http://www.nysun.com/article/60473
The Regrettable Trade for the Cy Young Candidate
Beckett is owed just $20 million over the next two years, and the Red
Sox hold a $12 million option on him for 2010, a preposterous bargain
in the current pitching market. And for all this, you have to think
that the Red Sox would, even if they'd never admit it, undo the deal
that brought him to Fenway if they could.
That, of course, is because of who they traded to get him Â--
shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who at 23 is hitting better, relative to his
position, than anyone else in baseball. A first baseman his age
hitting .341 AVG/.393 OBA/.571 SLG with 37 steals, following on a
tremendous rookie campaign, would be regarded as a priceless asset. A
shortstop that does that, even one as lousy afield as Ramirez, is
irreplaceable. Since integration, the only shortstop 23 or younger
that has ever posted a batting average or slugging percentage that
high is Alex Rodriguez.
Making things worse is that Boston shortstop Julio Lugo, in the first
year of a four-year, $36 million contract, is hitting .233/.295/.337.
I doubt there's a Red Sox fan alive who doesn't look at the man every
inning and every at-bat and curse him while imagining Ramirez whacking
doubles off the Green Monster.
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