Red Sox Trade Deadline Reactions & Reasonings

It’s day two after the trading deadline and while team’s can still make acquisitions via the waiver wire, most big deals are likely to have taken place; or at least talked about.  That is exactly what the Red Sox did this year – talked about making the bold move and while the foundations of such a move were discussed, the concrete was never poured and the deal was never made.  Instead, a pair of minor moves were all that Cherington put on his resume for his first trade deadline.

Now we start to hear of such potential blockbusters and the first to come out was the potential deal with the Texas Rangers that would have seen starter Josh Beckett, catcher Kelly Shoppach and all-star outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury heading to the lone star state.  Rob Bradford of WEEI.com had the story, citing multiple sources had confirmed that the two sides had engaged in discussions, but the sources appeared to have conflicting reports on how serious the talks really became.

Bradford wasn’t sure on what Texas would have given up in the blockbuster, but it’s fun to dream as a Red Sox fan of what could have been.  Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal confirms that Cherington never asked Josh Beckett to waive his ten and five rights, keeping this rumor in the rumor bay.

Kelly Shoppach’s name was also involved in multiple rumors as many teams were seeking depth at the catching position. The grizzly 32-year old had been tied to the Nationals and Brewers leading up to the deadline but alas the Sox held on to him.  Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports via a team source that the reason Cherington didn’t deal Shoppach or Jarrod Saltalamacchia for that matter is the need for offense with the absence of David Ortiz.

With the team left without a solid DH bat, we have witnessed a Sox lineup in the past week when both Salty and Shop are in the lineup, adding a little more pop than when Pedro Ciriaco is the designated hitter.

A second reason Speier reports is because of the vulnerability catchers are to injury given the grind on the body the position demands.

Two reasons which I believe to bogus and BS.  You can’t tell me that Ryan Lavarnway at DH isn’t an option.  We saw last season in the final two games of the year what the kid can do, which included flexing his muscles and providing power at the plate.  We’ve heard his arm and catching abilities are suspect, making him a prime candidate to DH further into his career.  What a perfect opportunity to ease him into the bigs for the remainder of the year.

The second reason is also a jagged little pill to try and swallow.  No team should live in fear of injury or Murphy’s law will surely render it’s ugly head.  And that is exactly what happened.  Tuesday night Shoppach suffered a shin injury and is likely to miss a few days of action.

Shoppach was the likely of the two to get dealt and while his return would not have been anything shocking, a prospect is better than watching him walk at the end of the year.

Cherington missed the boat on this one during his first kick at the trade deadline.  Either catcher should have been moved and now Lavarnway is still behind both catchers, delaying his big league career.  A DL stint for Daniel Nava allowed Lavarnway to get recalled, but will he be the victim of the numbers game when the regulars get healthy? Or will he play himself into one of those regular roles and force a move on another player.  While an August move could be in the cards to move Shoppach, this is a deal that should’ve happened on Tuesday or any day leading up to it.