If Rizzo is ready to win, he should go get Josh Beckett.
Not saying he's available, because trading him would be dumb (listen to this guy, not this guy) but the fans are clamoring for one of the drinking, chicken-eating pitchers to go*. It's not going to be Lester. He's good young and cheap. It's not going to be Lackey. He's terrible and is paid like a bazillion dollars for a million years. (Unless the RedSox eat like 80% of the salary and if so.. well go get Lackey It'd be 3 million a year for 3 years. I'd take that gamble) So it would have to be Beckett.
Would you deal for Beckett? What would you give up for him. He's good and young and durable so you're talking top prospects here. Rendon. Cole and Purke. Something like that.
*Speaking of which - how dumb is that? The Red Sox didn't make the plaoyffs because (in no particular order) Crawford has the worst year ever, Youkilis missed 40 games and underperformed when he played, JD Drew finally gave up the ghost, Jed Lowrie regressed, Wakefield finally started failing, Clay Buchholz missed half the year, they could never find a decent 5th starter, and they had issues with bullpen depth. None of that can be blamed on shenanigans (I left out Lackey sucking - because I guess you could link those if you wanted) All that couldn't be made up for their only positive surprise - Ellsbury's MVP season. And yet fans want to blame some guys having beer and chicken on their off-days. Fans are stupid.
If the Sox are stupid enough to trade Beckett, you give them the keys to the prospects they want (except Harper). A 2013 rotation of Beck, Stras, Znn, Peacock/Dett with Lannan at 5 looks pretty darn good. In 2013, I'd take the Nats SP over the Phils. I think the main competition in 2013 is Atlanta, not the Phils.
ReplyDeleteBut if the BoSox make that trade, then you open the checkbook to Pujols/Fielder and make your window 2012 to 2016.
I like Beckett, but not as much as some other guys talked about in the same class of pitcher, like Lester, Haren, Weaver, Shields, ... those kinds of guys. Anyway, you can't trade Rendon and Purke yet (I know that you are posing it as a hypothetical) but I wouldn't give up all three of those guys anyway. But I would probably give up two of our top 10 prospects for him.
ReplyDeleteThe bad news is by the time Boston gets a new GM and manager the furor to go do something stupid will have died down enough that it won't happen.
ReplyDeleteBeckett would be a great addition to that rotation, but I don't think the Nats should give up any prospects for him. The Nats have a great farming system that should be a force in the years to come--the Nats would be killing their own salary with this move.
ReplyDeleteNow I know you want Beckett, but is it worthing losing, Marrero, Espinosa, Ramos or even a player like Morse for a player who won't be in a the line up everyday.
Hoo's totally right. If they're actually willing to move Beckett, you make the deal. Flores, Lannan, Peacock and Solis for Beckett. You definitely make 2012 a "win now" kind of year, but that's ok. Beckett is precisely the kind of starter who's not usually available.
ReplyDeleteAnd if they're actually listening on Lester, then there's nobody other than Stras who'd I'd say is off the table. A Stras-Lester-ZNN-Detwiler-Peacock/Wang 2012-2013 rotation would be awesome.
Screw that...go get CJ WIlson.
ReplyDeleteHeck, as long as we're pipe-dreaming, get both. ^_^
ReplyDelete(That said, Wilson would actually be a very good signing--a genuine #2 quality pitcher who's got two years of track record proving that and no injury history, plus as a FA he'd only cost $, not prospects.)