a .980 fielding percentage in 1979.

Gonzalez, of course, was brought on board to replace the defensively-challenged, Edgar Renteria. He had won consecutive Gold Glove Awards back in '02-'03, but when he came to Boston, all of those credentials went out the window. Epstein committed $40 million over four years to man who bounced into the final out of the 2004 World Series, but Red Sox Nation would only need to see one of those for years before the vote was unanimous, "Get him out of here!"

Renteria's 30 errors led all of Major League Baseball and were a career high for the Colombian-born shortstop. He blamed the infield dirt at Fenway for his poor defensive play, and before we could hear any more excuses, Theo shipped him off to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Andy Marte. Marte, of course, was a trading chip used along with Guillermo Mota and Kelly Shoppach that were sent to the Cleveland Indians in order to acquire Johnny Damon's replacement, Coco Crisp.

After ridding the Red Sox infield of Edgar Renteria and foolishly letting Alex Gonzalez walk, Theo Epstein then set his sights on inking Julio Lugo. Epstein, a man obsessed with on base percentage, inked Lugo to a 4-year, $36 million deal with a vesting option for a fifth year if the shortstop could accumulate 2,400 plate appearances from 2007-10 or 600 plate appearances in 2010.

In his four years with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Lugo averaged a .350 on base percentage, which the Red Sox took account of, as they were frequently opposing Tampa Bay while playing in the same division. Lugo's .287 batting average and 88 stolen bases while playing at the Trop also may have appealed to Epstein, but $36 million worth? Not likely.

Regardless of his price tag, Epstein brought him on board for his bat, not his defense. Little did the Sox general manager know that his offense would dip significantly and his defense would increase Advil sales all across New England. While in Boston, his on base percentage dipped 31 points and his slugging percentage took a nosedive by dropping 30 points as well.

His defensive miscues weren't nearly as off the charts as Renteria's 30 infield blunders, but Lugo's errors almost always seem to come at the most costly of times. As a result, the burning light shined by the Boston media burned him more badly than it would have if he had made 30 errors, but none resulting in a Red Sox loss.

"I don't care, but sometimes it would be nice to say something positive," Lugo told the Herald's, Steve Buckley. "But all the time it's negative things, you know? Sometimes, you know, people should say something that's positive. But every time it's something negative...bring it up, bring it up, bring it up. Why? I understand you (the media) are going to write whatever you want...but I come here every day and bust my ass...if things don't work out sometimes, that's the way it's going to be. You understand? But sometimes you bring up the same things...You get tired of that."

Lugo's frustrations were heard loud and clear. He never blamed anyone but himself, he never gave anything less than 100% to the Red Sox, it just didn't work out. He was never criticized for a lack of effort, hustle, determination, or selfishness. When manager Terry Francona lessened his role to allow Nick Green more playing time, you never heard a single complaint from Julio Lugo.

"When you see a good looking girl, you get married and sometimes things don't work out," Lugo said. "I gave it my best and unfortunately things didn't work out. This is the best for both parties. I wanted it to work out but it didn't."

After designating the Dominican shortstop for assignment, the Red Sox now have a ten-day window in which to complete a trade or to release Lugo. When a player is designated for assignment, the team has ten days to assign that player to the minors (like they did with Javier Lopez) with their other options being to either trade or release that player.

It is rumored that three National League teams (the Mets, Cardinals and Cubs) are interested in Lugo's services, which brings trading Lugo within the realm of possibility, but if a trade cannot be completed, the Red Sox will have to be released. If Lugo is released, any team will be able to sign him for the league minimum, while the Red Sox are obligated to pay the remaining salary on his contract.

"I'm not satisfied with the way it worked out," Lugo told Buckley, "I wanted to play. I wanted to play good. I wanted to play right here with the Red Sox." Lugo leaves behind no bitterness, as he finished by saying, "I'm not happy that that didn't happen," Lugo said. "But when things don't work out, it’s best to move on."

I would like to wish Julio Lugo the best of luck wherever the road may take him. He's still a talented ballplayer, but some guys just aren't built to thrive with a large market club. Take Jason Bay for example. Since coming over from the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, Bay has 109 RBI in 135 games for Boston. Seemingly, there was no transition period for him. So, again, some players can hack it, some players can't.

So, in conclusion, it seems as if though shortstops aren't Theo's forte, so to speak. However, Epstein did find a gem in Nick Green and has the return of Jed Lowrie coming this weekend, most likely Saturday. Will the pair of Lowrie and Green start a new chapter for Theo in terms of shortstops? Only time will tell.

Best of luck to you Julio,
-Jared Carrabis