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Epstein prepares for long haul at deadline by Mike Ghika
Sox acquire V-Mart for Masterson, Kotchman for LaRoche
The July 31st non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone, and the Boston Red Sox have made two deals (one major, one wash), leaving a bevy of possibilities still to play out on the major league roster.
Long before the 4pm deadline, the Sox acquired switch-hitting catcher/first baseman and three-time All-Star Victor Martinez from Cleveland in exchange for Justin Masterson and minor league starters Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price, as was first reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. After an injury-riddled 2008 season in which V-Mart appeared in only 73 games, he has bounced back to hit .284/.368/.464 with 15 home runs and 67 RBIs this year.
In a somewhat corresponding move to make room for V-Mart, the Sox sent newly-acquired first-baseman Adam LaRoche to Atlanta in exchange for former Angels prospect and fellow first-baseman Casey Kotchman, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports. LaRoche was scheduled to make another $3 million this year while Kotchman makes just $1 million, so the Sox sent over an additional $1 million with LaRoche to essentially wash out the financial terms of the deal.
Kotchman, the centerpiece in the Angels-Braves deal involving Mark Teixeira last season, is hitting .282/.354/.409 with 6 home runs and 41 RBIs in 87 games with Atlanta.
It seems that the Kotchman move is simply an attempt to prevent a roster imbalance, whereas LaRoche basically would have no role with V-Mart part of the club. Kotchman surely does not have much of a role either, but the experience of LaRoche and his impending free agency means there is no reason for him to wither away down the stretch, while Kotchman is still three years younger and can be seen as a player who can wait to be called upon as a defensive replacement or pinch hitter late in games.
My first thought was that Kotchman could be used as a piece to another deal – a greater deal – possibly involving say a Clay Buchholz, but nothing more came to fruition as 4pm came and went.
Despite the recent talks in the last week that Theo Epstein was a major player for Toronto’s Roy Halladay, the beloved general manager addressed the obvious need of the 2009 Red Sox: offense. During July, the Sox are 12-12 while hitting a mere .245 as a team, 13th in the American League in front of only the Rays for the month. They have struggled primarily against right-handers, but the team hopes a few new bats from the left-side could help right that ship over the remaining two months.
As for the deals’ immediate impact on the team, some designed roles on the roster are currently in limbo. The Sox essentially have just four true outfielders (although Nick Green can play center and left), three catchers, and three guys that can play first base. The option of sending down backup catcher George Kottaras to make room for V-Mart is certainly a possibility, although Kottaras is out of options and would need to clear waivers first.
Meanwhile, V-Mart can and will spell a banged-up Jason Varitek at catcher, although the former Indian has a track record of struggling at the plate when catching, so you figure Varitek will still be the primary catcher – given his health cooperates – with V-Mart appearing at first base and DH.
It is widely known that manager Terry Francona is the best at using his entire bench and matching up against the opposition, but in the end V-Mart and 1B/3B Kevin Youkilis are All-Star everyday players. That means that when Varitek is the starting catcher, Youkilis will be at third and V-Mart at first with David Ortiz the designated hitter. With V-Mart behind the plate, Youkilis will be at first with the suddenly sparingly-used Mike Lowell at third.
Against left-handed starters, Ortiz will likely be bounced from the lineup altogether in an effort to get Lowell at-bats (not to mention to keep Papi out of the limelight in the wake of this week’s PED allegations), where Francona will then have the options of Lowell at third or DH, V-Mart at first or DH, and Youkilis at first or third. The likelihood of Kotchman seeing nine innings at a time regularly is very remote barring injury.
With Masterson gone, the Sox also need to address a need in the bullpen. Francona prefers to have that left-handed specialist along with fellow lefty Hideki Okajima, so it is very possible that Javier Lopez (5.14 ERA at Pawtucket) or Hunter Jones (3.58 ERA at Pawtucket) gets called back up. With Daniel Bard fast becoming the eighth inning set-up man to closer Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez could be stretched out a bit more to make up for the long relief that Masterson would provide.
For now, the Sox may simply go with 11 pitchers (just six bullpen guys) over the weekend in Baltimore before sorting out the pitching roster on Monday’s off-day.
Cleveland, in addition to the 6-4, 250-lb Masterson, also gets two quality minor leaguers with major league potential. Hagadone, a 6-5, 230-lb. left-hander was a former teammate of Tim Lincecum at the University of Washington before being selected by Boston in the 1st round of the 2007 Draft. The 23-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery last June, but had a 2.52 ERA in 10 starts with Single-A Greenville in 2009.
Price, a 6-4 right-hander out of Rice, was taken in the 1st round by the Sox last summer. The 22-year-old was sent from Greenville to Single-A Salem this year, although he is 1-6 with a 6.54 ERA in 11 starts since the promotion.
In the end, Epstein kicked the tires on just about everybody. He was apparently serious in the Halladay talks. Although he didn’t have to give up as many prospects and V-Mart is more versatile, San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez was his first choice to bolster the offense. Epstein even showed interest in Felix Hernandez, but Seattle didn’t bite on what surely must have been a gang of offers for The King.
Regardless, the Sox got a switch-hitter that Francona can mix and match with defensively, making two beat-up veterans – Lowell and Varitek – somewhat expendable down the stretch. Assuming V-Mart hits third, the Sox can sport an everyday lineup consisting of (career BA/OBP/SLG):
CF Ellsbury (.295/.346/.411)
2B Pedroia (.310/.370/.450)
1B V. Martinez (.297/.369/.463)
3B Youkilis (.290/.388/.483)
DH Ortiz (.283/.378/.545)
LF Bay (.279/.375/.513)
RF Drew (.281/.390/.498)
C Varitek (.261/.346/.440)
SS Lowrie (.239/.315/.379)
On a day where the New York Yankees, currently 2.5 games ahead of the Sox in the AL East, made just a minor move in acquiring utilityman Jerry Hairston Jr. from the Reds, the Sox couldn’t have asked for much more. After all, the competition (Yanks, Rays) did not make headlines. The organization retained top prospects (Buchholz, Bard). And the Sox – currently fifth in the AL in runs scored – all of a sudden look a whole lot deeper one through nine.
- Mike Ghika
Follow Jared Carrabis on Twitter by clicking HERE.
Published on July 31, 2009
Sox acquire V-Mart for Masterson, Kotchman for LaRoche
The July 31st non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone, and the Boston Red Sox have made two deals (one major, one wash), leaving a bevy of possibilities still to play out on the major league roster.
Long before the 4pm deadline, the Sox acquired switch-hitting catcher/first baseman and three-time All-Star Victor Martinez from Cleveland in exchange for Justin Masterson and minor league starters Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price, as was first reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. After an injury-riddled 2008 season in which V-Mart appeared in only 73 games, he has bounced back to hit .284/.368/.464 with 15 home runs and 67 RBIs this year.
In a somewhat corresponding move to make room for V-Mart, the Sox sent newly-acquired first-baseman Adam LaRoche to Atlanta in exchange for former Angels prospect and fellow first-baseman Casey Kotchman, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports. LaRoche was scheduled to make another $3 million this year while Kotchman makes just $1 million, so the Sox sent over an additional $1 million with LaRoche to essentially wash out the financial terms of the deal.
Kotchman, the centerpiece in the Angels-Braves deal involving Mark Teixeira last season, is hitting .282/.354/.409 with 6 home runs and 41 RBIs in 87 games with Atlanta.
It seems that the Kotchman move is simply an attempt to prevent a roster imbalance, whereas LaRoche basically would have no role with V-Mart part of the club. Kotchman surely does not have much of a role either, but the experience of LaRoche and his impending free agency means there is no reason for him to wither away down the stretch, while Kotchman is still three years younger and can be seen as a player who can wait to be called upon as a defensive replacement or pinch hitter late in games.
My first thought was that Kotchman could be used as a piece to another deal – a greater deal – possibly involving say a Clay Buchholz, but nothing more came to fruition as 4pm came and went.
Despite the recent talks in the last week that Theo Epstein was a major player for Toronto’s Roy Halladay, the beloved general manager addressed the obvious need of the 2009 Red Sox: offense. During July, the Sox are 12-12 while hitting a mere .245 as a team, 13th in the American League in front of only the Rays for the month. They have struggled primarily against right-handers, but the team hopes a few new bats from the left-side could help right that ship over the remaining two months.
As for the deals’ immediate impact on the team, some designed roles on the roster are currently in limbo. The Sox essentially have just four true outfielders (although Nick Green can play center and left), three catchers, and three guys that can play first base. The option of sending down backup catcher George Kottaras to make room for V-Mart is certainly a possibility, although Kottaras is out of options and would need to clear waivers first.
Meanwhile, V-Mart can and will spell a banged-up Jason Varitek at catcher, although the former Indian has a track record of struggling at the plate when catching, so you figure Varitek will still be the primary catcher – given his health cooperates – with V-Mart appearing at first base and DH.
It is widely known that manager Terry Francona is the best at using his entire bench and matching up against the opposition, but in the end V-Mart and 1B/3B Kevin Youkilis are All-Star everyday players. That means that when Varitek is the starting catcher, Youkilis will be at third and V-Mart at first with David Ortiz the designated hitter. With V-Mart behind the plate, Youkilis will be at first with the suddenly sparingly-used Mike Lowell at third.
Against left-handed starters, Ortiz will likely be bounced from the lineup altogether in an effort to get Lowell at-bats (not to mention to keep Papi out of the limelight in the wake of this week’s PED allegations), where Francona will then have the options of Lowell at third or DH, V-Mart at first or DH, and Youkilis at first or third. The likelihood of Kotchman seeing nine innings at a time regularly is very remote barring injury.
With Masterson gone, the Sox also need to address a need in the bullpen. Francona prefers to have that left-handed specialist along with fellow lefty Hideki Okajima, so it is very possible that Javier Lopez (5.14 ERA at Pawtucket) or Hunter Jones (3.58 ERA at Pawtucket) gets called back up. With Daniel Bard fast becoming the eighth inning set-up man to closer Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez could be stretched out a bit more to make up for the long relief that Masterson would provide.
For now, the Sox may simply go with 11 pitchers (just six bullpen guys) over the weekend in Baltimore before sorting out the pitching roster on Monday’s off-day.
Cleveland, in addition to the 6-4, 250-lb Masterson, also gets two quality minor leaguers with major league potential. Hagadone, a 6-5, 230-lb. left-hander was a former teammate of Tim Lincecum at the University of Washington before being selected by Boston in the 1st round of the 2007 Draft. The 23-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery last June, but had a 2.52 ERA in 10 starts with Single-A Greenville in 2009.
Price, a 6-4 right-hander out of Rice, was taken in the 1st round by the Sox last summer. The 22-year-old was sent from Greenville to Single-A Salem this year, although he is 1-6 with a 6.54 ERA in 11 starts since the promotion.
In the end, Epstein kicked the tires on just about everybody. He was apparently serious in the Halladay talks. Although he didn’t have to give up as many prospects and V-Mart is more versatile, San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez was his first choice to bolster the offense. Epstein even showed interest in Felix Hernandez, but Seattle didn’t bite on what surely must have been a gang of offers for The King.
Regardless, the Sox got a switch-hitter that Francona can mix and match with defensively, making two beat-up veterans – Lowell and Varitek – somewhat expendable down the stretch. Assuming V-Mart hits third, the Sox can sport an everyday lineup consisting of (career BA/OBP/SLG):
CF Ellsbury (.295/.346/.411)
2B Pedroia (.310/.370/.450)
1B V. Martinez (.297/.369/.463)
3B Youkilis (.290/.388/.483)
DH Ortiz (.283/.378/.545)
LF Bay (.279/.375/.513)
RF Drew (.281/.390/.498)
C Varitek (.261/.346/.440)
SS Lowrie (.239/.315/.379)
On a day where the New York Yankees, currently 2.5 games ahead of the Sox in the AL East, made just a minor move in acquiring utilityman Jerry Hairston Jr. from the Reds, the Sox couldn’t have asked for much more. After all, the competition (Yanks, Rays) did not make headlines. The organization retained top prospects (Buchholz, Bard). And the Sox – currently fifth in the AL in runs scored – all of a sudden look a whole lot deeper one through nine.
- Mike Ghika
Follow Jared Carrabis on Twitter by clicking HERE.
Published on July 31, 2009
Guest Blog
Jared Carrabis
Mike Ghika
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