Eric Gagne

Perhaps the worst single move by Theo Epstein was to trade for Eric Gagne. Be that as it may - Gagne is supposedly trying a comeback of sorts by playing for the Québec Capitales of the Can-Am League - as a starter!

The Capitales will be in Worcester to play the Tornadoes from June 19th to the 21st. I'll probably head over to Fitton Field to watch one of those games.

This was too good not to borrow from Neate's site.

Eric Gagne

Is it time to revisit the trade that send Eric Gagne from the Rangers to the Red Sox? Within Red Sox Nation the deal is viewed as perhaps the worst evah made by Theo Epstein. Gagne was a warm barrel of suck during his time in Boston but it has to be said - the Red Sox may have actually gotten the better end of the deal. Here's the deal according to Eric Gagne's Baseball-reference.com page:

July 31, 2007: Traded by the Texas Rangers with cash to the Boston Red Sox for Engel Beltre (minors), Kason Gabbard and David Murphy.

Kason Gabbard has been reacquired by the Red Sox for cash considerations. David Murphy has been absolutely awful - hitting just .097 in 31 AB this season (that .097 is not a typo). Engel Beltre has a .307 OBP for Single A Clinton. Meh! Meanwhile the Red Sox used the compensation pick for Gagne signing with the Brewers to select Bryan Price - a 6'4" righthander who can throw 95 mph.

The Sox may have actually won this trade.

Top 5 - Canadian Born Baseball Players

In honor of Canada Day - here are who I consider the Top 5 baseball players born in Canada.

1. Fergie Jenkins - Hall of Fame pitcher - 284 career wins and 1971 Cy Young Award winner
2. Larry Walker - 1997 NL MVP and 7 time Gold Glove winner
3. Justin Morneau - 2006 AL MVP
4. Eric Gagne - 2003 Cy Young Winner
5. Jason Bay - 134 HR and counting

Honorable mention goes to Russel Martin - the up and coming catcher for the Dodgers. Also it should be noted that blue collar Matt Stairs is second all-time on the HR by Canadians list with 249 and counting (Larry Walker is first with 383).

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

Every offseason in Boston you get the "Manny wants to be traded" or the "Red Sox want to offload Manny's contract" rumors. Not so much this year. With Andruw Jones getting $18 million per year - Manny's contract looks downright affordable. The Red Sox will pay Manny $20 million is 2008 and have options for 2009 and 2010... I tried to be positive about the Eric Gagne experience but I think any unbiased examination of his performance in Boston would conclude that he has not only lost a few miles per hour off his fastball - he has also lost his ability to control pitch location as well. I'm glad the Brewers signed Gagne to a one-year $10 million contract because it nets the Red Sox a compensation draft pick but as Ken Rosenthal explains - "Truth is, Doug Melvin didn't like signing Eric Gagne for $10 million, either." The justification that resonates with me is the fact that Gagne is just a one-year deal and he only costs them money. If they went after Huston Street or Joe Nathan - they would have been forced to give up major prospects... Paul Lo Duca to sign one-year deal with Nationals. It's getting tough to follow the catcher shuffle in the NL. Jason Kendall was the starter for the Cubs but now he's taken Johnny Estrada's job in Milwaukee. Estrada took Lo Duca's job with the Mets until the Mets traded for Brian Schnieder of the Nationals and now Lo Duca (formerly of the Mets) has taken Schnieder's old job with the Nationals. Got that?... Red Sox fans are rejoicing over the announcement that the Yankees have signed LaTroy Hawkins to a one-year deal. If I ran a casino - I'd have a prop bet asking which Red Sox player would be the first to hit a late inning HR off Hawkins that brings the Red Sox from behind to help win the game. Hs momma named him LaTroy which (as others have pointed out) means "the Troy" in French but it would have been more accurate if she named him whatever is French for "the late Inning Home Run" instead...

Hot Stove Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous offseason baseball thoughts and observations.

Less than a week removed from the Red Sox winning the World Series and the sentimentality is starting to drop by the wayside. Monday if you asked me - I would have said that the Red Sox need to do whatever it takes to sign Mike Lowell. Today I'm not so sure. Yes I think it would be worth it to sign Lowell to something like a 3-year $40 million deal but anything over that in time or in money may not be worth it. Don't get me wrong - I want Lowell back and I think even though he's 34-years old I don't see a great drop off for Lowell either offensively or defensively, however, I do see him being dead money in 2011 if a 4th year is added to the contract... I would bring back Curt Schilling for the one-year deal he's looking for. The Red Sox have Josh Beckett, Dice-K, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholtz in the rotation for next year but Tim Wakefield is a question mark. Having Schilling back as the number 3 starter (he did have a 3.34 ERA post All-Star game this year) would take the pressure off the younger pitchers and would be insurance against injury. There is no pitcher available for free agency that could give the Red Sox such a known quantity at just a one-year deal. If all six starters remain healthy that also gives the Red Sox the flexibility to rest the starters more often which paid big dividends during the playoffs this year. Even though you are over-paying Schilling at $13 million its just for one year and that allows them to wait for the free agent class after next season to add a big arm... If I were Joe Girardi - I would be lighting prayer candles around the clock hoping that Andy Pettitte returned to pitch for the team in 2008. Pettitte is the rock of the Yankees pitching staff. All the other starters have question marks - Wang is so-so away from home, Mussina may be cooked, Hughes is young and has injury issues and Chamberlain may be better suited to the bullpen. The Yankees need Pettitte if they are to contend next year... I'm sure the Red Sox will offer Eric Gagne arbitration. It will be interesting to see down the line what becomes of the draft picks the Red Sox will get when Gagne signs elsewhere... I wasn't aware that Tom Werner was such a disliked person in San Diego. Just knowing that he had anything to do with Rosanne signing that national anthem that time makes my respect for Werner drop several notches...

Eric Gagne

Right now Eric Gagne is a squirt gun that shoots jelly. He's a cowboy who rides an ostrich. He's a misfit reliever.

Last night he cost the Red Sox yet another game. Opponents are hitting .356 against him since he joined Boston. Only Magglio Ordonez has a higher batting average than that number in all of the American League. Gagne is turning any batter he faces into a contender for the batting title.

Last night he had absolutely no control and yet Terry Francona left him in the game. No control whatsoever. Varitek would set up inside and the pitch would be two feet outside. Varitek sets up outside and the batter has to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. Everyone who watched the game saw that. Why was he left in the game?

Players keep saying that they will need Gagne for the playoffs. No you don't. Manny Delcarman is twice the pitcher Gagne is right now. You also have Mike Timlin, Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon. I don't even want Gagne on the postseason roster.

I am very frustrated with Eric Gagne and I'm not alone. If he needs to work out his control issues - let him do it in blow-out games or the bullpen.

EDIT: Lyford has great detail on the 4 games that Eric Gagne has cost the Red Sox since joining the team. In 4 games out of 14 Gagne has kept the Red Sox from closing the deal on a win. He is the baseball equivalent of the cockblocking buddy.

The Gagne Effect

The Red Sox are going to the playoffs this season. That's a given. The acquisition of Eric Gagne will be felt most once Boston gets to the playoff but in a way not many people seem to be discussing.

Every team that will make the playoffs in the AL this year will have at least two Ace level starters. Detroit has Verlander and Bonderman. Cleveland has Sabathia and Carmona. The Angels have Lackey and Escobar. The Red Sox will be able to counter with Beckett and Matsusaka. The Red Sox top two starters should equalize the starts from any starters in games 1 and 2 and 5 and 6 of any series. So where does Gagne come in? Let me explain.

The Red Sox don't have the overwhelming offense that they had in 2003 and 2004 but what this team does very well is see a lot of pitches per at bat and get on base (they lead the AL in walks). Assuming that the top two starters for the Red Sox and whoever they face in the playoffs will be fairly evenly matched - the key to those first two games will be to get into the other team's bullpen. Being patient and seeing a lot of pitches is what the Red Sox do and that's how you tire out starters and get into the bullpen.

Conversely - with the acquisition of Gagne the Red Sox now have arguably the best bullpen in all of baseball. You have Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima and now Eric Gagne all leading up to Jonathan Papelbon. If the patience of the Red Sox hitters can get them into the opposing team's bullpen early - then the Red Sox have a HUGE EDGE.

This is not to mention the fact that the #3 and #4 playoff starters for the Red Sox - Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield probably have the edge on any playoff pitching match-up. Red Sox fans have to feel pretty good about their chances to win their second World series in four years.

Texas Rangers Trade Possibilities

With the trade deadline looming on the horizon - I will try to take a look at what chips some of the teams who are out of playoff contention may put in play. Earlier I looked at the Baltimore Orioles, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox. Today I will take a look what players from the Rangers may hit the market.

- Mark Teixeira - perhaps the most hyped potential trade deadline player available. What many forget is that even though Teixeira will not be a free agent until after the 2008 season - next year he will be arbitration eligible and will probably get about $15 million for next year through arbitration. I think realistically the Yankees, Orioles, and Angels are the only teams with the need and the money to afford trading for Teixeira. The Rangers would save about $3 million by trading Teixeira before the trade deadline plus if they kept him - they run the risk of him getting hurt and damaging his off-season trade value. My guess is that the Angels put together a Reggie Willits, Erick Aybar type package to get the deal done.

- Eric Gagne - he is attractive not just because he's a lights-out closer when healthy but also because he'll probably be a type-A free agent which means the team that trades for him will also end up getting some draft picks (if they don't re-sign him). Gagne is almost guaranteed to be traded and I'd look for the Indians, Braves, Cubs and Diamondbacks to make the strongest push for him.

- Kenny Lofton - the Rangers would save about $7 million just in salary if they are able to trade Lofton, Gagne and Teixeira by the trade deadline. That amount is equal to about the total gate for 9 of the remaining 37 home games. I'll be upfront and say that I've never liked Kenny Lofton. He always just seemed like a jerkface to me. Maybe the Cubs will offer something for Lofton?

- Brad Wilkerson - he's a free agent at the end of the year and can play 1st or OF. He's got some pop in his bat (he averages 1 HR every 25 AB for his career). I think there would be a certain symmetry if the Cubs were to trade for Wilkerson and have him and Soriano playing in the outfield at the same time. My guess is Jon Daniels will trade Wilkerson if he doesn't think Wilkerson will be categorized as a class-B free agent.

Jon Daniels will probably also dangle Vincent Padilla but I doubt if anyone would be dumb enough to pick up that contract.

June 15th - Big Day on the Baseball Calendar

Unless I read the baseball CBA (collective bargaining agreement) wrong - June 15th should be a big day on the baseball calendar. Unlike the NBA - you cannot do a "sign and trade" in baseball. If you sign a free agent in the off-season - you have to wait until June 15th to "assign" a player's contract to another team (i.e. trade that player). With that in mind - let's take a look at the free agents signed this off-season that may be "assigned" to another team.

The first name that comes to mind is Eric Gagne who signed a 1-year deal with the Rangers. The Rangers won't be winning anything this year and chances are the Rangers won't be able to re-sign a healthy Gagne so why wouldn't they want to trade him and save the bulk of his $6 million salary and get a prospect or two in exchange to boot? Gagne supposedly has some sort of "no-trade" language in his contract but I'm guessing that's a list of teams he will or won't agree to be traded to. There are a number of teams competing for the playoffs who need a real closer.

Danys Baez is another interesting name. He signed a 3-year $19 million deal with the Orioles but maybe someone wants to make a deal for a guy with closing experience and giving up a top prospect may be easier if the guy you are getting will be under your control for a couple of more years. Baez would rather be a closer but it looks like that won't happen in Baltimore - so maybe a change of scenery would be the best for the player and the Orioles.

Speaking of Orioles - Chad Bradford could be another middle-reliever on the block. Bradford is having a fine season (2.35 ERA and 1.26 WHIP) and the saying goes "buy low - sell high". Selling Bradford now may bring the most reward for the Orioles who should be stockpiling prospects in order to compete with the big pocketed Yankees and Red Sox. Bradford gets a $500,000 check from the Orioles if he's "assigned" to another team - so I bet he'd be all for going to a place where winning is the norm.

JD Drew could also be on the block. Just kidding. Nobody will be dumb enough to take his contract.

Alan Embree is in the middle of his second straight bounce-back season and is very effective against right-handed batters (.264 BAA and .564 OPS). I'm guessing that Billy Beane wouldn't mind flipping a 37-year old pitcher for some young prospects.

I guess you could add David Riske to the list of possibly available middle relievers with some closing experience. However, I'm not sure any playoff contending team wants the PR nightmare of trusting close games to a guy whose name is pronounced "risky".

There could be some other players available but if I was a middle-reliever or closer who signed a free agent deal this winter - I'd be sure to know where to get shipping boxes because a number of these guys will be changing addresses once June 15th comes and goes.