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This Josh Beckett highlight requires no commentary on our part

 

Your Morning Dump... Where the winds of change are blowing

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Whether or not the deal goes down, we now have beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt proof that Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington is prepared to make like Michael Corleone taking out the heads of the other four families in his own clubhouse.

Forget about tinkering under the hood or making a couple of surgical strikes to purge the likes of Beckett or John Lackey.

This is wiring Fenway with enough TNT to sink the Poseidon.

Let the healing begin, because the Red Sox have taken their first significant step toward erasing the stench of the last calendar year. And if they’re thinking this big now, there’s every reason to expect even more in the coming months.

It already feels like a new day, which is exactly what the franchise needs. The focus of this deal from a PR standpoint should be Beckett, because removing him from the equation immediately makes the club about 25 percent more likable.

Herald - Sox poised to blow it all up, start anew

The more I thought about this trade last night, the sicker I felt.  It may be the right move, but I don't like it.  When you boil it down to its core, we're being robbed of Adrian Gonzalez due to Josh Beckett's surliness and Carl Crawford's elbow. 

And, in the process, the Red Sox are freeing up salary figures that are equivalent to the GDP of several small nations, as well as getting some top-tier prospects in return.  I guess the plan now is to sit back and hope that the Sox spend that $270 million more wisely than before?  I'd argue that Gonzalez's 7 year $154 million contract was pretty shrewd, especially when compared with Prince Fielder's 9 year $214 million deal.  So, I guess we'll try to use that money to get more players like Gonzalez and good contracts, like the one we gave Gonzalez? 

I know, I know... I need to get past losing Adrian.  I just never got a chance to say goodbye.

Emotions aside, I love the balls that Henry and Lucchino told Cherington to display in this move.  This Sox squad needed an overhaul.  The organization needed a change in direction.  And this move clearly shows that we're getting both.  The key cog in this transition will be what the Sox do with Ellsbury.  If they flip him this offseason, we know that we're in full-blown rebuilding.  If they try to throw half of the money they saved in this deal at his feet, well, then what was the point? 

So we're about to embark on what is shaping up to be an absolute wild offseason for the Red Sox.  And amidst all this change, don't be shocked to see Papi take his talent to somewhere like New York this offseason.  He's already unhappy with this franchise, and he's certainly not going to want to hang around while the Sox rebuild for the next 2-3 years.  Sadly, I doubt the Sox are going to be putting up much of a fight to keep him.  I hope I'm wrong.

But we're not talking about funerals anymore, are we?  Well played, Henry.  Well played indeed.  Other than, you know, taking Adrian away from us.

On Page 2, the players react

Sox-Dodgers trade appears to be done

 

It's being reported both Adrian Gonzalez and the Dodger's James Loney are being held out of their respective lineups tonight.  That's certainly not a coincidence.

Expect reports of this deal being completed to be rolling in shortly.

ESPN has some details:

The Dodgers and Red Sox are closing in on a deal that would send Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to Los Angeles, though a few hurdles remain before it's official, multiple baseball sources said Friday.

Pitcher Rubby De La Rosa will be headed back to Boston as the centerpiece of the deal, sources say. De La Rosa made his first major league appearance of the season Wednesday, having had Tommy John surgery about 13 months ago. Also included are first baseman James Loney and prospects Ivan De Jesus (infielder) and Jerry Sands (outfielder), according to sources, plus another top prospect that is still unknown.

The Dodgers optioned De La Rosa to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday afternoon. Gonzalez was scratched prior to Friday's game and summoned to the clubhouse, along with Punto. Loney was a scratch as well, and was called to manager Don Mattingly's office.

I'm suffering a bit of shell-shock, so I'll refrain from commenting on this for right now... other than to say what the rest of you have been thinking all afternoon.  Is it worth losing Gonzalez just to be able to dump Beckett and Crawford?

That question won't be answered for some time, but we all wanted a major overhaul of this team.... be careful what you wish for.

UPDATE: Beckett also claimed by Dodgers.

I just said that it would be a dream scenario for the Dodgers to take Josh Beckett alongside Adrian Gonzalez in any sort of trade. 

Well, Sean McAdam just confirmed that the dream could become a reality. Beckett has also been claimed by the Dodgers off of the waiver wire.

Disgruntled Sox fans can already be heard celebrating but before we continue this fiesta, let's remember that Beckett's 10-5 rights are still in effect and could effectively kill all of this discussion. But why Beckett would put this in effect considering all the hatred & drama that is thrown is way is beyond me. He'll be in the midst of a division hunt, where there is less pressure and benefit those massive fields in the NL West. 

One big thing to look out for is how much money the Dodgers would assume in a trade. If the Sox could manage to get them to take a majority of the salary, this trade suddenly becomes even more tempting for the front office to pull the trigger. 

If this trade does go through, it becomes the biggest trade to happen in the Waiver Trade Deadline and would very well make teams like the San Francisco Giants scream at Bud Selig and MLB that this shouldn't be able to happen. We'll see what happens...

Your Morning Dump...where Lackey is showing some progress.

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Lackey threw a 45-pitch side session as Bobby Valentine watched. The manager liked what he saw.
      
"I would say that I'll bet you there were 35 to 37 of those pitches were excellent," said Valentine. "They were thrown with an ease of motion and had perfect location, movement. I was very impressed with what I saw. And, after talking to him after with what I saw, he's feeling really good about his progress."
      
Lackey will try to throw more breaking balls on flat ground as part of his next step, then return to a session where he replicates a game situation by pitching "innings."
      
As to whether Lackey might pitch in September, the Sox haven't made a determination. He underwent surgery last October, which would have him at the 11-month recovery stage next month.

As to whether Lackey might pitch in September, the Sox haven't made a determination. He underwent surgery last October, which would have him at the 11-month recovery stage next month.
      
"We haven't gotten quite that far in the schedule," said GM Ben Cherington. "He's come along really well. I fully expect him to pitch in some sort of competitive environment this year so that he can go into the off-season and feel like it's a normal off-season. But I don't know when that game is or what that game is."

CSNNE:Lackey may pitch in September

Oh hey there John Lackey! Glad to see your able to throw in some pitching while you're pounding some brews! Now that I got that out of my system...

This is something I'm actually looking forward to just to see if Lackey the pitcher is still worth it. We all know Lackey the person is someone that is probably the most unlikable member of a team that has a bunch of loathable people. But if he can actually be the #2 starter for next season and pitch like one? Well we can come up with some sort of compromise by just silently clapping his performance. 

We'll need some sort of coping mechanism as John Lackey isn't leaving this town anytime soon. No team in their right mind would want him at that contract, unless the Sox pay at least 75% of his salary, which is something they will not do. So if we're stuck with him, we might well see if he'll be useful.

Rest of the Links: Globe: Bronx bombing | Lavarnway's defeinse making great strides | Crawford surgery is likely imminent | Herald: Beckett not worth it | Negativity old news to Cherington | Crawford's surgery decision due today | Beckett folds again in loss to Yankees | Friends, fans pay tribute to Pesky | Salty's slide reopens debate behind plate | CSNNE: Better but still not good enough | Red Sox have no answers for Kuroda | Sox undecided on Lackey pitching in September | Why did Crawford continue to play? | WEEI: For starters, Sox losing battle | Same [expletive] result for Beckett | Bobby V: Crawford 'trending the wrong way'

Recap: Rangers top Sox in slugfest, 10-9

Josh Beckett had another dreadful outing in Thursday's 10-9 loss to Texas.

Beckett surrendered eight runs, including three homers, on eight hits and two walks with just two strikeouts. He continued the annoying trend of Red Sox starters' inability to perform in the 1st inning, as he walked the leadoff hitter, and allowed a steal and a bunt single before giving up a triple to Josh Hamilton. A sac fly promptly gave the Rangers three runs, well on their way to victory.

The Sox offense didn't give in. Boston got two runs in the 1st, and answered the bell throughout the game as the Rangers continued to score. Adrian Gonzalez continued his hot streak with three doubles. The rest of the heart of the order slugged as well, as Dustin Pedroia and Cody Ross had a pair of hits apiece. The top moment of the game (for the Sox) came from a Will Middlebrooks homer in the 7th to tie the game.

Clayton Mortensen pitched workmanlike long relief over three innings, but Bobby V. stretched him too long. Entering the 9th tied at nine, Mortensen walked the leadoff hitter Elvis Andrus, gave up a single to Josh Hamilton, and then allowed Adrian Beltre to put the ball in the air and drive Andrus is on a sac fly. Alfredo Aceves relieved Mortensen, but it was too late at that point.

Joe Nathan allowed a double to Cody Ross in the 9th, but stranded him there by striking out Middlebrooks and Ryan Lavarnway to convert his 21st consecutive save.

The Sox dropped to 9.5 out of first, and have a 29-34 record when fans serenade them with "Sweet Caroline."

Box score

Sox looked to deal Beckett, Ellsbury, and Shoppach to Rangers

The trade deadline ended without a bang from the Red Sox. The biggest deal of the day for the Sox was the acquisition of Craig Breslow for Albers and Podsednik. We all waited for something to happen with Josh Beckett and a lot of us were bummed to find out he would be on this team for the foreseeable future. This morning, WEEI's Rob Bradford wrote that the Red Sox looked to deal Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Kelly Shoppach to the Rangers for an unknown return.

According to multiple major league sources, one potential deal discussed by the Red Sox and Rangers prior to the non-waiver trade deadline included a package that would have sent Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kelly Shoppach to the Rangers. It is unclear what player compensation the two teams discussed going from Texas to the Red Sox in such a deal.

The proposal was described by one source as nothing more than a theoretical back and forth of ideas that never progressed to the point where the Red Sox approached Beckett to discuss his 10-5 rights (which give the pitcher, as someone with 10 years in the majors and five with one club, the opportunity to veto a deal). Another source classified the talks as having reached a more advanced stage before hitting a wall. 

"We did feel empowered to do something bold, we just didn't find something bold that made sense for us," Cherington said. "We explored a lot of things that were bold, and maybe even got close to a couple of things, but we just didn't feel like there was anything of the big, bold variety that made sense for us right now."

There was no deal involving Beckett that advanced to the stage where the pitcher was alerted by the Red Sox front office that a deal might be taking place.

We all expected something to happen involving Josh Beckett because the Red Sox were openly shopping him. There were also trade rumors involving Shoppach, as many teams were interested in his services. Dealing those two guys would be fine because the Sox have immediate replacements in Franklin Morales and Ryan Lavarnway.

The immediate replacement for Jacoby Ellsbury would possibly be Ryan Kalish and prior to his injury, I would have been fine with it. Ryan Kalish is still trying to get back to where he should be and his bat was just recently coming around in Pawtucket. Kalish had some good at-bats in Boston during his first stint this season, but had more downs. The Red Sox center fielder of the future is Jackie Bradley, that is if Jacoby Ellsbury doesn't stick around long-term. Jackie Bradley was promoted to AA Portland during this season, so he is one maybe 2 years away from being ready for the Majors.Jacoby Ellsbury hasn't knocked our socks off since returning from the DL, so Kalish as a replacement may not have been too bad.

Now we know that the Sox may try to get something in return for Ellsbury in the future before the potential loss to free-agency.

I am dying to know what the Sox would have received in return from Texas.

Your Morning Dump...where the Sox are all in

 

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

You’ve got it all wrong if you think the Red Sox [team stats] went the meek and mild route by trading for a lefty reliever at the trade deadline yesterday.

Actually, the Red Sox are pursuing an audacious plan.

In two months, maybe much sooner, we’re going to find out if it is a foolhardy plan.

By not going the “bold” route and bringing in a big-name starter to stabilize the rotation or shipping out a big-name starter such as the it’s-always-something Josh Beckett [stats] to fix the clubhouse culture, the Red Sox essentially went all in on this team.

Herald | Team's bold idea: Stick with roster

It seems in general Red Sox fans are not just underwhelmed by the trade deadline inactivity, but angry.

I've said it in this space before, but I'll say it again: The smart move was really to do quite little. 

There wasn't much out there in the way of good starting pitching. As a result of that, dealing off Beckett for nothing would have been even harder to stand. (While Beckett is not the ace many expect him to be, he's still at least a league-average pitcher with experience in the AL East.) To boost their starting, the Sox flipped a righty reliever for a lefty reliever, and can promote Franklin Morales to the rotation.

Some wanted the Sox to sell off some of their bit parts -- one of the catchers, Mike Aviles, an extra outfielder -- for prospects. While I was on board with this idea, if there's no value coming back there's no point, really. The extra outfielders become more helpful due to our likely future outfielder injuries (Crawford and Ellsbury), Aviles is hurt and thus was undervalued, and other teams likely were realizing that Kelly Shoppach's power this year is a mirage. And Jarrod Saltalamacchia may be part of the solution rather than the problem -- or will at least be relatively inexpensive next year while we evaluate if Ryan Lavarnway can hack it in the bigs.

Ben Cherington did the right thing. And if everything falls apart in August? Many of the less palatable guys on the roster will pass through waivers easily, so there's still hope of shipping off Beckett or other parts, if worse comes to worse.

Watch out for this offseason, though. There's going to be a lot of roster turnover.

On page 2, Josh Beckett's injury is not taken kindly by fans.

Recap: Sox beat Verlander in rain-shortened win

The Red Sox benefited from Mother Nature tonight as the umpires finally called a game that was interrupted by rain in the 6th inning. 

The Sox won 4-1, though were on the verge of blowing the lead. With Franklin Morales on the mound and two outs, Jhonny Peralta walked to load the bases. But the rain had become too much, with standing puddles starting to form in the infield. It'll be interesting to see if the Tigers have any issue with how the game was handled, given that the winning run was at the plate. The umpires tried to wait out the rain, with a delay closing in on two hours, but eventually gave in.

Clayton (or as I prefer to call him -- and wish you would too -- K-ton) Mortensen got the win after pulling some long-relief duties for Josh Beckett. Beckett was removed in the 3rd inning with back spasms, which is sure to fire up the anti-Beckett contingency (which is now about 98% of Red Sox fans anyway).

Pedro Ciriaco ignited a four-run 4th inning for the Sox with a run-scoring single, and a head's up play on which he scored from second on a Carl Crawford infield hit that was bobbled by the second baseman. Much like Daniel Nava, Pedro is really trying to show everything he can do with the time he's given.

Box score

Your Morning Dump...where it could be a quiet day

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

The Boston Red Sox will not trade Josh Beckett before Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline, a team source said late Monday night. And while the club fielded numerous inquiries about the availability of outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, the MVP runner-up who is eligible for free agency after the 2013 season, the club has no plans at this time to trade him.

[...]

Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino, general manager Ben Cherington, his top aides and the team's doctors all met in manager Bobby Valentine's office following Monday night's game. Reporters were ushered out of the clubhouse before the meeting, which lasted at least a half hour, ended. At this point, the team source said, the Red Sox are not expected to make a major deal before the trade deadline.

ESPNBoston | Source: Red Sox won't deal Beckett by deadline

It's looking less and less likely that the Sox will do anything major. Now, maybe they're playing possum. Maybe they're putting misinformation out there. But when you look at the roster, and specifically the guys mentioned in possible deals, it's just not easy to see something happening.

There's a certain stable of players that just isn't being traded. Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and Will Middlebrooks are, as they say, part of the solution, not the problem. Meanwhile, there are plenty of big contracts that would be nice to unload, but that would be too burdensome for another team to take on: Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, John Lackey, and even Daisuke Matsuzaka (expiring, but since he will probably produce exactly zero the rest of the way, he's still overpaid) lead the way on that.

Jacoby Ellsbury is fun to talk about, but since he's been hurt all year it's hard to imagine the Sox getting full value for him. Same, obviously, for the aforementioned Lester and Crawford. 

It's equally hard to see the Sox dumping any of their major prospects, either.

If any deal happens, it's probably one of the minor guys -- Kelly Shoppach, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Mike Aviles, any of the extra outfielders, Aaron Cook. Restock the farm a bit, call up one of our young guys (Jose Iglesias, Ryan Lavarnway, or Ryan Kalish) to replace whoever they deal, and move on.

But who knows, maybe they'll surprise us. Maybe they'll double down on their commitment to overpaid pitchers and bring in Cliff Lee.

One other thing worth mentioning: Beckett and the other overpaid players could always be moved in August if the Sox really do fall out of contention. Any of those contracts should slide through waivers will no issues, and the Sox wouldn't be upset if some team pounced and just removed the cap number anyway.

On page 2, why Ryan Sweeney is no longer part of trade talks.