Instead of analysis on how to fix this team for 2012, most of the offseason has been spent dragging players and coaches through the mud. While players have come out and stated their side of the story, for some reason, people seem to believe them less and the media more.
I get it, people might see the players as overpaid babies at this point, drinking in and playing games in the clubhouse while their team is toiling toward an epic collapse. Still, are we to trust “anonymous sources” more than anything else? Newspapers and online publications that know that this is, before anything else, good business. Why can’t they move past this unbelievable smear campaign? Because it sells and money talks! I hear talking heads damning the Red Sox players, but showing no ill will to media outlets who are, almost certainly, creating a story with fictitious “facts”.
The media’s motivation is money and self promotion. The players are trying to save face. Is anyone telling the absolute truth? Probably not.
Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. Here’s an attempt to make sense of the latest “rumors” surrounding the Sox.
The Cubs are reportedly close to finalizing a deal that would make former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein their new team president of baseball operations. This means that the compensation negotiations are just about wrapped up as well. While the Sox started with the insane, but gutsy moves of asking for Matt Garza and/or attempting to ship off John Lackey, it seems that the team will receive a prospect or two, but no cash and none of Chicago’s top minor league names. At this point, it seems the best the team could hope for is a player like Trey McNutt, but that might be wishful thinking at this point. As much as the Cubs want Epstein, the Sox want to move forward without him.
Can they actually get rid of Lackey? ESPN Boston is reporting that the Padres are looking at a possible deal to acquire the much maligned Boston hurler. Of course, any deal would mean that Boston eats the vast majority of Lackey’s bloated salary. The other part of the equation is what the Sox would to to fill his spot in the rotation. I’m convinced that a lack of focus is the main culprit when it comes to Lackey’s numbers and that he still has the stuff to at least be a back-end starter in 2012. If the Sox send him away, pay most of his contract, then they still need to sign or trade for a back-end type, which will just end up costing them more money. It would help to change the culture by not having one of the “beer brothers” around and perhaps that’s the main goal above all else. Lackey has never been comfortable in Boston, so the motivation is twofold.
Red Sox captain Jason Varitek told ESPN Boston that there was no drinking in the dugout during games. However, he admitted, there was drinking in the clubhouse, but it never got out of control. V-Tek goes on to discuss the real reasons for the Sox’ September collapse, but haven’t we hashed over and over those reasons already? When your starting pitching fails, more often than not, your team fails. Injuries and ill-timed poor performances all came together in one major storm of destruction during the final month of the season. Part of that equation was bad luck. Many people point a finger at Josh Beckett, saying he gave up in September. However, as Fire Brand’s own Troy Patterson pointed out on Twitter, Beckett’s numbers state otherwise.
“Beckett velocity/movement and K/BB numbers all stayed the same or improved in Sept
#RedSox“
In September, Beckett’s ground ball rate and infield pop-up rate were higher than at any point in the season, yet his HR/FB rate was a season high 23.8 percent. You tell me how a pitcher who, in 23 innings struck out 26 batters while walking only seven, gave up.
Rumors and scandals always make for good headlines, but the only way forward is for this team to get better on the field.
Without an improved pitching staff, they might as well be drinking.