The Boston Red Sox have come to a crossroads.
Star slugger and permanent DH David Ortiz is out at least three weeks with a torn sheath in his wrist. The whole hand has been immobilized and put into a cast to prevent further damage.
But many in Boston and around the league are wondering whether Ortiz will be able to play again this season, or whether he will need season-ending surgery.
This leaves general manager Theo Epstein in a precarious position. Does he goes out and try to find someone to replace at least a portion of Ortiz's offensive firepower? Or does he leave the lineup as is, inserting Sean Casey as the full-time designated hitter and make do?
The Red Sox offense has more than enough firepower to continue on without Ortiz. They are third in all of baseball in runs scored with 309. They are fourth in OBP at .355, and fourth in RBI as well with 291.
But how long can the Red Sox offense sustain that production without their most feared hitter?
The only logical move is to bring in Barry Bonds.
First, he can't possibly cost a lot of money. At this point, it is clear that there is very little interest from any team in baseball to bring Bonds' baggage into their clubhouse. So how much money would it cost the Red Sox to sign him?
Second, is there a better fit in baseball right now than Barry Bonds and the Boston Red Sox? Bonds is really old, and his knees are not in good shape. It seems unlikely that he would be a serviceable left fielder.
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But that's fine with the Red Sox.
David Ortiz is allergic to fielding. Every time he gets near first base with a glove, he breaks out into hives. Bonds can immediately fill Ortiz's role as the full-time DH. This would allow Casey to come off the bench and provide a lot more flexibility for Terry Francona.
Is there really a better hitter out there, via trade or the waiver wire, who would hit in front of Manny Ramirez? Consider that Bonds plays at the level he played last year.
In 340 ABs last season, he hit 28 home runs. That means he averaged a home run every 12 at-bats. Also consider that last season he walked 132 times, and his OBP was a ridiculous .480. That means that the Red Sox would have a guy on base in front of Manny Ramirez nearly 50% of the time!!
Of course, this all depends on whether Bonds would be as good as last season, so this could be a pipe dream.
But since 1990, Bonds' OBP has dipped below the .400 mark only once, so even if he only got on base 40% of the time, he would still be in the top seven players in OBP in the American League.
Everyone knows about the steroids, and his bad attitude, and his cancerous existence in the clubhouse. But this is professional baseball, folks! All of the players do not need to be friends in order to want to win together.
I seriously doubt that if Bonds put together a good season and shied away from the media, his teammates would still want to get rid of him and play without him.
Would I feel like a World Series victory in 2008 would be tainted if a player with such a sketchy past like Barry Bonds was a key contributor? Absolutely not.
We know Theo has got the brass to make this move happen. He traded Boston icon Nomar Garciaparra for what seemed to be a group of role players.
He has dumped high-priced veterans like Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe, despite the fact that they had just helped him win a World Series. He even had the stones to tell Larry Lucchino he was resigning when he and the polarizing owner were butting heads in regards to personnel decisions.
It's time for Theo to dare to be daring. It is time for him to sacrifice the Red Sox' calm existence right behind the Rays, in 2nd place in the AL East, in order to make his team better and his offense twice as lethal.
Maybe if Ortiz can come back in three weeks and return to his former self, then Epstein can afford to leave Bonds at home playing shuffleboard.
But if the Sox GM has half a brain, and his best slugger needs surgery, he will swallow his pride, endure the ridiculing, and make the phone call to get Big Bad Barry.
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6 months ago
Hmm im not sure if Bonds is what the red sox need right now. I guess we will have to see how these next few weeks go without Ortiz in the lineup. Someone else is going to have to step it up, or they will start to pitch around Manny. Sure, if Ortiz needs season ending surgury a bat will be needed, but I dont know if the Red Sox will be willing to pay Bonds as much as he is going to want.
from 6 months ago
what kind of leverage will Bonds have to negotiate a big contract, its not like teams are beating down his door to sign him.
6 months ago
The Sox don't need Bonds. He'd hurt the team rather than help. The team could not possibly retain the chemistry they have now with Bonds there. Can you imagine the atmosphere in the clubhouse?
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