Red Sox, It’s Time to Rebuild

Posted by Adam Hart November 15, 2008 at 9:36 pm

Nick Swisher? Huge offer to C.C. Sabathia? Looming offers for A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe? The New York Yankees will be untouchable in 2009. Time for the Red Sox to pull a Florida Marlins and know when to say when.

A team cannot add a bat like that of Nick Swisher without opponents cowering in fear. That .219 batting average of his in 2008 was just a hair under that of slugger Jason Varitek. Sure, the highest Swisher has ever hit was .262 in 2006, but he’s entering the prime of his career. I’m just surprised the Bombers could steal a player of Swisher’s ilk from Ken Williams.

Offering C.C. Sabathia a record contract will ensure that the BIGGEST big game pitcher in all of baseball is on the mound in the new Yankee Stadium come October. Sabathia will not be slowed by the slimming effects of the Yankees pinstripes. And there is no need to worry about his 7.92 ERA in the postseason. He will be shutdown city in New York. Especially against the hated Red Sox, whom he has held to just 2 runs over 15 regular season innings pitched since 2006. Pack it in, Theo. Might as well ship off your big pieces to save the embarassment of getting your best foot trounced by C.C. a handful of times in 2009.

And if that was not enough, the Yankees announced that they are going to make a bid for A.J. Burnett. So not only are the Red Sox screwed for 2009 with the addition of Swisher and potential addition of Sabathia, but whatever the length of Burnett’s deal turns out to be — that final year will be hell for the Boston lineup. Because Burnett is the ultimate contract year pitcher. And who said the Steinbrenners care nothing of the future? They’ll ride out the injury plagued season with Burnett for that big payoff at the end of the contract. I can see the white flag waving over Fenway already.

Why even add another arm to that rotation? Because their purses are mighty, that’s why. And so former Red Sox head case Derek Lowe will be receiving a nice offer from the Yankees. Even Mike Giardi fears an A.L. East curtain call for DLowe. It’s obvious that the Red Sox let him walk after 2004 for a noble reason, but now Boston will realize that it’s not always greener when you let a pitcher go to the other side. With a DLowe signing, the rich will get richer. I mean, the Yankees already have the greatest clutch hitter in all of baseball, Alex Rodriguez. Add in Lowe’s career park-adjusted 4.56 ERA, and it’s almost not even fair.

So, the Red Sox can immediately begin the salary dumping process. Goodbye, Josh Beckett. Goodbye, David Ortiz. Goodbye, Daisuke. With those contracts off the books next season you can reinvest in the biggest free agent names out there. Because we learned last season that it is not the makeup of your roster that wins games, but off-season additions. Just look at the Detroit Tigers. They added Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, making them World Series favorites. And I think we all know how that turned out — the league was petrified and issued the Tigers a bye into the World Series. Oh wait, they didn’t even make the playoffs? Must have been an anomoly. The point still stands — off-season acquisitions are the end all be all.

And with all these potential signings, the most storied franchise in sports will not just be getting remarkably better, it will be injecting money into the struggling economy. I, for one, applaud the Yankees and their generosity. Winning baseball games through the hard work of scouting and development of youth is so passe. Theo Epstein can keep butting his head against the wall with that approach.

The underground hot tub has me sold. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go cancel my gym membership. Who needs hard work when I can buy ab implants from that guy on E!?

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Yeah, I know the Red Sox will end up spending big money on a free agent. The team’s track record is right there for all to see. But it irks me when a team is crowned simply for its off-season moves. Spending money does not necessarily equate to wins. Ask Andrew Friedman and the Tampa Bay Rays. Plus, I don’t see anyone on this market not named Manny Ramirez who is worth the big bucks.

P.S. In case you couldn’t smell the sarcasm, I wouldn’t be afraid of the Yankees if they signed just one of these players — nevermind all three. So no, don’t rebuild, Red Sox. Adjust the lineup as you see fit and go at it hard in 2009. But don’t do too much. You were a couple of injuries (Beckett, Ortiz, Mike Lowell) away from the World Series this year.