Sure, this is a Red Sox site, not a Patriots one. But, we would be remiss if we ignored the lessons of the greater Boston sports community for lack of a baseball diamond.
Whether or not you agree with Belichick’s 4th and 2 call is irrelevant. The interesting part of the move is not that the Patriots won or lost, but that Belichick actually did it. While some credit goes to Belichick for making a gutsy call – whatever credit is left to go around after the defeat – the majority should go to Robert Kraft. There are very few organizations on this green Earth, let alone sport organizations, that foster a culture where a key decision-maker can take a risk like Belichick did – and not worry about job termination in the event of failure. This rare event is dependent solely upon an extreme level of trust – one which very few organizations practice or cultivate.
Yes, Belichick had to earn that respect from his boss. But this kind of trust is very unique – especially to sports.
Still, despite the loss, the second-guessing, and the media advocating for everything short of an all-out lynching of BIll Belichick, John Henry should use this occasion as an opportunity to learn something from Robert Kraft.
While everyone in the baseball community harps upon creative thinking and unconventional solutions to age-old strategic problems, a major reason why some of the best ideas never come to fruition is because of the fear of repercussions from the higher-ups. When employees and decision-makers have the freedom to make controversial decisions, a general manager, for example, can do what’s best for the team, even if the reiging conventional wisdom says otherwise.
Think back to the 2003 season when the Red Sox tested a bullpen-by-committee approach. Lacking a true closer, the Sox put into practice what every baseball analyst worth his salt has been urging for years – to get rid of the formal “closer” role and go with the team’s best pitcher in the most important situations.
In case you’re lost, I’ll refresh your memory.
In the first months of the season, the team tried all of Chad Fox, Mike Timlin, Brandon Lyon, and Lefty Grove’s resurrected arm in the ninth inning in an effort to maximize the effectiveness of a weak bullpen. The move failed, and Theo, in his first season, felt the brunt of the Boston media pressure and caved mid-season, bringing in Byung-Hyun Kim to man the final frame. And, though Kim performed well in the role with a 3.18 ERA and 16 saves, it was a powerful display of the strength of the Boston media – that all the voices in New England drown out the trust between owner and general manager, affecting the decision making at every level the Red Sox’ front office.
The failure of that move was a real tragedy for the team and all of baseball – remaining one of the great missed opportunities in the MLB of the last ten years. If that move had caught on in Boston, it would have caught on everywhere – changing how bullpens would have operated league-wide. Instead of being the norm in league, the approach awaits a new champion.
But this was not the only example of the quick-trigger, knee-jerk reactions in the Red Sox organization in the past decade.
Was Grady Little really that bad of a manager? Or, was one costly decision and months of second-guessing enough to smear Grady’s positive record?
Was Edgar Renteria really that bad of a shortstop? Or, was one “poor” season and a spiteful media enough to discourage the front office from bringing him back for a second year? Renteria had a 1.9 WAR for the Sox in 2005, going on to register a 3.8 WAR in 2006 and 4.3 WAR in 2007.
The perils of groupthink are almost impossible to avoid when ensconced in the public eye. Created by the unrivaled passion of their fan base and beat writers, this is simultaneously the team’s biggest strength and biggest weakness. The relentless media and loving fans create the market that keeps them among the wealthiest and most competitive teams in baseball. However, that environment has an ugly side – the organization will never be able to take advantage of their genius until the powers that be become more lenient and open minded.
No one be fooled. A major reason the Oakland Athletics can compete – and excelled in the early 2000s – is because they have one of the most intelligent markets in baseball. To their credit, though Billy Beane may go through dry spells on occasion, Oakland has enough trust in his abilities to allow him the freedom to do his job to the best of his ability, convention be damned.
Unfortunately, Theo Epstein does not seem to have this kind of leash. Though it is difficult to read whether John Henry has the requisite trust in Theo required for some real aggressive deal making, Boston’s old-school writers do not – a powerful lobby that can ruin reputations and terminate budding careers faster than a Jimmy the Greek or Rush Limbaugh interview.
There is absolutely no way the Red Sox would be allowed to make any sort of outside the very narrowly defined conventions of management theory – even if they improve the outlook of the ballclub.
If Papelbon were to leave this team, the front office would have no other choice than to bring on an established closer. While Okajima and a righty reliever should be good enough to split the ninth-inning duties, this is THE Boston Red Sox. They are above any sort of closer-by-committee nonsense. As a corollary, this also rules out ever using Papelbon in the eighth inning when the Yankee’s heart of the order is at bat, where he would be more useful than throwing against the bottom of the order in the ninth.
Forget Jeremy Hermida being anything more than a fourth outfielder next year. Though he could be paired with a $1-$2 million right-handed bat to make a cheap, effective alternative to the Bay-Holliday plan, the front office would be crucified before the tandem ever saw the field. The RED SOX don’t use platoons in left field.
But, before we completely give up hope, there are a signals that things may be changing. The biggest sign in recent years was the acquisition of Brad Penny and John Smoltz to man the 5th starter role. Essentially, the team came in with a fairly risky, uncertain fifth starter situation. By allowing the front office to partake in this kind of maneuver, Theo must have had some level of trust in John Henry, and vice-versa. However, we must consider that this move included the acquisition of a future first-ballot Hall of Famer in John Smoltz, and about 20 young starters waiting in the wings in Triple-A. Therefore, the signal is still a bit difficult to read.
While it’s great to see that Bill Belichick trusts Robert Kraft enough to see through an impending media blitz and allow the coach to keep his job, it’s a bit unfortunate that this does not seem to be the case with the Red Sox.
But, we don’t need to get too down on ourselves. Luckily, our greatest competition, the New York Yankees, are probably the worst in sport in this regard. Every time a member of the Steinbrenner cult threatens to terminate Brian Cashman or Joe Torre/Girardi for a poor result, it constrains the way the team is operates. Instead of focusing on improving the team in every way possible, the onus is shifted to making the least controversial decision in order to avoid scrutiny.
Though the Patriots lost as a result of Belichick’s failed 4th and 2, it is encouraging in the long run that Belichick had enough trust in his owner to make such a controversial call. If only the Sox had a sign from above that this were the case…
Job stability and the role of the owner may be one of the more underrated characteristics of any sport organization. Maybe the Sox could use a little more.
But, in the end, maybe the more important question to ask is: is Theo deserving of this trust?
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To any remaining Pats fans on this blog: It's never too late to stop following this team. Ever since Brady gave up on us before the Super Bowl, it's been very nice not being a Pats fan. I recommend it highly.
Sean O….. you're a puss. A true fan doesn't jump ship when things get a little rough. Now reinsert your spine into your back and redeem yourself.
Brady gave up on us first. his Super Bowl performance was the single worst performance I have ever seen from an athlete.
I'm just waiting for Giselle to tell him he can't play football anymore so he can retire to New York where he belongs.
Apparently, you're to young to remember Super Bowl XX…
Who's going to young?
Brady had the greatest football team in history, and one of the very best wide receivers in history. And yet somehow, he managed to throw the ball 15' over Moss with no Giants around either of them at least a half dozen times. All this after he Beckett-like taunted the Giants by saying there was no way they would score under 20 points.
I hate athletes who run their mouth and can't back it up, like Brady and Beckett. Stay humble, lest you look like an idiot in front of millions.
Everyone has an off game. Until it's repeated consistently, I'm going to assume it was an off game, not him giving up.
Let's see:
1). Giants Super Bowl
2). The Colts game the year before where they blew a 3 touchdown lead
3). The Colts game this week where they blew a 17 point 4th quarter lead
He hasn't come through once since the last SB win, and 2 of the SBs were crazy lucky (the kicker nailing it out of bounds, TO being injured). He's a nothing.
Having a bad game and giving up on a team are completely different. Yes Brady had the greatest football team in history and he put up the best season ever by a quarterback. I literally cannot think of one time I have ever thought that Brady had given up or was not giving his all. You may want to give some credit to the giants pass rush, or include the offensive line, who were repeatedly confusing on their blocking assignments because of the giants blitzes. And guess what? Ben Roethlisberger had a much worse game in his first super bowl, but because they won, it gets overlooked. I am stunned that you think he gave up
I'd like to chime in saying Brady did not lose this past game. In order of who did:
1. Maroney
2. Faulk
3. Belichick (the second timeout and the call for 4th down)
4. Brady (the first timeout)
I didnt realize that blowing a 3 touchdown lead and a 17 point lead was on the offense. And don't forget to get to that AFC championship game he completed a pass on fourth down and they beat a much more talented Chargers team. As far as being lucky goes, I don't think you can point to luck in those situations because it is a team game, and you cannot say with any certainty whatsoever that the pats would have lost either of those games. And in the AFC championship game the Colts recovered a fumble in the end zone to score a touchdown, but I guess according to you its still bradys fault they lost that game. The fact is that the defense lost both of these games. How can you blame Brady for "blowing" a lead that he and his offense were responsible for in the first place?
There were a half dozen times where Moss was wide open and Brady skied the ball way over his head. He's the leader of the team, and he shrank from the pressure when it counted. He wants to run his mouth instead of playing good football, and I cannot wait until we get any other human playing QB. They may not have the same stats, but they won't make claims they can't back up, and they won't choke in the 4th like every single Brady game since '04.
Thank you, Mike, for being one of the very few to recognize that the closer-by-committee was not a bad idea, just a good idea without the players to make it successful. A relief pitcher's job is to throw strikes. Period. That crew didn't, and that's why it failed. No different than what happened to Papelbon this postseason. At all.
I think you have hit the nail on the head re: Boston sports, or more specifically…Red Sox and the fan base/media.
While i do not have any true empirical evidence save for living 14 years in SF, and now living in a city without any major sports team… i do think it has been hard to see how we as a fan base can sometimes be SO fickle and eager to both put someone on a pedestal and yet, the next day, if they F up, swipe that pedestal right out from under them.
Some call this rabid fandom good… great fans support the team in so many ways, but the pressure of this scrutiny has been talked about at times. Whether anybody should "man up" and be ok with this is not necessarily a point i would want to tackle here but i will say that there are times reading these blogs when i wince at the venom some "fans" spew at the team/management/FO. When the media starts calling for heads and the fans start dictating play calls beyond normal banter and charged discussion with intelligent arguments, i wonder what this says for us?!
there will be bone-head plays made, that is why it is a game. and sometimes it comes down to who makes the least bone-headed plays/decisions.
i love watching sports. used to love playing any kind of sport i could.
i grew up a Red Sox fan. My heroes will always include Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Dewey Evans, and Carlton Fisk as they were summertime obsession and fantasy ( to play a game you love and have fun doing it).
Have we, as rabid as we get sometimes, taken the fun out of it? The sheer joy of a great game played?
Has success spoiled us? or worse… are we becoming just like Yankee fans – expecting perfection all the time?!
Perhaps i haven't grown up yet. Perhaps i missed something along the way. Perhaps i also have a life outside of my fan-dom for sports and perhaps i try to remember that after all, it is still just a game…
the folks that get paid the big bucks to make decisions are just that. Let them do their work.
Meantime, i can call my local political reps and try to persuade them to do something really important.
i guess the issue is really how to define the line between fabulous fans vs. boorish and brutal "fans" who appear ready to tear off heads.
Again, i wish more folks could get more worked up over issues like world hunger, Tibet, Darfur, animal abuse, and why in the hell does Fox news still exist???
Please Donna, no politics here…
I have strong political opinions too, but I try my best to keep them away of the page. Baseball is an escape. And an big part of the fun of this escape is trying to win and trying to put togheter the best possible team on the field.
And the FO and the players are without a doubt extremelly well payed professional, who knows criticism is just part of their job.
Criticism is absolutely part of the job, no doubt about it. Anyone who can't handle it shouldn't be in the sports world.
However, the fickleness of an owner in the face of criticism can be very dangerous. Sure the GM can handle it, but when the owner caves, people get canned. So, looking out for one's own best interest, it behooves employees to make the least controversial decision in order to keep their jobs.
You got a point, Mike.
But I think there is another side of the argument. The pressure in Boston to win is also a pressure for the team to get better. If people simply accepts the decline of the team as some kind of fatality, that gives the FO the excuse to sit on their hands and accept mediocrity. Look at the Yankees: evidently the people’s pressure don’t harm the team at all. In fact the people pressure the team to be improving constantly, and is one of the factors why NYY are such a powerfull franchise.
And you know what? I want the same for Boston. I don’t want to accept decline knowing the team have the money to make a perennial contender.
We are the second most popular team in the sport, but we have the 6th payroll. And I see many people resigned to sign mediocre players like Dye. Why?. This team has lots of money. Why don’t sign the best player available to fill our hole in LF?
That’s why I want Holliday. And I will take no other.
Good point. There's definitely an accountability side to all this.
Because once again, Matt Holliday sucks. They don't want to sign Matt Holliday because he is bad as a baseball player.
"Bad as a baseball player"??. Don't be ridiculous. Just look at his numbers.
And please don't give me the "he cannot hit in the AL" crap, because that's not true. Look at the numbers. He started slow in Oakland, and everybody simply stoped looking. But the truth is after the first month and a half (5 weeks if i remember correctly), the guy made the adjustements and was doing great in Oakland. Even when that's a togh park for any hitter and had zero protection from their lineup. Then he was traded to St Louis and the guy absolutely raked.
Last year he has shown he is not a "product of Coors". He has ammassed great numbers in two pitchers parks. His numbers shown he is very good against good pitching and there is absolutely no reason to doubt of him in the AL. In fact, Fenway is an ideal park for him, and protected with our lineup, his numbers are gonna be above the projections.
And of course, he is a very good defender too. An atletic guy who is not gonna turn in a DH like Bay. He is 16 months younger, and healthy. He is the best left fielder available this and next year by far.
Holliday is an elite player, you like it or not.
.829 OPS. It's simple as that, you think it's ok to give $20m to Nolan Reimold. You give that much to a sure-thing, and Holliday has only ever produced in the biggest hitting park in baseball, or the weakest division in baseball, or both.
Matt Holliday has played for 3 teams in his career.
.909 OPS this year, despite a slow start. 313 AVG, 24 HR, .394 OBP. Great numbers in two notorious pitcher’s parks (St. Louis and Oakland). He obviously can hit outside Coors. And he can hit in any league and in any division.
And obviously Fenway is the perfect park for him. Hitting against the monster, and surrounded by our lineup, and his numbers are gonna be even better than the projections. Add to that the capacity to play very good defense, and you have an overall elite player.
So, yes, I have absolutely no problem in paying him $20m a year for him. The guy worth every penny. And, again: we have a lot of money, and a hole in LF.
Holliday feasted on truly awful pitching in an extreme hitter's environment, when the NL West was one of the worst divisions in baseball history. Then he goes to the worst pitching division in the AL West and fails miserably, before having a strong season upon returning to the NL in the new weakest division.
He's the biggest mistake this club could possibly make. It is impossible to screw up more than giving $20m to someone who cannot hit in a major league.
He did not "fail miserably". That OPS is low because of his SLG, not his OBP, which was actually only about 8 points off Bay's 2009 OBP, and considering Holliday had the Oakland Colosseum as a home base and had, what, a failing Jason Giambi to protect him, and Bay played in Fenway with much better hitters, that's pretty damn good.
Matt Holliday's power disappeared some in Oakland, and if you want to argue that a guy like Bay will have more power than Holliday, that's fine, I'll accept that and move on. Holliday's more of a 25-30 HR kinda guy, but I bet he'd hit a ton of doubles off the Monster, and with a potentially better OBP, AVG, strike out rate, and defense, I'll take Holliday. Both Holliday and Bay will likely be overpaid to some degree, I'll take my chances with someone who will remain in the field longer and be viable for most of his contract.
You cannot give $20m a year over 6-7 years to someone who is completely unproven. Maybe people just don't realize how terrible the NL is, but it's far more like AAAA than on equal footing. Hitters moving from the AL to the NL explode, but not the other way around.
The league difference is so much greater than meager park effects. The AL West this season had only one above average pitching club, so he was facing relatively weak pitching in the weakest AL division.
Giving someone $20m a year on potential is how you sink baseball teams long-term. I cannot believe so many people want to handicap the Red Sox.
So, according to your logic, Adrian Gonzalez is worthless too, right? After all, he has played all his career in the NL West.
And, if you are gonna simply dismiss every player of the NL as an “AAAA player”, then you are saying Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, Hanley Ramirez, Prince Fielder, and all the players who have played his entire careers in the NL are worthless too, right? According to you, only AL players deserve to be considered major league players.
And, by the way, there are many players who have moved from the NL to the AL with succes. Example: Jason Bay. There is absolutely no reason to think Holliday will be any different. Probably he will need a period of adjustment, like JD Drew, but his numbers against good pitching show he can handle any league and any division.
I'm not in favor of resigning Bay. Neither of them deserve $15-20m a year for their skillset, and I was chiefly against trading for Bay because we'd try to extend a player going into his mid 30s. But even if I did support signing Bay, you have to know that what you're getting is elite.
None of those players had a long trial run in the AL and were completely unable to produce. And, Chase / Hanley play premium positions, while the other two are gold glovers at their positions. We are talking about the future of the club here, and you would like us to duplicate Vernon Well's disastrous contract, only in an easier defensive position with less defensive skill.
I pray he goes to an NY team.
Obviously you have decided to ignore the numbers, because the skillset of Matt Holliday is the skillset of a premium an all around elite player, you like it or not.
And about the ABSURD argument of Holliday not having a gold glove: We all know the gold gloves are mostly reserved for centerfielders. And the gold gloves are mostly a big popularity contest; Jeter has won many with a below-average defensive skillset. The only thing that matters are the defensive metrics. And the defensive metrics show Holliday is a GREAT DEFENSIVE PLAYER, gold glove or not.
And if Holliday goes to NY, they are gonna secure one of the best left fielders in the game, and we are gonna have to fill our hole in left with vastly inferior players for many years. Losing Holliday to the Yanks would be absolutely devastating for us.
yea sorry just woke up feeling like it sometimes feels too much to get so involved in the sports stuff..
but you are right. it IS an escape.
and a good one, at that!
Agree :)
Go Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike,
I agree with you that the FO caves to media pressure a lot ( Big example is Grady). But you have to understand the circumstances. When you boil it down, it is a regular season game, which they lost. Now add the details of it being Monday night against the hated rivals of the Indianapolis Colts and that adds a certain dimension. Now, the Patriots are in first place in their division, up 2 games, and probably still going to make the playoffs. Obviously, Kraft understands this and thus has allowed the matter to pass. Eventually, the patriots fans will as well.
I do see your logic because I think it is a crock that the Red Sox as an organization are notorious for swindling every red cent out of their fans through marketing and merchandise and then turn around and say "Sorry, eveyone, we couldn't afford such and such a player. All of a sudden, we have become extremely poor and we could not find it within reason to pay Player X some amount, so we have decided to watch another team pick him up and then watch the season unfold as this noted player wins game after game for another team." It seems that they know that for 81 days a year, Fenway will be filled to capacity regardless of the product they put on the field. I understand that with every player they acquire there will be a level of scrutiny, but there has to be a better excuse than "We couldnt afford him." We have FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY, its no good if we don't use it.
Great article Mike. The old west had "hanging judges" galore, appliying ridiculous standards, taking lives unjustly. To me, the always shrill, always clever Boston sports media are the baseball equivalent of hanging judges, expressing the worst, usually getting it wrong. The fans who read and listen to them are becoming as needlessly angry. too often they fail to disxuss players in objective, humane ways, simply call ing for their heads without a hint of consideration for the players or team. In this way, the fans have moved from dittoheads to dittohaters.
If it weren't for well reasoned sites like this, Bottom Line, and a couple of others, I only check out NESN and MLB, forming my own opinions, which (like all here) are often more correct.. Thanks Evan for a great site. Thanks to the writers for such intelligent presentations, and to the posters for such erudite opinions.. IMO, whether Theo trades extensively or goes with his gut and waits a few months until Reddick, Kalish, Anderson, etc. are ready will yield similar results.
As far as that Pats game goes, I think Bill did the right thing, and that was'nt the only reason they lost.
Fumble & interception in end zone, 2 penalties that led to scores, and the defense was beat. They
were undermanned, and on the field a lot because Brady took the team down to score in quick
drives, and defense did'nt get much time to rest. Previous Indy drive, Manning went trough the defens
like hot knife thru butter, and with 2 minutes, and time out, we've seen Tom go the length of field,many
times, and Manning would have to. If Faulk had caught the ball right, Bill would have been a genuis.
Belichick’s desicion was based on he did not want Peyton Manning back on the field. Whether it was 30 or 80 yards to win Peyton would have won the game. As a Colt fan I went into a panic when he made the choice, my first inclination was that Belichick had found another way to win. Pass caught a win, pass bobbled a loss. I thought it was a gutsy call and only a hall of fame coach like Belichek would have thought of it. Rejoice in what you have.
Papelbon has to throw 98 mph and not try to hit spots at 93. Too tentative.
I strongly disagree, because I don’t think Matt Holliday is an “unproven” player by any means. His numbers, in every place in wich he has played, show a great, and very complete hitter. He can hit for high average, power, great on-base abilities, you name it. And his numbers against good pitching show he can do it against any competition. Of course, the fact he will be playing in Fenway, a hitter’s park (specially for right handers), and sorrounded by a very good lineup, is only gonna play in his favor.
So, I simply don’t know why are you so convinced he cannot hit in the AL, because there is no real arguments to doubt about his abilities. Elite players hit everywhere. Miguel Cabrera was hitting in the “AAAA” NL too, and he never was a “gold glover” by any strech of the imagination, but he is still a premium player in Detroit, and a future HOF.
So, personally, I’m convinced Holliday will be a big guy for the next five years, and a valuable player for another 1-2 years. And I have no problem in signing him long-term.
Sorry for the double-post
Brandon Lyon reeled off quite a few saves in a row when he came on the scene.
When Papelbon first emerged, I was scared he'd suffer the same fate,
namely being termed "not really a closer".
How can one pitcher save about ten in a row and NOT be good,
yet another does the same thing and is deemed a closer for the ages?!?
Another funny dichotemy:
Tito has two World Series rings.
Joe Cronin: Z-E-R-O!
How come everybody is all over Tito,
yet nobody seemed to have challenged Cronin?
O-R…maybe the latter had a band of supporters
called Cronies of Cronin??!!??
Furthermore…did the fellow who managed 1918 (name escapes me)
have a team that "won in SPITE of him"???
Probably because the writers were also racist alcoholic assholes like Cronin. How that human garbage gets remembered positively I'll never understand.
I'm arguing that they are gold-glove calibre. By the fielding bible, Holliday is right in the middle, i.e. a fine but unimpressive fielder. Gonzalez (who I don't want to trade the farm for) and Pujols are at the top of the pile at their positions. I should have phrased it better.
The Yankees spending $20m on an unproven player is tremendous for us. The more outrageous contracts they get stuck with, the better for all of baseball.
Look, we have no chance of competing this season. We have black holes at DH, SS and 3B, very little value (though it's cheap at least) in CF, with an RF who alternates between frustrating, brilliant and injured. We have Jon Lester and maybe Clay Buchholz as pitchers. We should start as many of the kids this year as we can and not destroy our future potential, and then rid ourselves of Lowell, Ortiz and Beckett.
I strongly disagree, because I don’t think Matt Holliday is an “unproven” player by any means. His numbers, in every place in wich he has played, show a great, and very complete hitter. He can hit for high average, power, great on-base abilities, you name it. And his numbers against good pitching show he can do it against any competition. Of course, the fact he will be playing in Fenway, a hitter’s park (specially for right handers), and sorrounded by a very good lineup, is only gonna play in his favor.
So, I simply don’t know why are you so convinced he cannot hit in the AL, because there is no real arguments to doubt about his abilities. Elite players hit everywhere. Miguel Cabrera was hitting in the “AAAA” NL too, and he never was a “gold glover” by any strech of the imagination, but he is still a premium player in Detroit, and a future HOF.
So, personally, I’m convinced Holliday will be a big guy for the next five years, and a valuable player for another 1-2 years. And I have no problem in signing him long-term.
And I also think we can be a very competitive team next year with a couple of moves. Agree, Lowell and Ortiz, has to go (I don’t know about Beckett). And, sorry, but every prospect is expendable at this point. They are far away from the majors, and I don’t see any of them (in the hitter’s department at least) with the potential to be truly special. I think they will be solid players, but I don’t see any of them with the potential to be an Adrian Gonzalez.
If we put Holliday and Gonzalez togheter, our lineup will be in a whole new level. We are gonna have a scary offensive once again. If we get this two guys, I don’t fear the Yankees anymore.
At the very least we agree that there is a major transition from the NL to the AL, and you want to put two of them through it at the same time? That will sink this club next year.
Give up on '10, see what you can get from the young kids so you see what you can get FOR them, and restock next year. No matter what we do, we'll have no DH or SS solution next year, and that's a lot to give up to the Yankees.
Actually I disagree. I think the difference between the NL and the AL is marginal, specially when we are talking about elite hitters. This difference, in some cases, makes necesary for a period of adjustment, like JD Drew, but that’s not a big deal. Once Drew made the adjustments, his numbers in the AL are consistent with the numbers of the rest of his career in the NL. There is no reason to think elite players like Pujols are gonna suddenly turn into pumpkins if they switch leagues.
So, I, personally, have no doubts about Holliday and Gonzalez in the AL. Specially if we consider they will be playing in a park that is perfect for both of them, and protected by a very strong lineup. Personally, I think their numbers in Boston will be even better than the projections.