Oh the news, it’s a comin’ fast:
- Billy Mueller called it quits today. The man we called The Pro decided over the weekend that the bad knees were getting a little too tough to play on and opted to leave the baseball diamond with one year and $4.5 million left on his contract. Mueller is taking a position as special assistant to Dodgers' GM Ned Colletti. I don’t do the whole sentimentality thing very well, but if nothing else, I'll say this: Billy Mueller made a big impression in Boston because he played hard and didn’t complain. Along with our other neuroses, Red Sox fans have the old New England “puritan work ethic” thing ingrained pretty well – which isn’t to say that we necessarily practice the idea, but we certainly expect it of those around us, especially (as Red Sox fans) from our players. Bill Mueller came to Boston, beat out Manny Ramirez for the batting title in 2003 in what many saw in the pre-Manny Being Manny days as a triumph of the hard working dirt dog over the whining superstar and established himself as The Pro, epitome of that work ethic, for the rest of his time as a Red Sox. Robin and I both wish him the best in his post-baseball career.
- Alfonso Soriano signed a contract with the Cubs. For 8 years and $136 million, the fifth largest contract in baseball history. Yes, that’s a heck of a lot of money and time (mostly time), but what’s more important is that it makes Manny’s contract look pretty cheap in comparison…cheap enough to deal. The Globe has a rumor that the Sox are looking to send Manny to Texas for Michael Young, which doesn’t sound too terrible (says the guy who knows his team is going to spend too much money on Lugo – see below) except that no one expects it to happen. My current conspiracy theory is that the Sox are looking to get rid of Manny for something infield (like Young), then sign Drew and play him and Wily Mo Pena in the outfield. DC insists this idea isn’t feasible because the front office knows better than to trust Drew’s body not to get hurt (or is it "hurt?") but then why are they supposedly chasing Drew in the first place? Do they expect him to get hurt so they can replace him with Wily Mo Pena mid-season? Does this make sense to anyone? DC also pointed out Manny’s 10-5 status, which would probably kill any deal the Sox put together.
- Alex Gonzalez is now a Red…not a Red Sox. The door on that potential deal closed yesterday when Gonzo signed for 3 years and $14 million in Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the Sox were pursuing Alberto Castillo as a possible backup catcher...if he makes it out of the minors in Spring Training. See also: John Flaherty, Spring 2006. As noted above, this means that the Red Sox will now overpay for Julio Lugo, unless they go and trade Manny for a shortstop. Start looking forward to the DP combination of Lugo and Wonderboy now...
Oh the news, it’s a comin’ fast:
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