Trade Saltalamacchia? Let’s Think Twice

Should the Sox trade Jarrod Saltamacchia? Some writers seem to think so. In his Baseball column on Sunday the 18th, Nick Cafardo states that newly-reaquired David Ross was touted by John Farrell, Gary Tuck, and Jason Varitek as "a defensive specialist who can hit a little bit and someone to mentor Ryan Lavarnway". In the same paragraph, however, Cafardo states that "pitchers overwhelmingly  seemed to prefer throwing to Saltalamacchia over the last few weeks of the season." The article implies that Ross would be a better fit because of his defensive superiority.
 
But let's look at Saltalamacchia for a minute. The man with the long name has seemed to have a positive impact during his two years with the team. Unlike many of his teammates, he has kept his mouth shut through the 2011-2012 debacle. Though he has hit only .226 (somewhat less than his .239 career mark) he does seem to have a Fenway swing- 16 homers in 2011 and 25 last season. He also has notched 41 doubles and drove in 116 runs. Salty also had one of the very few Sox walkoff homers in '12, connecting on May 26 to beat the Blue Jays.
 
One of the knocks on Saltalamacchia has been his defense. In 2012 he allowed 6 passed balls and 80 stolen bases while throwing out 18 for an 18% average. This was slightly below his career mark of 23%. Those stats could be misleading, however, since the Sox pitching staff was a shambles last year and must share some responsibility for the steals. Salty also committed only 6 errors, second in the AL. Ross does have better career "throw-out" percentage, but generally has been a backup with 5 teams and showed little power.
 
The Sox have apparently decided that Saltalamacchia is expendable. One advantage he has, however, is that he doesn't carry baggage, the kind that made former all-stars Jon Lester and Dustin Pedroia into men with attitude questions. I would think twice about dealing Saltalamacchia and awarding the job to Ross. I am tired of seeing players like Marco Scutaro given away, only to become heroes away from Fenway. I still can't believe it-, Scutaro for Clay Mortensen.