Boston Red Sox: Don't You Wish You Could Cut the Dead Money from the Roster?

It's a huge relief to see Mike Cameron leave the Red Sox and sign with the Marlins.  He was old, couldn't stay on the field and did a terrble job as Jason Bay's replacement.  The news of Cameron heading back to the National League reminds me of how much I wish MLB would enact the NFL system when it comes to players. Salaries are not guaranteed and you could be released tomorrow.  With Cameron all you've got is two years and $15 million down the drain. 

You might ask, what do you care?  The Red Sox are wasting their money on old, overpriced talent.  It's not our money going up in flames, but it's the principle that matters.  OK, the Red Sox are a cash cow and can live with expensive roster mistakes that would handcuff 28 of the 30 teams in the league.  I still say the fact that Theo's mistakes are covered up by John Henry's money is irrelevant.  Any general manager, whether its the Yankees or Pirates, should show good judgment in personnel decisions and spend their team's budget as wisely and efficiently as possible.   

Mike Cameron's departure makes you think - if baseball had football rules - what other dead money should we shed from the Red Sox roster? 

DL Drew Aka JD Drew

Let's put aside the "his advanced stats are awesome" argument for a minute.  People who make that case have a valid point, but there is one thing they have no counter for.  J.D. Drew is not durable.  If a GM is going to commit 5 years and $70 million to any player he should at least be counted on to stay on the field, right?  I do realize its a very long season and it's smart to give players days off during the year so they can stay fresh.  That being said, you're not asking for much to expect a starting player to play in at least 90 percent of the teams games.  Did you know Drew has done that just once in his 14-year career?   

In the first four years of J.D. Drew's contract he has played in 140, 109, 137 and 139 games.  As of this writing he's on pace to play 130 games.  Good God, he has made more money than David Ortiz over the past four and a half years.  Does this make any sense?  No.  Is this a smart way to spend John Henry's dough?  HELL NO!   

Bobby Jenks....

Two questions pop up when I think of Jenks

When did the wheels come flying off with him?  What happened to the overpowering stud that helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series and made 2 All-Star teams?  It looks like that guy is gone for good.  The numbers with the Red Sox can't be spun in a positive way.  In 14.2 innings pitched Jenks has allowed 21 hits and 12 runs.  11 of those 12 runs were earned.  He's walked 13 hitters and thrown 3 wild pitches.  His WHIP is 2.32 and his ERA is a bloated 6.75. 

If the Red Sox let Papelbon go I'll understand, but let's hope Daniel Bard can close.  It's too bad we can't cut our losses with Jenks, because right now he's a $6 million dollar mistake. 

John Lackey

We are a year and a half into the John Lackey Era.  Last year he made $18.7 million and this year he's making $15.25 mil.  Add that up and you've got a $33.95 million dollar disaster.  In retrospect the team should have given the money earmarked for Lackey to Jason Bay, or perhaps Matt Holliday.  Can you imagine how many runs a 3/4/5 combination of Youkilis, Adrian Gonzo and Holliday/Bay would produce?  HOLY CRAP

The numbers on Lackey do not lie or mislead: 46 games, 5.17 ERA, 174 runs allowed, 165 earned, 28 HR allowed, 99 walks and a WHIP of 1.472.  Four more years of Lackey are on the horizon.  I've said it before but need to say again; Thank God the Red Sox can eat their mistakes and not lose the ability to make moves to improve the club. 

Marco Scutaro

Marco Scutaro has been the best of a slew of shortstops that have played ever since Nomar was traded, but that's not saying much.  The Red Sox paid $10.5 million in 2010 and 2011 and all they've gotten is declining production since his 2009 contract push.  Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I give you these stats

2009 with Toronto: 144 games, 100 runs scored, 90 walks and a line of .282 .379 OBP .409 SLG .788 OPS

2010 with Boston: 150 games, 92 runs scored, 53 walks and a line of .275 .333 OBP .388 SLG .721 OPS

2011 with Boston: 45 games, 18 runs scored, 13 walks and a line of .268 .331 OBP .369 SLG .700 OPS

I rest my case

Dice K Matsuzaka

The frustrating thing was how the media and team over-hyped Matsuzaka as the next Pedro Martinez.  In retrospect why in the world would the team spend $51.1 million just to talk to him?  The record on Japanese imports is a wash and you can't put too much stock in their production.  For every Ichiro or Hideo Nomo that works out there are enough misfires, which makes it a mixed bag.  So far Dice-K has made $21.3 million and he has $10 million more coming next year. 

All in all the team got a pitcher who was OK in 2007 and very good in 2008.  2009 was a lost year because he made just 12 starts and had a 5.76 ERA.  2010 was run of the mill; 4.69 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a 9-6 record in 25 starts.  This year is a non-starter as well because he's going to have Tommy John surgery. 

Was it worth it?  I'm going out on a limb and going to say no. 

Theo Epstein

The purpose of this column is not to totally rip on Theo Epstein.  His free agent signings haven't really worked out and some of his trades backfired big time, but overall you'd have to say he is a very good GM.  Bottom line is that while he inherited a good situation from Dan Duquette, he was able to put them over the top twice and that's all that matters. 

Let's just hope his judgment improves over the winter