Two winters ago the younger half of the Red Sox brain trust, Theo Epstein, thought it would be a great idea to sign a mediocre shortstop to a four year deal worth about $36 million dollars. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the man we all know and love, Julio Lugo!
The previous winter the Sox signed veteran Edgar Renteria for $40 million over 4 years, assuming he would be an upgrade over his fellow Colombian, Orlando Cabrera. But after under performing for a year in Boston (.276, 8, 76), and apparently discovering that he was not suited to play there, Renteria was shipped out of town for Danny Marte (who was later traded to Cleveland as a part of the deal for Coco Crisp). And so we brought in Julio Lugo. Faaaantastic.
Why not sign a career .271 hitter who hits for no power, and who is a mediocre (if not terrible) fielder for that kind of money? Sure he can run the bases, which he did actually prove in 2007 with the Sox, stealing 33 bags, but that caliber player for that kind of money? Get real.
After the entire Red Sox nation suffered through a grueling 2007 season where Lugo hit a frustrating .237, and sucked balls defensively, he's back again for 2008. It's not as that he sucks for a lack of trying, he just flat out isn't good. Almost all of last year you could see the frustration in his dimeanor, and I was feeling for him last June when he was lucky to get a hit a week, but he just wasn't getting the job done. He was lucky to have a manager like Terry Francona, who sticks with players through the tough times (Dustin Pedroia), but there comes a time to move on.
Jed Lowrie has come on very strong over the past month as Lugo found himself on the DL, and I think he should be allowed to keep his job even when Lugo returns. Sure, I don't expect to keep up at this rate of play (.314 with 30 rbi's in 137 at bats with no errors, compared with Lugo's .268 with 22 rbi's in 261 at bats with 16 errors), but he's clearly an upgrade from Lugo. Even if Lowrie falls to Lugo's level of hitting, he's still the better fielder.
The Red Sox have benefited from Lowrie's clutch hitting, and abundance of extra base hits as of late, something that Lugo has not been able to provide at all. Luckily, today news broke that Julio will not be returning as soon as expected, which means Sox fans will get at a least a few more weeks of Lowrie before Lugo and his heavy salary are ready to be reinserted back in the Red Sox starting nine.
Will Tito go with the hot hand and keep Lowrie in the lineup when Lugo returns, or will he stick with Lugo and his salary for the rest of year(s)?
If Lowrie were an up and coming player in line to supplant say, Alex Cora, who makes a heck of a lot less than Lugo, I would say this would be a no brainer. But something tells me that the Sox won't be able to stomach benching a player who makes $9 million a year. If we're playing these games to win then we better keep Lowrie in the lineup.
I don't care how much money you make Julio, you're just not that good.
Lets go Jed!
3 comments:
I agree completely. Also--to me, it shouldn't matter to Theo and the Red Sox brass whether Lugo is sitting or playing while making his $9MM. Either way, he's going to make the $9MM, and the way he helps the team most is by sitting on the bench. We are paying him to help the team, right? True, it would seem like a waste--but in the end, it could be a good use for all those bills.
Well said.
Is there any way we can get rid of him?
No team would take on his salary, and if the sox agreed to take on his salary after they traded (or released him) that would also be a waste.
Could he be a backup?
I don't think there's any way we can salvage a non-waste with Lugo, unless he starts playing well above his career averages (as Jed is currently doing). I don't like saying it, but I think Lugo might be a lost cause, so the Manny route (trade him for french fries, and pick up the rest of his salary)* might be the only way to go.
I suppose he could also be a backup, but even then I like Cora more.
* We got a bit more than french fries (Jason Bay) in the Manny deal, but you get the picture. Dump a player and pick up his salary if he's a complete suckhole (Lugo so far) or a clubhouse cancer (Manny), even if it could possibly mean losing some offense (or, in Lugo's case, we would lose nothing of value). The team gains, in the end.
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