So Much So Soon: Analyzing the Sox’ Looong Weekend

Well, that was quick.

After a slow couple weeks while we waited for the crowning of the new World Series Champion (who, sadly, were the New York Yankees), the MLB hot stove exploded in a flurry of moves including the trades of Jeremy Hermida and J.J. Hardy, the rejection of Alex Gonzalez’s, Jermaine Dye’s, and Jason Varitek’s options, the outrighting of Nick Green and Joey Gathright, the retention of Victor Martinez, and the re-signing of Tim Wakefield and Bobby Abreu.

I’m out of breath.

But man, what a week.

Jeremy Hermida

Though Hermida was just the first pin to drop, coming over to Boston in exchange for Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez, he is quite the exciting piece. Though he vastly underperformed his prospect billing during his seasons with the Marlins, Hermida used to be quite the prospect, ranking as Florida’s top farmhand from 2004-2006 and the MLB’s 4^th best in 2006.

But he has fallen quite far since then, posting a cumulative .265/.344/.425 line in 1708 career at-bats. Though Hermida is a big-bodied corner outfielder, standing 6-3, 222 lbs, his power has yet to come around at the big league level, as he posted a career high of just 18 homers back in 2007.

Of greater concern, however, has been the dissipation of his walk rate since arriving in the Majors. His once begone elite batting eye was the primary reason for his soaring stock in the minor leagues – of particular interest was his prodigious showing at AA Carolina in 2005, where he drew 111 BBs against just 89 strikeouts in 504 plate appearances on his way to a .293/.457/.518 line.

Twins Acquire J.J. Hardy

The Minnesota Twins traded for Milwaukee Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy today, in exchange for centerfielder Carlos Gomez. Prior to 2009, Hardy had been among the better offensive shortstops in the majors, though his numbers slumped significantly in 2009.

Hardy had been listed among the Red Sox’ shortstop trade targets this offseason. The move eliminates a valuable option for the team, as they must now contemplate between free agent acquisitions, a trade (possibly for Stephen Drew), or picking up Alex Gonzalez’s option.

Hardy batted .283/.343/.478 in 2008 with 24 home runs in 2008, before batting just .229/.302/.357 in 2009.

15 bats the Red Sox could trade for — Pt. 1

On the heels of the Sox’s fourth disappointing offensive game in a row, it’s becoming abundantly clear that despite the team’s top five offense, it’s a top five incapable of sustaining any sort of playoff-caliber offense.

With that in mind, I have compiled a list of the 15 bats the Red Sox may have interest in. As the trading deadline approaches, I am keen to see if Theo has the “killer instinct” in him to make a strong move instead of holding onto his prospects with an iron fist.

With Jason Bay a free agent and his agent seeking a Mark Teixeira-type deal, is the time now to get a bat for now and the future? Here are some names that could don Sox uniforms sooner rather than later — you’ll see eight names in this article (in alphabetical order). On Friday, the final seven will follow, plus a summary of what the best fits seem to be.

Bates promotion tells a lot about Sox’s concern for O

With the recent callup of first baseman Aaron Bates to the club, it’s clear that the Sox are concerned about their offensive viability.

With the All-Star break around the corner, the club could have opted to keep Jeff Bailey on the roster despite his high-ankle strain and go a couple days against a left-handed starter with Julio Lugo at short or Mark Kotsay at first (despite the latter’s left-handed bat).

Instead, the club chose to promote a 25-year old struggling in Triple-A. Bates’ numbers so far on the year are .182/.273/.295 with only 24 games at the level. And yet, the Sox brought him up to get his right-handed bat in the lineup against lefty pitchers.

Five shortstops Red Sox could pursue

As Nick Green and Julio Lugo team up in an attempt to break the record for most errors out of shortstop (and we thought Edgar Renteria was bad), it’s time to start looking at outside options.

Green has been a great fill-in with the bat after no one expected him to even get a single at-bat on the year. On defense, however, his lead glove is starting to raise concerns. And Julio Lugo, of course, is Julio Lugo. We’ll get to our internal option, Jed Lowrie, in a moment. But for now, let’s focus on five shortstops the Sox could go after.

Wait, what? Sox in hunt for Ben Sheets?

UPDATE ON JOHAN SANTANA TRADE TALKS: Buster Olney reports that the Red Sox have “generated a few new ideas for its proposed offer.” I have no idea what that means. [...]