Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster are both very interesting arms, with the former sneaking into Baseball America's top list in before being graduated to the majors and undergoing Tommy John, and Webster making his way in at 95 for What this really means, however, is freedom. Theo Epstein left us a team crippled by big contracts, to the point where Ben Cherington was forced into some convoluted maneuvers over the offseason just to fill out the man roster with dice rolls.
No, he didn't do the best job of it, but it was a pretty awful situation to be put in. The sad thing was that, with major moves needed, the Sox weren't really going to be out from under it for a while. Gonzo and Crawford handicapped the team, especially with a crop of young players slowly but surely running towards the ends of their initial long-term contracts.
Now the team gets a chance to do things right. To embrace the strategy that earned them World Series rings in and No, will likely not be a landmark year for the team. The free agent crop isn't fantastic, and if they're going to avoid old pitfalls then it's not the best one to spend in.
But should this deal go through, then they'll have given themselves the ability to make the smart deals when they present themselves, and hopefully to rebuild towards the goal of becoming perennial contenders once again much sooner than the date that would mark the end of the Crawford and Gonzalez deals. They've got financial flexibility, an already-strong system enjoying a sudden influx of talent, a team getting younger and hopefully in the future more well-rounded.
Jokingly referred to as the centerpiece of "the Nick Punto trade," the year-old utilityman came in particularly handy this year for the injury-riddled Dodgers.
He started 71 games at second base, shortstop and third base, hit. His 2. Given that, it would hardly be a shock if Los Angeles retains him once he reaches free agency this winter. After getting lit up for a 5. Alas, he struggled mightily in and was torched for a 5.
It was ultimately discovered that he had Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and he underwent surgery in July, shelving him for the year. After batting a dismal. Playing nearly every day in Gonzalez's place over the final month of the season, he hit just.
Even though he tailed off considerably in the second half, the year-old lefty finished at. In addition to flashing the leather in impressive fashion, he went 6-for with a pair of doubles in the Rays' abbreviated postseason run. His fine season should help him draw considerably more interest this winter than he got last time around. The 49th-ranked prospect on Baseball America 's Top Prospects list and the talk of the Red Sox camp back in spring, the year-old Webster spent the season shuttling between Triple-A Pawtucket and the majors, being recalled on four separate occasions and making a total of seven starts and one relief appearance.
Alas, while he put up solid numbers at Pawtucket 3. He still projects as a third or fourth starter at the major league level by virtue of three plus pitches fastball, slider changeup , but he's far from claiming a spot in Boston's rotation.
Not surprisingly, he had control problems at Pawtucket, walking 5. On Aug. The Red Sox completed a deal with the Dodgers that would shape the direction of both franchises for years to come. It helped, too, that the Dodgers seemingly said yes to every single thing the Red Sox required of them to acquire Gonzalez.
The inclusion of Punto actually underscores how important this deal was for the Red Sox and why a change of direction this serious was necessary for them. Getting under the tax threshold was key, as the repeat-offender Red Sox were in line to pay a 40 percent tax on the dollars over the limit.
Instead, they were able to turn the lost cause of into the year in which they got themselves under the threshold and reset the penalty to a much more manageable Epstein had left for the Cubs after , and what he left behind in Boston was a promising core with no room to spend.
Aaron Cook , who was recovering from an injury and also was Aaron Cook, was the starting depth there was room for in the budget.
0コメント