Friday, May 11, 2012

The Josh Beckett Solution

Josh Beckett - I keep trying to think of a player who went so completely from champion to chump so quickly or so completely. I can't think of anyone. Josh Beckett was a World Series hero back in 2007 and now less than 5 seasons later the city of Boston is disgusted with him.

Brett Favre in Green bay maybe? But the Packers really initiated that because they had Aaron Rodgers waiting in the wings. The Red Sox don't have a replacement waiting for Beckett - although it would be hard to argue that ANYONE could have performed worse than what Josh Beckett has done so far this season (except maybe Clay Buchholz).

I found myself hoping that some starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers gets hurt because Beckett as a 10/5 ma would probably OK a trade to Texas. That's the wrong attitude though. What the Red Sox should do with Josh Beckett is startlingly simple when you think of it - the Red Sox should place Josh Beckett on irrevocable waivers. BAM! One two things could result from that move; 1. some team claims him thus freeing up all that salary and ridding the team of the cancer that Beckett has become or 2. Beckett sees that NO team in baseball wants him because of what he has become. That would either be the cold slap of reality that maybe Beckett needs or at the least it would grease the skids for any future move the front office might make.

They did this with Manny Ramirez in 2003 and they should do it with Josh Beckett today.