Power Point Presentation to “The Three Stewards”– Greinke…Garza…or Wandy?
By Earl Nash
The Red Sox need a front-line starter to compete for a slot in the AL playoffs.
By now every Tom, Nick, and Larry, websites and bloggers, came to a consensus about that weeks ago; last week even GM Ben spoke about the need for starting pitching on Sirius XM with Casey Stern and Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio.
“Operation Bard Start” barfed and Dice K came back to the game throwing craps; then, just after the Sox got Josh Beckett back from the disabled list on Saturday, Clay Buchholz went DL with esophagitis and likely won’t be back until after the All-Star break.
Sox erstwhile “ace,” Jon Lester is 5-5 and Beckett is 4-7; the leader in Ws is Buchholz, 8-2, followed by Doubrant 8-4. The WHIP leaders are Mortensen [0.65], Tazawa [0.79] and Miller [0.93]; the highest ERA pitcher was Darnell McDonald [27.00] and that must be why they cut him. Of Boston’s 21 SVs, Aceves has 19.
Clearly, GM Ben finally “gets it” that the Sox need a #4 slot starter, but, as the trading deadline looms [July 31st], he is immobilized with fear and unable to “pull the trigger” on a deal. He needs some help.
At first I thought I would send him my copy of Veeck, As In Wreck, to inspire him to bold action, but, upon further review, I decided I needed to go to Fenway with a Power Point presentation.
I called his office and, pretending to be an assistant to the Commissioner, Bud Selig, I said that I was on my way to give an emergency Power Point presentation to Ben, John Henry, and Larry Lucchio, about the Commissioner’s new “Great Leap Forward” plan, which would include: adding a Designated Pitcher, a two-hour time limit on games, a 16-team Wild Card Round Robin Playoff Tournament, and the centerpiece, his Commissioner For Life proposal.
The ruse worked perfectly; The Three Stewards: John, Benny & Larry were waiting in the conference room for me. I tried to put them off guard with the truth, I was actually there to present a Power Point program on their options for acquiring a starting pitcher; they were not amused and, when Ben threatened to call SECURITY, I played my trump card.
I showed them my Driver’s License and my Bosox Injection photo ID; they promptly settled down; Larry even called his pal Bobby to go to Dunkin’ Donuts for coffees and a dozen assorted.
"THE PRESENTATION"
“I assume you read my post about acquiring “King Felix” Hernandez, so I will not include him in this presentation.”
[https://bosoxinjection.com/2012/07/04/will-sox-pay-a-kings-ransom-for-felix-hernandez/]
[John, Benny & Larry nodded affirmatively with enthusiasm.]
SLIDE ONE: GREINKE
2012
W L ERA K-W WHIP WAR
9 2 3.08 24-106 1.18 2.7
CAREER
85 75 3.76 1238-349 1.25 3.2
CONTRACT
2012 28 $13,500,000
2013 Status Signed, Earliest Free Agent: 2013
EARL: Alright, gents, here are a few things to consider:
- The Brewers will want you to pay his remaining salary for 2012: about $6.75 million.
- But, you are only renting Greinke for half a year; no long-term commitment….Like Lackey or Crawford…
- They will want a prospect or two; say: Anderson [1b] and Stolmy Pimentel [RHP]…
J-HEN: Ah, question…
EARL: Yeah, Larry…
J-HEN: Not Larry.
EARL: What’s your name then?
J-HEN: Uh, John…uh Henry…
EARL: John or Henry?
J-HEN: What about Chris?
EARL: Fine with me, Chris…
J-HEN: Uh, no…Chris Carpenter…
LARRY: He just went on the DL…
BEN: Larry, John Henry means OUR Chris Carpenter.
J-HEN: Oh, is he on the DL?
EARL: Lemme save you some time there, whatever your name is: the Brewers don’t want YOUR Chris Carpenter. But they might take Shoppach.
J-HEN: How did we get Chris Carpenter?
BEN: Uh…never mind John…
EARL: OK, gents; ready for the next slide?
[John, Benny & Larry nodded affirmatively with enthusiasm.]
SLIDE TWO: GARZA
2012
W L ERA K-W WHIP WAR
4 6 4.01 28-80 1.16 0.5
CAREER
56 60 3.85 345-849 1.25 0.47
CONTRACT
2012 $9,500,000, 2013 Status 3rd-Year Arb Eligible (Super 2),
Earliest Arb Eligible: 2013, Earliest Free Agent: 2014
EARL: Alright, gents, here are a few things to consider:
- The Cubs will want you to pay his remaining salary for 2012: about $4.75 million.
- Through 16 starts, he is 4-7 with a 4.32 ERA.
- He is a half-year rental, but you have the option to offer him arbitration in 2013.
- His record against the AL East is impressive; in 3 Yankee Stadium starts, Garza has a 3.18 ERA and modest .688 OPS.
- Garza has great numbers against all of the remaining AL East teams and a 3.21 ERA with a .657 OPS at Tropicana Field. Look at this chart:
TEAM Starts ERA OPS Blue Jays 13 2.14 0.615 Orioles 12 3.03 0.691 Red Sox 18 3.83 0.716 - They will want a prospect or two; say: Vitek [3b] and…well…Epstein will try to hold you up for Matt Barnes or Anthony Ranaudo…
J-HEN: Shortstops?
EARL: No. Pitchers…Your #4 and #5 prospects…
J-HEN: Well, didn’t you say that is what we need? A #4 pitcher?
BEN: John…they’re in A and Double-A…
J-HEN: Great! We save money!
LARRY: True, John, true…Ah, Mr. Nash, who do you think we should cough up?
EARL: Well, I was thinking that…
J-HEN: Wait! I’ve got it! What about Chris?
EARL: Chris Carpenter…
LARRY: He just went on the DL…
BEN: Larry, John Henry means OUR Chris Carpenter.
J-HEN: Oh, is he on the DL?
EARL: Lemme save you some time there, whatever your name is: the Cubs don’t want YOUR Chris Carpenter. But they might take Drake Britton [LHP] or Stolmy Pimentel [RHP]…
J-HEN: Britton…the shortstop?
EARL: Left-handed pitcher.
LARRY: Um, Earl, I think you mean “Zack” Britton…
EARL: No. You have “Drake” Britton; Zach Britton is with the Orioles and, Larry, it’s spelled with an “h,” not a “k.”
LARRY: Oh, yeah, yeah, Bobby told me about him last night at dinner—he’s a shortstop.
EARL: No, a Left-handed pitcher.
LARRY: Did you know that I played with Bill Bradley on the Princeton basketball team?
EARL: Yeah, you were on the roster as the “12th man,” and Bradley was a Rhodes Scholar…
In any case, the Cubs will want a pitcher in the deal with Vitek…
J-HEN: Varitek? Is he still on the team?
BEN: No, sir, we did not offer him a contract…Earl says the Cubs will want a pitcher…
J-HEN: OK, I get it…but I still want to know how we got stuck with Chris Carpenter?
BEN: Uh…we got him for Epstein…
J-HEN: That shortstop with the Orioles…
BEN: No, sir…we…
J-HEN: Well, I’ve heard that at least OURS isn’t in the DL.
EARL: OK, gents; ready for the next slide?
[John, Benny & Larry nodded affirmatively with enthusiasm.]
SLIDE THREE: RODRIGUEZ
2012
W L ERA K-W WHIP WAR
6 6 3.54 23-70 1.23 1.3
CAREER
79 81 4.03 1074-445 1.34 1.475
CONTRACT
2012 $10,000,000
2013 $13,000,000
2014 *$13,000,000
$13M Team Option, $2.5M Buyout option may become guaranteed based on performance; option becomes player option with trade Earliest Free Agent: 2014
EARL: Alright, gents, here are a few things to consider:
J-HEN: Wait! “Rodriguez”? Isn’t he the guy that Reggie Jackson said was on drugs?
EARL: No, that’s “A-Rod.”
J-HEN: A “rod”? Well anyway, we will be stuck paying Rodriguez 10 million this year…
EARL: Actually 5 million and maybe just 2.5 million…
J-HEN: Whatever…Still we are on the hook with him for 2013 AND 2014 for about 31 million…That’s a lot of my derivative profits…Say, Ben, what are we paying that Whacky fellow?
BEN: Lackey, sir, and he gets 15 million 250 this year and…
J-HEN: But, at least, then, we are rid of him!
BEN: Not exactly, sir…We still owe him about 15 million a year for 2013 and 2014…
J-HEN: Ghad zooks, Ben! We’re paying him more than that Rodriguez fellow!
BEN: Yes.
J-HEN: Did we get that Lackey in that Carpenter trade?
BEN: No sir, he was a Free Agent…
J-HEN: Who the hell made that deal?
BEN: Epstein…
J-HEN: Epstein?! We got that left-handed shortstop in that deal too?
LARRY: Gentlemen, it’s getting late…Ah! Here’s Bobby with the donuts and coffee!
[Bobby Valentine enters and distributes the donuts and coffee.]
LARRY: Ah, three sugars and light!
B-V: Just the way you like it, Larry…Important meeting?
J-HEN: You bet it is, Bobby! Say, don’t you need to get to New York for your game tonight?
B-V: Game?
J-HEN: Or do you expect the Mets to manage themselves?
LARRY: Uh, thanks Bobby and…
J-HEN: Hey, wait, Bobby: where’s the Bigelow Green Tea?
B-V: But, I though you wanted coffee?
J-HEN: No, not for ME…for Tito! He’s late, but I know he will want to be here for this important meeting. Ah, the guys on the team just love that man…A master of the laissez faire method.
B-V: “Laissez faire,” indeed!
LARRY: Uh, thanks Bobby and…don’t worry about the tea…
J-HEN: Yes. Bobby, you have to leave; we can’t have the Mets’ manager at our meetings!
[Bobby Valentine rolls his eyes at Lucchino and departs.]
BEN: So, Earl, you were about to evaluate an Astros’ trade for Wandy Rodriguez…
EARL: Right. OK…
Houston is starting from scratch and they will be looking to get 2-4 prospects.
Remove Brett Myers, Brandon Lyons, and starting SS, Jed Lowrie from the 40-man roster and you are left with a AA roster, who would regularly lose to the Portland Sea Dogs.
J-HEN: Wasn’t Lowrie a shortstop for the Orioles?
LARRY: No! He was a pitcher with the Sea Dogs!
EARL: Add three Sea Dogs, Lars Anderson at 1b, Gavin Cecchini at 2b, Kolbrin Vitek, 3b, to Jed Lowrie and the Astros would have a complete “Ex-Sox prospects” infield.
Now, Cecchini has played Third base, but he could easily transition to Second.
To make the deal work, you could allow Houston a substitute for one of the above with Blake Swihart, the 19 year-old catcher, your #12 prospect.
LARRY: Don’t you mean “Garin” Cecchini…
EARL: No, Larry “Garin” Cecchini was drafted by the Mets last month;
he plays shortstop and second base.
J-HEN: The Mets! Oh, that Bobby is so lucky to get him! That “Cha-ching-ee” kid can transition to Third base…I wish we had him!
EARL: Also, if they like the prospects part of the deal, they may be willing to pay half of Wandy’s second half salary: so you could rent Rodriguez for just 2 point 5 million…That’s a good deal!
EARL: Question, Ben?
BEN: Yes. Anybody got a creme donut?
LARRY: Yeah, one of mine is creme; you want it?
BEN: Yeah. I’ll trade you my sprinkles donut for it…
LARRY: No deal, kid.
BEN: Well…
LARRY: I want your sprinkles donut and your chocolate covered one too.
BEN: Gee, Larry…that’s two of my donuts for one of yours…I don’t know…
[Larry picks up the creme donut and opens his mouth to take a bite…]
BEN: No! Wait! OK…OK…
LARRY: One more thing; no-trade clause…
BEN: No way!
LARRY: Then, no deal…
BEN: How about “donut must approve trade”?
LARY: And I get a “donut to be named later”?
[Ben forks over both of his donuts for the one cream donut.]
J-HEN: I’d have never made that deal in the Business world…
BEN: OK, Earl…So, what is your recommendation?
Earl: OK, here’s the deal. You pay Greinke $6.75 million for the rest of 2012.
Then, he is a free agent and will want a ton of money for 5 years.
Look at this slide…
2013 $23,000,000
2014 $23,000,000
2015 $23,000,000
2016 $25,000,000
2017 $25,000,000
*Right to refuse trade to any team.
J-HEN: Can I ask a question? I want…
EARL: No!
Earl: Or, You could pay Garza $4.75 million for the rest of 2012.
Then, he is a free agent and will want a ton of money for 3 years.
Look at this slide…
2013 $21,000,000
2014 $23,000,000
2015 $25,000,000
*Right to refuse trade to any team.
J-HEN: Can I ask a question? I want…
EARL: No!
Earl: Or, You pay Rodriguez $5 million, likely just 2.5 million, for the rest of 2012. Then, you still have him under contract for 2013 for 13 million and, if you like him you get to keep him, your option, for 2014 for 13 million. Look at the slide:
2012 $5,000,000 [Houston pays $5,000,000]
2013 $13,000,000
2014 *$13,000,000
$13M Team Option, $2.5M Buyout option may become guaranteed based on performance; option becomes player option with trade Earliest Free Agent: 2014
BEN: And…
EARL: And, Rodriguez is a lefty, which give you better a balanced rotation; two lefties, two righties…Lester, Rodriguez, Beckett and Doubrant…
J-HEN: Now, can I ask my question?
EARL: Sure.
J-HEN: How much are you going to charge us for this presentation?
EARL: Here’s the deal: you take my advice and win a slot in the playoffs, you owe me nothing.
J-HEN: Nothing? But, how…
EARL: But, if you don’t take my advice and don’t make the playoffs, you pay me
…a million bucks.
Good day, gents!
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