As I posted yesterday John Lackey needs Tommy John. There is no doubt in my mind that he needed it all year, because Peter Gammons reported it back in June. The question now is, should be now feel different about him?
In a way we should. He battled through this all year, because the Red Sox had already lost Clay and Dice-K. They didn't have any minor league arms to come up, either due to injury or just being awful. Maybe this is the reason we hear every Red Sox player standing up for Lackey. So, for being a "tough guy" we have to give him credit.
Still, he was just such an asshole that I can't just get over it. Ok, let's forgive his on the field issues for a second. That doesn't excuse showing up the other players on the team any time he lets up a hit. It doesn't excuse the way he treats the media. It doesn't excuse his stupid face, and voice. It doesn't excuse leaving his wife while she fights cancer. It doesn't excuse using Fenway as an excuse for his troubles. It doesn't excuse drinking during his off days, and getting fat.
Red Sox fans hated John Lackey for more reasons then just his on the field performances. It's his actions, overall being an awful person, and then being a terrible pitcher.
DP doesn't think we will see Lackey in a Red Sox jersey again. I have to disagree. I fully expect to hear the 2013 John Lackey comeback story, because no one is going to take him till he proves he's healthy, and now the Red Sox (and Lackey) have their excuse of why he was so terrible.
I do agree with DP that this is a victory for the Red Sox tough. With him getting hurt it kicks in the option for Lackey, which adds a year, but he only makes a little over $400,000 that year. So, yes we have Lackey a little longer, but what it does is lower the Red Sox luxury tax. Taxes on team don't just look at what a guy makes over 1 year, but rather the average salary over the course of the deal. Basically, because he makes the league minimum now for the final year his contract his average salary of $15 million/year goes to $12 million/year. Not the biggest victory ever, but when coupled with the fact we don't have to deal with him next year I see it overall as the best thing that could've happened for the Red Sox.
Who cares if Ben Cherington had nothing to do with it, Ben Cherington is already proving he is the big dick on the block by disposing of John Lackey for a year. He's not even the GM for 2 minutes for getting rid of this D Bag. Skeptics will say that he had nothing to do with this, or this means we can't get rid of Lackey now, but who gives a fuck, there is no way John Lackey puts on a Red Sox uniform again, even when he is fully rehabbed. Cherington brings us a light in these dark time, brings us passion for the upcoming season, and most importantly brings us hope!
I know one thing from his press conference, we have the best GM in baseball. He told all the media, "Fuck yea I wanted Crawford and he's gonna be fucking sweet next year, calm the fuck down media and John Henry." and he pretty much was the reason we won championships in the past. Theo Epstein was the face, but Cherington was the brains of the GM position.
Cherington has some big tasks and positions to fill this offseason, with Dice K and Lackey gone, he needs to fill 2 out of the 5 spots. If I were Ben I would look for an Edwin Jackson and Mark Buerhle. I know those are names that won't wow you, but they are solid pitchers. I would flirt with bringing Erik Bedard back for a real short contract. Also he has the bullpen issue, I would leave Daniel Bard and Alfredo Aceves in their as they are way too important in their roles.
Who knows what he will do this off season, but I know one thing, I WILL NEVER DOUBT ANY MOVE HE MAKES FOR THE RED SOX!
There was a report that came out somewhere around midseason from Peter Gammons that said the Red Sox were worried that Lackey was going to need Tommy John. The Red Sox and John Lackey both called this report bogus, yet now that the year is over we have already heard from Tek that there was some kind of injury with Lackey, and now we are getting word that John Lackey recently visited Dr. Lewis Yocum in California to have his right elbow examined.
This is very interesting a bunch of different levels. If Lackey does need Tommy John it would mean that his 6th year with the Red Sox would be at the major league minimum ($414,000). Even Lackey acknowledged that the was a preexisting condition, which is why it affects his contract.
Beyond that this could be yet another black eye for the Red Sox medical staff. If he needed this surgery, and it had to do with why he was so bad, why wasn't he shutdown like Dice-K?
Before anyone get excited that the Lackey era could at the very least go away for awhile, think about this. If it was hard to trade this guy before, how hard is it going to be to deal him now that he might need Tommy John? Basically impossible.
If he does need surgery I think the Red Sox owe Peter Gammons an apology, because they made him sound like a crazy old man that just makes up stories.
***UPDATE***
Ben Cherington has confirmed that Lackey needs Tommy John surgery. That means Lackey will be out all of next season. Just when I thought there would be no way we would ever see Lackey in a Red Sox uniform again...
With Lackey out all of next season there is no chance the Sox will be able to deal him, so we can all sit back and look forward to the Lackey comeback story for 2013.
Well, this means a couple things...
1. Red Sox need to fill 2 out of the 5 spots in their rotation (Dice-K's and Lackey's). 2. Peter Gammons was right, and one of the best reporters around. 3. Lackey's last year of his contract will be for the minimum. 4. The Red Sox knew he needed this surgery and let him pitch anyways. 5. Lackey is a tough guy? Ugh, I still hate him and hopes he gets runs over by a bus.
According to a San Diego source (San Diego Union-Tribune) the Padres have internally discussed the possibility of acquiring John Lackey from the Red Sox if Boston takes on most of the right-hander's salary. We can all dream that maybe we will get something in return (Wells, Rios, Soriano, ect), but in the end it will most likely that they will get nothing (or a players to be named later). The bottom line is that Lackey can't comeback. There is just no way he can be allowed to wear a Red Sox jersey again, because for one he sucks and two fans will riot.
I wonder if Lackey would be decent if he went to San Diego. NL always helps, and that is a pretty big field out there.
Even though the Sox have a lot more to deal with first before moving on to trade John Lackey, it hasn't stopped the rumors. I think we can all agree Lackey CAN'T come back next year. So, with that in mind, what can be done?
We know now that there is 0 chance that he will just be sent with Epstein, but there are rumors the Cubs could trade a bad contract for Lackey. That means either Zambrano, who would seem like a terrible idea with the clubhouse already having problem, or Alfonso Soriano. Even if Zambrano is a terrible idea, I'd probably do it. I wouldn't be happy, but I'd do it. Soriano on the other hand I would be more then happy to take. Sure, he strikes out a ton, but he did have 26 HRs and 88 RBIs, and could add some power to the end of the lineup. He's not good, but we are talking about Lackey, so it's addition by subtraction.
Other guys mentioned are Vernon Wells, Chone Figgins, and Alex Rios. Wells is interesting, because Lackey had a lot of success with the Angels. Wells is coming off a terrible year in which he hit .218 with 25 HRs and 66 RBI, but I'm not sold that he is completely washed up. Put him at Fenway and I wouldn't be surprised to see him bounce back a bit. Remember he is only a year removed from hitting .273 with 31 HRs and 88 RBIs. Of all the trades I would like that one the best.
Figgins is the fucking worst. He is getting older (33), batted .188 last year and only had 11 SBs. It's addition by subtraction, but I hate this guy. Plus, Chone... really?
The last one is Rios. He has basically been a disappointment his whole career, but was decent just a year ago. I would do the deal, but I think there is 0 chance the White Sox would do it. They have a ton of pitching, and the last thing they need is Lackey, because that park is like a HR derby every game.
Although he wasn't fired, and although it seemed to be a mutual breakup, the Red Sox' owners were not supporting Francona. Even if Francona wanted to work in such an environment, I doubt the Sox were going to pickup his option. There have already been reports that the ownership decided 2 weeks ago to cut him lose. This seems like a mutual breakup but it's not. Imagine if your girlfriend said "I'm not attracted to you and want to sleep with other men." You probably wouldn't want to see her anymore, but it wouldn't be a mutual breakup.
The Red Sox' collapse was not Terry Francona's fault. At least not nearly as much as the players' fault. No manager, no matter how insightful, inspiring, or ingenious, could get Erik Bedard to be anything but Erik Bedard. No manager could coax a shred of decency from John Lackey.
A very vocal and very stupid minority in Red Sox Nation are blaming Francona for lack of control in the clubhouse. The leaked incident about starting pitchers drinking during games is being used as People's Exhibit A against Francona, who has always been a player's manager.
It's funny how this vocal minority aren't blaming the grown men who acted like this. Francona isn't a disciplinarian, but he's not supposed to be a babysitter. During a game, is he supposed to do surprise inspections of the clubhouse? Like some college dorm RA, looking for booze.
I think we can guess who the problems were in this clubhouse. John Lackey is quite clearly a scumbag. He sounds like he's drunk all the time. He also pitches like he's drunk all the time.
Erik Bedard doesn't strike me as a good character. Some players, when they get a chance to play for a contender in a pennant race, step up their performance. Bedard seemed to lazily cruise.
JD Drew, at the very least, is not a positive influence.
Josh Beckett is a fraud. He's a fake Texas Tough Guy. He's a wannabe Stone Cold Steve Austin that gets sidelined by blisters and the slightest of illnesses. I can't say he was a clubhouse problem, but he doesn't seem to be much of a leader.
Then there's the excuse makers. Every time this team struggled, there were excuses. Injuries. The lack of a DH in interleague play. God. Et cetera.
This clubhouse was full of babies and jerks. And while they were winning, these character flaws were hidden. They were exposed when the losing started. It's the chicken and the egg, really. Does poor chemistry cause losing, or does losing cause poor chemistry. One thing I know from the past is that good chemistry prevents losing from lasting too long (See: 2004 ALCS).
Blaming Francona for how adults act is a bit silly. He's not a schoolteacher or a babysitter. He's a baseball manager. And he is who he is. He's not going to change his style because the players under his charge are misbehaving.
But even though it's not his fault that the players didn't respect him, when the situation deteriorates like it did in September, it's time to change managers. If employees don't respect their supervisor, even if it's not the supervisor's fault, you have to change supervisors.
This team is poorly assembled, though. Do Bill James and his mathmagicians take character (or lack of) into consideration when they recommend a player to Theo? I feel like Francona was a teacher given a classroom of drug addicts, troublemakers, and morons. Then he was fired because they acted like drug addicts, troublemakers, and morons.
The question now is who replaces Francona? Who replaces a man who averaged 93 wins in his 8 seasons here? Who replaces a 2 time World Series winner? Who replaces a guy who handled players like Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis while simultaneously handling the Boston Sports Media and did so while never throwing anyone under the bus? What kind of man can juggle that well?
The Nation wants discipline. But Earl Weaver is not walking through that door.
Sox fans are clamoring for Joe Maddon. That'd be fine with me. It couldn't hurt Crawford's performance. But that guy is hardly Bill Parcells. He's not as laid back as Tito, but he's not a whip-cracker either. And why would he want to leave Tampa Bay? Why would he want to leave a contender that has great young pitching for a semi-contender that has awful veteran pitchers? Why would he want to leave a clubhouse full of character for a den of drinking and excuses.
To be honest, I don't think changing the managerial situation will turn this team around. Signing a top starting pitcher (CJ Wilson would be nice), giving Lackey his outright release (it's a better investment to pay him $15 million to not pitch here), getting Buchholz and Youkilis back, adding a reliable set-up man to the bullpen. These are the things that will bring October baseball back to Boston.
Terry Francona, who was the first Red Sox manager to win multiple World Series titles with the team since Bill Carrigan (1915 and 1916), will no longer be managing the Sox.
I'm not sure if this isn't a semi-mutual decision. Francona didn't seem pleased with the team he was given, nor with Theo Epstein, and I wouldn't be shocked if he told the Sox owners that he didn't want to be back, and at the same time management said to him that they didn't want him back.
We'll undoubtedly get some leaks in the Sox controlled media about a lack of discipline in the Sox clubhouse. Francona has a reputation for leniency, for being a "player's manager." To me, that's what allowed the Sox to be relaxed in the 2004 and 2007 ALCS. But those teams also had more veteran leadership to keep things in line.
They also had better pitching on those teams, which may have helped them win. I know that's a crazy idea, that good pitching wins games.
Quite frankly, I don't think that baseball managers have much of an effect on the game. It's not like football coaches who call the plays, or hockey and basketball coaches who constantly shift people in and out of the game. A baseball manager is relatively uninvolved in the winning and losing of a team.
That's why I feel this is unfair to Francona. He can't make John Lackey a better pitcher. He can't make JD Drew a tough, gutsy player. And he also doesn't have any power to punish these guys for not performing. What's he supposed to threaten JD Drew with? Benching him? "Either get out and play or I'm not going to let you play."
This team was not well assembled. And that's Theo Epstein's fault. John Lackey, Carl Crawford, and JD Drew commanded over $44.5 million in salary this season. What did they contribute? If I'm John Henry, and I've invested over $160 million (plus the luxury tax) into this team, I want to hold Theo accountable for how he's spent it. "What are you doing with my money?"
Sox fans want a manager that will be more of a disciplinarian. Do you think that will work in a clubhouse full of overpaid bums and underpaid superstars? Guys like Pedroia and Youkilis will fall in line, but those two are disciplined on their own, even without a manager. Sox fans are clamoring for a change in personalities. And I have a feeling that if Sox brass listen to them and hire some guy who will fine players for not shaving their sideburns, this team will suffer not prosper.
I understand the move, but if the Sox really want to turn the proverbial ship around, they can't just fire the ship's captain. They have to get rid of the guy who put the lazy crew together. In terms of results on the field, the Red Sox have let go of the best manager they've ever had.
One little fact that demonstrates how messed up this team is. Last night, Ryan Lavarnway was hitting 5th. JD Drew was hitting 6th, and Carl Crawford was hitting 8th. Lavarnway is a rookie, who started the year in AA Portland. The 24 year old catcher had 35 career MLB at-bats coming into last night's game. Yet he was hitting ahead of two veteran outfielders making $14 million and $14.9 million, respectively. And nobody seemed to think that it was a bad idea. That's how disappointing and overpaid Drew and Crawford are. Against a righthanded starter, these two lefties were below a righty, rookie catcher.
Another sad fact was the Sox' alleged effort to acquire Bruce Chen to pitch in Game 163. It might have been just rumors, but instead of putting a $16,000,000 pitcher on the mound (Lackey), the Sox were apparently trying to get a $2 million man from Kansas City.
If there is a 163rd game tomorrow afternoon, the Red Sox might be starting someone new. Bruce Chen's name has been thrown around as a possible starter for the Sox. At the moment, it would be John Lackey who takes the mound.
Not only does Lackey suck, he'd be pitching on 3 days rest. Chen would be on 5 days rest. Chen actually had a decent year with the Royals, going 12-8 with a 3.98 ERA.
Chen didn't face the Rays at all this year, but in 2010, he started against them once and it was a complete game, 2 hit shutout. But in '09 against them, he had a 6.2 inning, 2 earned run game in which he allowed 5 hits and 3 walks.
The current Rays aren't too familiar with him, as they only have 64 total at-bats facing him. 28 of those at-bats belong to Johnny Damon, who hits .464 off him. BJ Upton is 1/12 in his career against Chen. Other than that, though, no Ray has more than 5 at-bats against him. No Ray has more than 1 hit, either. Pitchers tend to have the advantage when hitters aren't familiar with them.
The Rays are more familiar with Lackey (235 total at-bats). They hit .294 off him. Damon is 22 for 60 (.367), Ben Zobrist is 8 for 20 (.400). Lackey was 1-2 vs. Tampa Bay this season, with a 6.46 ERA. Last year he was 2-2, with a 6.26 ERA. This isn't a good matchup for him.
Chen was hit or miss in September. On the 18th, he made a 5.1 inning, 4 earned run start against the White Sox. Then on the 23rd, he went 8 innings against the same White Sox, allowing only 1 run off 2 hits. He was 2-3 in the month, with a pair of brilliant 8 inning starts, and 3 mediocre 4+ run starts.
Lackey has hardly been better down the stretch. 0-2 record with a 9.13 ERA in the month. He had a 3 inning, 5 earned run start against the Rays on the 9th. Like Chen, he was inconsistent. Unlike Chen, he made 3 atrocious starts in September, not 3 mediocre starts. And his 2 "good" starts were just good, not excellent, which Chen's were.
It's not that Bruce Chen is a good pitcher. It's just that John Lackey sucks. I know the entire pitching staff will be available in the bullpen in case Lackey falters, but I think Chen is less likely to outright blow the game. And with Chen, there's at least a possibility of a very good start.
Neither option is very pleasant, but I feel like Chen is the lesser of two evils.
Everyone's been blaming Theo and Tito for the Red Sox' September swoon. They're even blaming pitching coach Curt Young, which is slightly more intelligent since it is pitching that wins and pitching that loses. I know that's hardly an original thought, but with the blame game being played, I feel like all the fault for this stretch of wretched baseball belongs to this team's starting pitchers.
The Red Sox are 29th in Quality Starts (starts of 6+ innings, allowing 3 earned runs or less). 70 Quality Starts in 160 games. Only Baltimore has fewer with 60. The Yankees have 84. The Phillies have 107. And that's too bad, because when the Sox do get a Quality Start, they're nearly unstoppable. They're 54-16 in those 70 games (.771). Without a Quality Start, the Sox are 35-55 (.389).
Beckett and Lester have the lion's share of Quality Starts for the Sox. 38 combined. Yet in September, they've only each made one Quality Start. These are the foundations of the Red Sox rotation, and they are having two of the biggest slumps on the team.
One reason the Sox don't have as many Quality Starts as they could is the loss of Buchholz. Buchholz struggled in April, but 6 of his last 9 starts were Quality Starts. The Red Sox were 8-1 in those 9 starts. Losing him has cost the rotation some serious stability.
Losing Daisuke didn't hurt much, to be frank. He only had 2 Quality Starts in 7 chances.
I wasn't that impressed with this rotation at the beginning of the year. It seemed to rely on Beckett being consistent (something his career record has proven that he isn't), Daisuke being both good and healthy (something which is almost as rare as Beckett being consistent), a young Buchholz duplicating an extraordinary season, and John Lackey being the exact opposite of what he's been lately.
Lackey actually got worse, Beckett was great for a time, but now he's slumping (his inconsistency reappearing). Buchholz was doing well then got hurt, Daisuke wasn't doing well then got hurt. And Lester is a good 2 or 3 pitcher and not an Ace.
We all thought we had a better rotation than the Yankees. But we don't. We never did. We mocked them for just having CC Sabathia, but there's no pitcher on the Sox even close to Sabathia. And the Yankees don't have anyone as bad as Lackey.
It's all about pitching. Even with a fantastic offense, if you don't get a good start, you're going to struggle to win. If Beckett or Lester each made just one more Quality Start in September, the Sox could have already clinched. Now, their postseason lives are on the line. And if they don't get Quality Starts in the next two (maybe three) games, then they'll almost surely die.
At first I read this article, and I was like.. you know what I feel kinda bad for this guy. I guess he got a text from a member of the media 30 minutes before he took the field that was asking about his divorce from his wife. They filed papers last month, and that is pretty fucked up to do right before he takes the field. So, I did feel bad for him, because they have no right to do that.
THEN....
Then I read that his wife has breast cancer, and he has a prenub so she isn't get any money. On top of that she just went through a double mastectomy, which means they remove both of your breasts because of the cancer. So, basically Lackey left his broke, boobless wife during the middle of her cancer treatment.
Not only is he a terrible pitcher, with a stupid face and voice, but he is also a terrible husband. Good job douchebag.
