Gagne Redux?: With Billy Wagner, Red Sox Take a Familiar Gamble

Last night’s Red Sox win over Chicago featured so many bizarre twists and unusual turns, it seems the only place to begin is at the end.

With that in mind, wasn’t it refreshing to see Jonathan Papelbon return to his former dominant self? The White Sox had literally zero chance against him last night.

Perhaps he was simply jazzed up to prove the Sox don’t need Billy Wagner; maybe he’s feeling fresh for the stretch run, and last night was an indication of what’s to come.

I’m hoping for the latter. But if he keeps pitching like that, the reason isn’t particularly important.

Boston’s final-hour acquisition of Wagner, of course, was the day’s other interesting topic, and I’m not yet convinced that’s going to feature a similar storybook finish.

On the face of it, he’s a huge addition. You can count on one hand the number of left-handed relievers in baseball with both the ability to chuck 95 miles per hour and the stomach to close. The guy isn’t sixth on the all-time saves list for nothing.

But that’s the on-paper stuff—and as the calendar flips from August to September and eventually (and hopefully, in Boston) October, paper means little.

Unless you ask Wagner about the 2.1 million pieces of paper he’s getting from the Red Sox for five weeks of service.

That’s sort of where my problems with Wagner begin.

It was widely reported he’d only come to Boston if the Red Sox both promised not to pick up his option next season and not to offer arbitration.

Then it was reported he’d rather stay in New York so he doesn’t have to expose his surgically repaired elbow to stressful innings.

There were also rumors he didn’t want to appear in Boston as a setup guy, for fear he might devalue himself as a closer in the offseason.

And then, magically, he altered his thinking and decided at the last second to take the plunge.

The reason reported? Because he thought pitching in a pennant race might give him the kind of league-wide exposure that could produce more dollars this winter.

Call me crazy, but I don’t come away from any of those comments with a sense that he’s at all committed to winning.

Or the team.

Everything he’s said and done thus far has been about ensuring his own wealth in the offseason.

Now, I’m not naïve. I realize any pitcher in his situation would be thinking along the same lines, at least at some level. The difference is he said it.

He couldn’t have at least put on a happy face and made the appropriate comments about being able to leave New York and head into the heart of a pennant race?

Of course, it’s probably silly to have expected such a thing. After all, this is the same guy who was challenged by half the Phillies team a few years back for comments he made regarding their effort.

He also was charred by the New York media after a post-game tirade that included derogatory comments about teammates Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran.

So it’s just Wagner being Wagner, caring only about himself. The baseball side of me says, so what? If the guy can throw gas for five weeks, it’ll be worth it.

The chemistry side of me says he might be the kind of toxic personality that can derail a few days of good fortune and send the Sox back into a tailspin.

Of course, the wound that is Eric Gagne is still fresh for everyone in Boston. Gagne did his best Heathcliff Slocumb impression for the last two months of the season, and every time I see David Murphy in Texas, I can’t help but think the Sox could have used him in a trade to get someone with actual value.

The Wagner deal is an eerily similar situation: a loose cannon former closer acquired late in the season to fill a setup role, whether he wants to or not.

It could prove just as combustible a mixture.

Of course, it could all work. Five weeks is not a long time, and with the depth in the Red Sox bullpen, Wagner will not be called upon to pitch more than he’s capable. If he fits in seamlessly, an already strong staff gets stronger for the stretch run and postseason.

It’s possible—and yes, I keep telling myself that. It’s just that given Wagner’s history and approach toward the recent deal, I’m not left with warm fuzzy feelings about his arrival in Beantown.

In reality, though, warm and fuzzy aren’t always important feelings this time of year. Hardware is the only thing that counts.

And somehow, despite the Gagne-induced fireworks in September and October of 2007, the one thing we tend to forget is that Gagne left town with a World Series ring.

I’m just saying.