Potential FA Targets: Sox Edition

Posted by Adam Hart October 22, 2008 at 5:13 pm

Really, there is not much room on the roster for added bodies. Theo Epstein was right in saying that the team has a solid foundation of youth. Still, there are a few targets out there should plans go awry.

Plans being that Jason Varitek — or more likely his representative Scott Boras — haggles the Red Sox for more money than the team is willing to pay. Or that one of the team’s core players injures himself playing pickup basketball, washing his truck or riding a motorcycle. Here are the targets I’ve hand picked:

Juan Cruz — A right handed reliever who hurled for former assistant GM to Epstein, Josh Byrnes, last season in Arizona. Cruz was excellent against lefties, holding them to a .158 batting average. He was no slouch against righties either, allowing them to bat .221, but did serve up 5 home runs. Cruz struck out 71 batters in 51.2 innings of work, and boasted a 2.61 ERA. The Law of Relievers states that Cruz will sign a nice little contract and stink for the duration of said deal. Still, he is bound to draw interest on the market. His signing in Boston could get Ken Rosenthal off of management’s back.

Ben Sheets — He started the 2008 All-Star game for the NL Squad. You remember that game — the last such ever to be held in the old Yankee Stadium. The one in which no Red Sox greats were invited for the pre-game ceremonies. Oh, the memories. Anyway, Sheets was throwing absolute filth in that game. But with that filth, comes his frail body. Sheets has spent much of his career on that list of injured players that teams keep. At the end of the 2008 go-around, Sheets was left off the Brewers playoff roster with an injured elbow — something he originally termed “a broke arm”. It was actually a tear to his muscle near the elbow, but the Holiday Inn Express had no vacancies that night.

Sheets would be able to help the Sox for a good part of the season, but how long is the question. His stuff is intriguing, but not at the high potential for injury risk.

Pedro Martinez — I just had to do it. Pedro is the man.

And he deserves better fans than this. But pitching is more than just attitude, I guess. Pedy Pedro struggled to fulfill the expectations made of him when he signed that $53 million deal in New York. But maybe it was just bad mojo from Omar Minaya, et al. His ERA ballooned to 5.61 in 2008, where he threw just over 100 innings and struck out 87. Opponents cleaned his clock, hitting at a .359 clip. He made opposing batters look like Chipper Jones, basically. Not good.

Regardless, Pedy Pedro deserves his number 45 to be retired in Boston. Bring him back for one more dog and pony show contract so he can retire a Red Sox (Sock?). Maybe not this year, but whenever he decides to hang ‘em up and sit under that mango tree in the DR.

Derek Lowe — Guy says his first choice would be to return to Boston. I’m not so sure this management group wants him back. We’ll leave it at that.

Manny Ramirez — Wait a second… how’d that name get in here? Imagine if he actually came back. I would probably have a Chip Caray sportsgasm if Mannypants were to return. It’s not happening, though. I just have to keep telling myself that. Same with Marisa Miller dumping her betrothed to play pitch and catch with me. Sigh.

Rocco Baldelli — The hometown kid comes… home. He’s clearly in no position to be an every day player, but he could serve as a great 4th outfielder. And should David Ortiz suffer another injury in 2009, he could handle some DH responsibilities. The hangup here would be Rocco’s loyalty to the Rayhawks — an organization which stood by him during his mitochondrial shortcomings.

You’ll want to skip through the Matt Garza portions of that press conference. If you stare into his eyes for too long, you might catch the crazy. Or fall in love?

Rafael Furcal — It’s the offseason, right? Time to bring in another shortstop…

It depends on where the team sees this position heading. Does it belong to Jed Lowrie? Will the youngster be shipped off as part of a deal to help in another area? Is Julio Lugo given the opportunity to reclaim his spot? Or do the Sox want the 31-year-old Furcal? In a limited season of just 143 at bats due to injury, he hit .357 for LA. He still has some speed on the base paths. The problem will be the amount of money he will earn. LA wants him back. And other teams may drive up the bidding. Lowrie is the cheaper option. But if he does sign, the Sox would be forced to trade Lugo and eat some more salary. I think they’re already paying half the shortstops in the league to play elsewhere, no?

Miguel Olivo — A 30-year-old right handed hitting catcher, Olivo played for KC in 2008, and hit 12 home runs for the Royals. He was unhappy splitting time with John Buck. His .255 batting average was over 30 points higher than Varitek’s, and his slugging percentage nearly 100 points higher. He would expect to be the starter for whichever team he signs with, should he be allowed to become a free agent. He holds a mutual $2.77 million option with the team for 2009.

Josh Bard — His 2008 numbers were not great, but he battled injuries all the while. A .202 batting average, coupled with a .279 batting average and a .270 slugging percentage are not impressive. But should Varitek no re-sign, the catching options are thin on the free agent market. Maybe Bard could return to form with a healthy 2009. He would be seen as more of a last ditch option, I would imagine.

Will Ohman — Who’s more likely to throw some extra cash at the veteran lefty reliever, Atlanta or Boston? Then again, it’s not always about the money, guys.

Ohman recorded 23 holds for the Braves in 2008. He struck out 53 batters in 58.2 innings of work. He held lefties to a .200 batting average. Right handed batters were a different story — they recorded a .256 average. He held all batters — right, left or switch — to 3 home runs on the season. Ohman’s ERA was more than a full run higher than that of Javier Lopez, the comparable player for Boston. Lopez held lefties to a .182 average, while righties clobbered his offerings at a .311 clip. It is unlikely that Terry Francona would want two specialist pitchers in his bullpen, but a lefty like Ohman may be a better option than David Aardsma — a right hander whose standing as alphabetical king of MLB could not cure his control issues.

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Okay, that’s it for my Red Sox market analysis. It’s a little easier than studying anything on Wall Street at this point. I agree with Steve Buckley that the Sox should not go after Mr. Singles, Mark Teixeira. CC Sabathia would also be a mistake signing. He crumbles in the postseason. The Sox enjoy players of the opposite ilk — like JD Drew. Shortly, we’ll be taking a look at potential Japanese imports for this year and the years following. I really think that network which broadcasts Red Sox games should consider airing Japanese games. It’s like watching college football as an NFL fan. Only without hot sideline reporters.

Big thanks to Tim Dierkes, mastermind behind MLBTradeRumors.com, who compiled the list from which I chose these targets. He makes a blog man’s job easy.