Masscrastination

Nice job, Fellas.

The Red Sox proved a few things to me tonight:

1.) Nothing good has ever come out of Japan.

2.) Jonathan “Papelblown” Papelbon is not Mariano Rivera, though he likes to think he is.

3.) The Sox need to make a splash at the trade deadline

As far as Japan goes, welp, I feel like I get a better deal at the Hunan House buffet then Boston has gotten with these athletes. Let’s face it, they are overpaid, can’t play in the majors and aren’t as durable as home-grown prospects.  I don’t feel as though I need to be the one to tell you this, but Dice-K will never be an elite pitcher.  Okajima is about as reliable as a broken spedometer and Saito has snuck by with a mediocre season.  These pitchers just can no longer be leaned on.  Well, the whole Sox bullpen has been pretty unreliable but thats a different story for a different day.

Papelbon thinks he is the premiere close in the MLB.  He is not – not remotely.  Jonathan Broxton, Heath Bell, Mariano Rivera and Francisco Rodriguez are simply more reliable closers than Papelbon.  The scary thing?  Papelbon’s WHIP.  A staggering 1.38 is something that Papelbon has battled all year.  Somehow, he has managed to keep a low ERA on the table, but a closer can’t stumble around with a WHIP like that for long.  These base hits are going to turn into runs eventually.  Next year we will go into the Arbitration talks with Pap – again – and he will remind us that he wants Mo Money – again.  While he has not become a liability to the team, Papelbon’s dominance has trended downward since he burst onto the scene.  His ERA has climbed each year he has pitched from 0.92 to 1.85 to 2.34 last year.  He hasn’t been able to locate his fastball the way he used to and hasn’t turned to his secondary pitches enough.  Will he hurt the Sox this year?  I don’t think so, but anyone hoping for a long term deal might want to re-evaluate.

Finally a big trade.  We all like them.  Bay last year, Nomar in 2004, they always make the deadline more exciting.  Do I think the Sox have a glaring weakness?  No.  Do I think it would do them good to go after a Mark Reynolds or a Matt Holliday?  Absolutely. The news about Mike Lowell scares me and while Mark Kotsay is filling in well, he doesn’t provide the same prowess that Lowell has offensively.  While I really, really like Lowell, this hip really, really scares me.  The fix could be the young, K-prone Mark Reynolds in Arizona.  With Webb out for the season (most likely), the D-backs are gonna be liquidating assets faster than I can lose 100 bucks at a roulette table – fast.  The Sox need to put together a package for this kid with raw power that can play both corner infield spots.  I don’t think the Sox can piece together another playoff run the way they did last year.  Lowell and Drew are going to be question marks for the whole season and the Sox can’t afford to not have impact bats in their playoff lineups.  And yes, Drew is filthy in the postseason.  Let him coast by all year, I don’t care.  But you better believe JD “boneyard” Drew will be clutch in the playoffs.

But then again I could be wrong about all of this…

-Topher