Weekend Question: Sox at the trade deadline

by Randy Booth on Jun 7, 2008 6:00 AM EDT in News

I wanted to post this question later in the season, but with injuries popping up left and right, this may be a good time to pop it:

If you could make any (realistic) trade for the Sox before the trade deadline, what would it be and why?

Mull on it and reply in the comments section. I figure we can get some good, interesting responses.

I've got two: John Lackey and Omar Vizquel. It'd take a lot to get Lackey, a free agent (Angels hold an option), but he'd probably be the best arm to acquire if the Angels were to really drop out of the race (really, really drop out of the race). It'd probably take some primo prospects as well.

As for Vizquel, the Giants like him but there's always a price for an old shortstop. I think we could get a trade done if we traded a prospect like Kris Johnson plus a lower level prospect or two.

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I can't see Lackey happening

The Angels are going to win the West – they’re 4.5 games up, despite a string of injuries. If they’re going to get anywhere it’ll be on he backs of their rotation, and maybe their four CFs.

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 7, 2008 11:32 AM EDT 0 recs

"get anywhere in the PLAYOFFS" that is

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 7, 2008 11:32 AM EDT up 0 recs

I do like to dream… :)

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Jun 7, 2008 11:50 AM EDT up 0 recs

I don't think the Sox can

trade for the Angel they absolutely dominate. In 60.1 career innings, he’s given up 90 H, 26 BB, and 10 HR to the Sox, and has a 6.27 ERA against them. Granted, we don’t play LAA enough for it to be critical, but it’s still fun to see them sending him out against our aces in the playoffs.

Also, it seems unlikely the Angels would trade to a playoff rival, and if they did, the trade would probably have to be lopsided on the Sox side. I have nothing against Lackey, per se; he owns the Yanks in the playoffs, and would be a good pitcher. Just can’t see this happening.

by 0157H7 on Jun 7, 2008 12:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

Best Pitcher Available

The best pitcher may be realistically available will be Sabathia. I’ve even heard that the Indians have been scouting the Sox’s minor league talent recently. If we could get him and sign him to an extension our rotation next year would be:

Beckett
Sabathia
Dice-K
Lester
Buchholz

I don’t care if that Yankees get Teixeira that rotation is winning the division,

by Gnick on Jun 7, 2008 11:59 AM EDT 0 recs

I agree

The Yankees will most likely only get one of Sabathia and Teixeira, I am just not sold on Sabathia as a big time starter. He seems to disappear when the Indians need him the most. But you are correct that Rotation would be insane.

by SoxAcumen on Jun 7, 2008 1:32 PM EDT up 0 recs

The Yankees have the financial muscle to get both of them if they wanted. That said, with their plethora of aging DH/1B types, I expect them to not be in on Teixeira. 1B is an excellent location to stash Damon or Posada as their defense declines. Sabathia though seems like the perfect guy for them as a FA – he only costs money and would bolster their rotation. Of course, he’ll have his choice of teams.

by 0157H7 on Jun 7, 2008 5:44 PM EDT up 0 recs

yeah,

thats my point, other teams will be in on CC and will make his price sky rocket to Santana type deal, meaning to get both the Yankees would be adding $20 million a year for Teixera and another $22 million a year for CC.

Not gonna happen. Their payroll would be insane. Plus other teams have money now, Angels, Dodgers, Cubbies…and a few wild cards like Houston or Texas and then throw in some other FAs from Japan and there is just no way the Yankees can keep four/five people with those salaries. Their money is not infinite and they are not dealing with these players in a bubble.

Someone will jump in for both, Baltimore for Teixeira and someone else for CC. IMO Yankees will sign Teixeira and CC will go to someone out of no where like Houston or Philly.

by SoxAcumen on Jun 7, 2008 6:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

You may be surprised

Everyone is writing the Braves out of the Teixeira sweepstakes. They may surprise everyone and re-sign him. Why trade Saltalamacchia if they weren’t even going to try?

I think Cleveland tries to re-sign Sabbathia as well.

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Jun 9, 2008 1:01 PM EDT up 0 recs

I really don't want Vizquel

I’d take Drew or Tulo to be our SS. It’s not going to happen, so I’d rather stick with Lugo (there, I said it).

But if Lackey can happen, so can Drew. What could Zona ask for him?

It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

by MerryGoByeBye on Jun 7, 2008 12:15 PM EDT 0 recs

Sorry to be a broken record

We should bring Lowrie up. Really. Cora can’t hit for shit, Lugo is Lugo, and Pedroia has not been that good lately. Lowrie is batting well enough in AAA, so why don’t we bring him up?

It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

by MerryGoByeBye on Jun 7, 2008 12:20 PM EDT 0 recs

The Sox don’t have a roster spot for Lowrie right now. They aren’t gonna move Pedroia and they aren’t likely to trade Lugo. Slotting Lowrie into Cora’s spot doesn’t make sense either. Young players can’t develop on the bench.

I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.

by Drugs Delaney on Jun 7, 2008 12:40 PM EDT up 0 recs

I'm not saying we should bench him

But bring him up for 2 or 3 games, and let him start in place of Pedroia or Lugo. I mean, he’s not the answer to our problems, but I think it would be nice to see if he can hit and play defense well enough. Just for a change, I don’t know.

It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

by MerryGoByeBye on Jun 7, 2008 12:50 PM EDT up 0 recs

My free agent/trade ...

in the off season priorities.

1) Yu Darvish – the man is a potential cash cow just like Dice-K and most view him as the #2 best prospect in baseball behind Bruce. The Sox are getting a rep in Japan and its making the money flow like water into Boston. Either the Yankees or us get him, so why not us?

2) Saltalamachia, Clement or some other young catcher. This is where the bulk of our talent in the minors will go. Everyone who has extra catching will want the farm for it and the Sox might just have to deal some of our beloved farm system to get a quality catcher to replace Tex.

3) Replace Lugo. I have no idea who they will try and get.

I think the Angels will NEVER, EVER trade with the Sox. The Angels are obsessed with the Red Sox and even if we found a package they would take, which would have to include Buchholz and Masterson, I do not think the Angels would ever consider trading Lackey.

But he is a free agent after 2009, so who knows.

by SoxAcumen on Jun 7, 2008 1:43 PM EDT 0 recs

I’m not sold on Yu. He’s got good breaking stuff and a good fastball, but he looks like the word “FRAGILE” should be slapped on him from head to toe. Reminds me of a better Bronson Arroyo, with breaking stuff like Dice-K.

In the MLB: Dice-K > Yu.

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Jun 8, 2008 12:31 AM EDT up 0 recs

FRAGILE?

I thought he was Japanese, not Italian.

Har har.

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Jun 9, 2008 1:02 PM EDT up 0 recs

Clement...

May actually be a guy we could target. Bavasi is a bad, bad General Manager and we could probably trade some spare parts for the kid. Clement hasn’t hit in the majors this season and was sent back down to AAA for more seasoning. However, the kid has hit at every level in the minors. Scoop him up while his value is low, Theo!

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Jun 9, 2008 1:06 PM EDT up 0 recs

I think he's the first basemen of the future for the Mariners.

I’ve heard it’s debatable whether his defense at catcher is anything good, and I believe this is the last season of Sexson’s four-year deal. I would think the M’s will try slotting him at 1B next year. But don’t quote me.

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 9, 2008 4:54 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yu Darvish

Yu looks like a serious stud don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think it will ever happen. Last year he said he didn’t even want to play over in America, he liked it in Japan. Also he is 6’4” and 185 lbs, if you thought Clay needed to put on weight over the off season he has nothing on Yu. The only way Yu could ever stand the Rigors of a full season in America is if he put on about 15 pounds of muscle. After all that as well, the added weight can really change the way his pitches move. All this would also be after we paid his current team more money then we paid for Dice-K.

by drabidea on Jun 7, 2008 3:22 PM EDT 0 recs

We need a defensive substitution at SS

and we’ll get one if the season continues in this positive vein. A Royce Clayton type. Doesn’t matter about the stick.

Bottom 9th B:1 S:0 O:0 With Bill Mueller batting, Dave Roberts steals (1) 2nd base.

by britsoxfan on Jun 7, 2008 7:24 PM EDT 0 recs

What's wrong with Cora?

Aside from his range, Cora seems like an acceptable sub.

by 0157H7 on Jun 7, 2008 10:43 PM EDT up 0 recs

I agree

Cora may not be able to hit much, but he’s fine as a sub here & there. If you’re not happy with the SS situation, then your problem is with Lugo not Cora.

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Jun 9, 2008 1:08 PM EDT up 0 recs

Hmm maybe so.

But to jump the gun, imagine if we make the post season… do you not think that we’d need a better defensive SS on the 40 man? The FO clearly thought so when they added Clayton, though of the top of my head, I don’t think he was used much (or at all).

Yes, yes… very previous thinking about this now.

Bottom 9th B:1 S:0 O:0 With Bill Mueller batting, Dave Roberts steals (1) 2nd base.

by britsoxfan on Jun 9, 2008 2:35 PM EDT up 0 recs

But he was responsible...

... for the best Ellsbury quote ever. He and Coco were discussing how the free tacos would be administered, and Clayton pointed out that it would have to be on a specific day, otherwise people would wander around from Taco Bell to Taco Bell from week-to-week, sidling up to the counter and declaring “I ain’t got my taco!“

I know yell this everytime he steals a base, much to the consternation of my co-workers. I think it’s definitely a contribution worthy of a ring. And yes, Vizquel would adequately fill the RC role, I think…

Rock me, sexy Jesus...

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 9, 2008 7:02 PM EDT up 0 recs

err

“now”

Rock me, sexy Jesus...

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 9, 2008 7:02 PM EDT up 0 recs

Lackey?

C’mon guys, the Angels are in first place. They are not going to trade the ace of their staff.

Why is this even being discussed?

by RickD on Jun 9, 2008 12:30 PM EDT 0 recs

+1.

"Are you a real doctor, or a doctor like Dr. Pepper is a doctor?"

by Allen Chace on Jun 9, 2008 8:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

They won't trade Lackey

especially since they’re “built for the postseason.”

by 0157H7 on Jun 9, 2008 11:33 PM EDT up 0 recs

Does that mean...

...they’re built to reach the postseason, or built to actually win a game in the postseason?

Rock me, sexy Jesus...

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 10, 2008 1:00 AM EDT up 0 recs

The latter.

The article and some of the comments say that the Angels are built to go deep into the postseason.

by 0157H7 on Jun 10, 2008 1:05 AM EDT up 0 recs

Bedard

There has been a suggestion that the M’s might trade Bedard in the Chicago Tribune. This seems to me a concession that not only is their season over, but there’s no short-term hope that their prospects for contending will improve – which seems an unlikely concession (but Bill Bavasi is involved). Additionally, it’s the Trib – so its substandard sports reporting, and is probably actually Chris-Farley-Show-esque “that would be awesome” speculation for a Cuban-owned Cubs team…

Regardless, a top of the order lefty with success in the AL East would be tempting, if the rumors are true…

Rock me, sexy Jesus...

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 9, 2008 12:44 PM EDT 0 recs

(joking)

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 9, 2008 11:18 PM EDT up 0 recs

With Soriano out 6 weeks, the Cubs may be in the market for Coco

Of course, we have our own injury issues.

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Jun 12, 2008 1:21 PM EDT up 0 recs