Growing up, my dad was full of life lessons. Here’s one he was especially fond of: “Any boy can tell you about other people’s mistakes, but it takes a man to admit his own.” Well pops, here goes nothing.
I joined the staff at Off The Bench about three months ago. Born and raised in Boston, I made an effort to afford equal attention to the 29 other teams out there. For a while it was even working. But then the wheels started falling off in Wally World, and with them went my dedication to equal opportunity coverage. I needed to vent, and vent I did. For the last two months I’ve been blowing hot air about the many ills in Boston, often with special vehemence directed at Ben Cherrington.
As I poured my angst into the keyboard, what I didn’t get around to were solutions. I almost did. Posts were discussed, posts were outlined, and posts were started. But as Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford will tell you, this is a game about results, not intentions. My ideas, however grand, were never published, and therefor never existed.
But I’ll admit freely that if you sifted through the drafts in my recycle bin, the notes on my lunch napkins, or even the annals of my once-thought thoughts, you would not come across a scenario anywhere resembling what just went down between the two coastal colossi. I didn’t think of it. But you what? That’s why Ben Cherrington is General Manager of the Boston Red Sox, and I edit this blog. So, apologies and admissions behind me, he’s done what he’s paid to do, so I’ll get back to business as well.
The recent trade is exactly what needed to happen in Boston. In fact, it’s pretty much better than anything I could possibly imagine. This blog has already featured a detailed analysis concerning the financial and clubhouse benefits, but decrying the loss of Adrian Gonzalez and future value of Carl Crawford, so I’ll try–for the most part–to stay away from dollar signs and chicken-and-beer issues here. Instead, I’ll tell you why Gonzalez wasn’t so tough to part with.
In my opinion, Cherrington just pulled the wool over Ned Colletti’s eyes (admittedly not a superhuman feat). Yes, Adrian Gonzalez is very, very good. Of MLB first basemen, he is 2nd in RBI and 4th in BA. But he is the 3rd highest paid player at his position–a power position–and amongst his peers ranks 13th in HR, 10th in SLG%, and 8th in OPS. I know I just said no money talk, but he is owed $22 million per season through 2018. That is a lot of money over a lot of years for production that waned considerably in two Bostonian seasons. Now, it’s a big market club, so if there were no other option, that’d be a reasonable price tag to stomach. But another option there is.
Enter Mauro Gomez, first baseman for the triple-A Pawtuckett Red Sox, and freshly crowned International League MVP. Gomez saw time with the big club this year, giving a college try at the hot corner when Will Middlebrooks went down with a hammy (and before Pedro Ciriaco turned into Pedro Cerano). But when Gomez wasn’t with the Red Sox, he was mauling triple-A pitching to the tune of .310/.371/.589, with 24 HR and 74 RBI in just 100 games. With a .960 OPS he was the only minor leaguer to top .900, and outshined his closest rival by a whopping 80 points. His BA and HR total were both good for 3rd in the International league and his RBI mark was fourth. Had he not spent 14 games with Boston (over two call-ups, during two hot streaks), he’d have had a legitimate shot at the International League Triple Crown. As it is, the MVP alone ain’t so bad.
I am not insinuating that Mauro Gomez will give the Red Sox what Adrian Gonzalez would have over the next seven years, but I can just about guarantee that his production will come at a better per-dollar value. Next season, the Red Sox will (most likely) feature Will Middlebrooks and Mauro Gomez at the corners. That’s a projected 45-50 ish home runs for under $1 million. With the flexibility from the rest of the $260-odd million Cherrington dumped on LA, the Sox are free to keep the fan base happy by re-signing Jacoby Elsbury for more than he’s worth. They’re also free to re-sign David Ortiz for more than he’s worth and add pretty much whichever free agent pitcher suits their fancy. Let’s just hope it’s not for more than he’s worth.
-Ari Glantz (who promises not to write on the Red Sox again for the rest of 2012)
Stat of the Day: Mike Trout
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