Trades! No... Really!

Here's a measure of how little is going on with the Sox: Robin and I both wrote posts about David Aardsma coming to Boston at the same time, without telling each other until after the posts went up. Comedy of errors, we know. Because we love all of our written children equally, we're proud to present both takes in one post. Enjoy.

Robin's Take:
I was sitting at a bar with DC pondering the movement of Santana to the Mets (out of the AL!) and Bedard to Seattle (out of the East!) when he informed me of something I was not aware:

DC: Did you hear the Sox made a move this week?
Robin: Oh yeah? We get a backup infielder?
DC: No no no. We got David Aardsma from the White Sox for like two nobodies! He's gonna fill the spot Gagne left on the bullpen.
Robin: Not like that's a hard job... but I don't know who this guy is.
DC: He was a MONSTER in the first part of the season. I had him on my fantasy team.
Robin: Cool. Then what?
DC: Then... well.... not so much.

I guess "not so much" means +5 ERA. Yikes. Well at least it's a move. And he did get off to a hot start. And it's not like he could be WORSE than Gagne. One thing I know for certain is that I will mispronounce this guy's name.

Whatever. It's a move. I guess someone is running this team after all. Now let's shore up the bench.


Eric's Take:
Here's how little is going on with the Sox right now: I happened to go to RedSox.com last night and the news of a trade involving David Aardsma coming to Boston actually made me stop short and read with interest. Is this what keeping a championship team together means? That I get news-happy over a trade involving a 26-year-old journeyman reliever (not a contradiction: four teams in four years screams either journeyman or clubhouse cancer, no matter how young he is) and two Class A "prospects" whose chances of breaking into the bigs seem about as likely as my getting struck by lightning twice while winning the lottery? If so, maybe we should bring back Hot Stove Winter '04/'05 style so I'd have something to obsess about besides pitchers and catchers reporting in 17 days, 1 hour, 25 minutes, and 9...8...7...6 seconds. But hey, I have Aarsdma instead. That's cool...maybe he'll be good beyond this Spring this year.

Total topic shift, but congrats to the Mets on ending the Santana Sweepstakes - having that deal-that's-not-a-deal hang around (will he go to Boston? Will he go to the Yankees? What ridiculous combination of prospects will the Twins demand?) was like storing fish in the refrigerator a couple of days too long: it was starting to smell something fierce. This way, Johan's out of the AL, and I don't have to worry about this terrible scenario. Everybody wins!

Sox Resign Lopez and Paint Dries

In an attempt to make the 2008 Red Sox team look almost IDENTICAL to the 2007 squad, the Sox have signed Javier Lopez to a 1 year 840 grand deal that makes me so excited I almost forgot to yawn.

I mean really... Javier Lopez?

I guess this is what qualifies as big news for this club this off season. Noticed I haven't written much this winter? Well that's cause it's been duller than the Boston sky in January. Besides the Johan Santana flap (which is turning into nothing. This could be the biggest tease since the Scarlett Johansson side boob in "A Love Song For Bobby Long") there hasn't been a single interesting move or trade. Unless your a Cardinal, Tiger or Diamondback your team looks pretty much like it did (or is worse) than it was at the end of 2007.

Let's just get the season started already. Come on P's and C's...

Dougie Rides Again

It seemed inevitable - who else were they going to use? Kevin Cash? - but Doug Mirabelli will be back for another year of knuckleball catching fun, being the stud who hits bombs, killing it, and killing it again, all for the bargain price of half a million dollars. I get that the Sox are going to keep trying to find replacements for a once-a-week catcher who's on the ugly side of 35 and whose glory days of an OPS+ above 100 faded along with the 2004 season, but shouldn't they just give Doug the same endless one year options they've given Wake and be done with it? They could even tie the option to Wake's continuing to pitch to make the two players completely inseparable, and then apply to the commissioner's office to have the new unit count as only one roster spot. How could that idea not have the potential it needs to get done? By the way: I'd also take Doug keeping with last year's trend, hitting above .250, and maybe - just maybe - not swinging for the fences on every pitch.

The Best of the Best

A site called TopProspectAlert.com recently released their list of the top 10 Red Sox prospects for 2008, compiled by writer J.P. Schwartz. The top two entries (Buchholz and Ellsbury) shouldn't come as a surprise, but Jed Lowrie, who's entry number three, has put up some interesting numbers and - barring any problems during his second stint in AAA, where he's already played 40 games - figures to be a September call up in 2008, especially if Lugo continues his light-hitting ways. Lowrie's biggest concern: his walk to strikeout ratio, which had favored walks in AA, flipped at the AAA level and lowered his OBP in the process. However, AA was the first time Lowrie had walked more than he struck out, so it's also possible that level of success was accidental. In any case, Lowrie is definitely a guy to keep an eye on.