Red Sox Memories: Caveat Emptor for Chaim Bloom and free agents

An All-Star team of Red Sox free-agent failures

The Red Sox have certainly established a standard for bad contracts of the free agency variety. The shop the market and invariably overpay especially when the market for their target is rather slim as in the case of J.D. Martinez. But the real filling of the roster potholes is relegated to scouring the market for filet mignon and ignoring the far cheaper cuts.

This has been the history through multiple GMs during this current ownership regime. Despite an extensive list of blunders, the franchise has four World Series titles this century so even making mistakes have been overcome. Now a change of direction is anticipated and the Red Sox may take a more judicious approach under the tutelage of Chaim Bloom.

Bad contracts are eternal or internal have consequences and the Red Sox have had their share of dead money with both. With luxury tax issues, the burden of a Dustin Pedroia (internal) and David Price (external) show the consequences. Now an infamous “All-Star” team of the worse or the worse.

Four disasters for the Red Sox infield

The Red Sox were infatuated with Jose Offerman who had achieved All-Star status with the Dodgers before being traded to the Royals. Trading an AS for one Billy Brewer should raise some flags. Offerman had an excellent first season in Boston leading the AL in triples and posting a .391 OBP. Offerman became an All-Star and his four years and $26M contract looked like a bargain. Then it crashed.

He was the surly type and for the next two and a half seasons he tanked both with the bat and the glove.  The Red Sox finally rid themselves of Offerman as he became Seattle’s problem. Offerman’s temperament became on full display with two well documented on-field assaults – one in the Dominican Winter League and the other while Offerman was playing independent league baseball.

.Rent-A-Wreck became a tag that was used by media and fans to describe Edgar Renteria who signed on for four years and $40M.  Renteria put on noticeable weight and it showed defensively leading MLB in errors.  Reports also surfaced that his wife was involved with one of his teammates to further complicate his status. Renteria appeared disinterested and his shoddy defense took a toll despite hitting .276 and scoring 100 runs.

Lugo as in Yugo described Julio Lugo who was gifted with four years and $36M. Another player who when you see him daily you wonder what were they thinking? Boston had Lugo at shortstop and it was Don Buddin Part II. Lugo got his ring and was finally unceremoniously shipped out.

Pablo Sandoval would have been a star in Boston if he had hit his weight. The Red Sox ended up paying over $40M for Panda not to play for Boston. That about sums up the plight of Sandoval in Boston.

The second time around with the Red Sox eventually fails at DH

The Red Sox made a historic trade with the Marlins that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston.  Both players became important cogs in the Red Sox 2007 run to a World Series championship. The Red Sox in a move similar to the Chris Sale trade sent two high profile prospects to the marlins. One was Hanley Ramirez.

Ramirez became the National League Rookie of the Year and became a batting champion a few seasons down the baseball path. Ramirez moved to the Dodgers where he hit .299 for three seasons before becoming a free agent and signing a four-year/$88M contract with Boston.

The second time around sometimes works in relationships and in baseball and this was not to be one of those times. Ramirez’s second season back with the Red Sox paid dividends when HanRam slashed 30/111/.286, but then it crashed.  Part of the issue was placing Ramirez in left field and certainly, his skill set was disappearing.

Ramirez was a five-tool player but the tools were collapsing. Ramirez once had back-to-back 51 steal seasons and was now a liability on the bases. Defensively Ramirez was no longer shortstop material and his outfield work was a nightmare. Ramirez was given considerable time at first base but the signal was clear – designated hitter was a viable option.

In 2017 Ramirez became a DH but a DH is supposed to hit and Ramirez slashed 23/62/.242 and that is not what a team pays $22.750M to do. In 2018 things went south and by the end of May, the Red Sox released Ramirez.

Three Red Sox outfield mistakes

Sometimes you need an angel to rescue you from a financial abyss and the Dodgers did just that absorbing a large dose of the seven-year and $142M contract of Carl Crawford. Crawford was in his prime, five times stole 50+ bases, hit around .300, had great mid-range power, and had won a Gold Glove. A walking advertisement for some players just can’t play in Boston. It quickly failed with the combination of injuries, eroding skills, and personality. Crawford appeared as a moody and self-absorbed player.

When a manager pens the nickname Day-To-Day Drew it speaks volumes of the intensity of J.D. Drew who Boston signed for five years and $75M. Drew should have been Hall of Fame material, but whenever underachiever polls were taken Drew would be either first or close to it. Five years of “meh” baseball in right field. The complete opposite of Dwight Evans.

Sometimes you go way back for bad free agent signings and at least the money appears low ball thanks to time.  The Red Sox signed Andre Dawson in 1992 for two years and $9M, but Dawson was 38-years-old playing on knees that were shot. A great player in the final stages of a HOF career playing on fumes. Dawson did hit 29 home runs in 196 games but his great speed was long gone. Being DH part-time saved further embarrassment in the outfield.

Red Sox sign Mr. Surly to catch

A.J. Pierzynski signed a one-year deal for $8.25M to be the answer at catcher since the retirement of Jason Varitek. Pierzynski certainly had the offensive statistical accomplishments as the lefty hitter had respectable power and eventually retired with a .280 batting average. Defensively, Pierzynski was no Varitek but after the previous season, the World Champions had Jarrod Saltalamacchia catching who was somewhere between awful and terrible defensively. In the playoffs backup, David Ross saved them.

Pierzynski had a reputation that followed him throughout his MLB career and was it intensity or just a pain in the arse? With the Red Sox fading fast the finger-pointing started and Pierzynski became the target with the usual “unnamed sources” in the clubhouse tossing the 37-year-old veteran under the bus.

Pierzynski was an easy target since his unlikeability rating was already well established as his manager Ozzie Guillen once said: “If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less.” That is certainly acceptable when you win but Boston was losing and soon the less than affable Pierzynski was sent to the DFA wire and gone.