That was fast.
As Alex Speier at WEEI notes, all the starting pitching that was on the market last night disappeared today: Erik Bedard looked bad in his return from the DL, Hiroki Kuroda decided not to waive his no-trade clause for anyone, and the Indians swooped in to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez after the Rockies told the Yankees they could not do a physical before finalizing the trade.
That left Rich Harden (and Jeremy Guthrie and some others, including Bedard), and the Boston Red Sox apparently have him, sending Lars Anderson and a player to be named. It's a good trade for the Red Sox assuming Harden can stay healthy through October because when he's healthy he's a top-line starting pitcher. Anderson, meanwhile, had no role anymore with the Sox once Adrian Gonzalez came on board, but he is just 23, and still has plenty of potential despite a rocky couple of years at AAA; it's a good deal for the A's, too.
With less than 24 hours to the trade deadline, it seems the Sox have addressed their No. 1 concern. I could see them going after a player like Guthrie or using Bedard's poor performance to hold out get him even cheaper than they otherwise would have (if you're going to have one potential ace-quality guy who is chronically injured, might as well have another for backup, right?), but it seems more likely that the Sox have done what they needed to do. Now all eyes are on New York.
60 replies on “Tick Tock”
Incidentally, Baseball-Reference has a fun new tool where you can search for a team’s transaction history with any other team. Using it, I looked up the Sox-A’s trade history, and this is arguably the first significant trade between Theo Epstein and Billy Beane, the first two sabermetric darlings. The Sox traded for Eric Patterson last June and dumped Jay Payton for Chad Bradford after Payton got all hissy about his playing time in 2005.
Other significant A’s-Sox transactions:
John Wasdin for Jose Canseco in 1997.
Carney Lansford for Tony Armas in 1982.
The Joe Rudi/Rollie Fingers firesale/return in 1976.
The Sox purchased Jose Santiago from the A’s in 1965.
Two players and cash for Jimmie Foxx in 1935.
Two players and cash for Lefty Grove, Max Bishop and Rube Walberg in 1933.
Larry Gardner and two players for Stuffy McInnis in 1918.
Three players and cash for Joe Bush, Wally Schang and Amos Strunk in 1917.
” It’s a good trade for the Red Sox assuming Harden can stay healthy through October”
That’s a big assumption. Harden is the most injury-prone player not named Mark Prior. But, yeah, given the choices, I get the trade.
Meanwhile in Yankeeland, I must admit I’m surprised by the Ubaldo to Cleveland development. I’m not sure what Cashman should do.
The deal has fallen through, apparently after the Sox looked at Harden’s medical report. Yikes. Jeremy Guthrie, you’re the next contestant…
If you thought something was fishy before, the specifics of this trade with Cleveland only prove it! No physical? Trading a player that’s under team control for a good deal longer at a very reasonable price? Velocity drop…Cleveland can have him. If people in the Yankees camp (or other ML teams even) thought Ubaldo was right, beating the Indians offer would not have been difficult. Pomeranz is the #13 ranked prospect in BA’s midseason top 50. The Yankees have 2 prospects in Montero and Banuelos ranked higher than Pomeranz. The Rangers and Tigers (both looking to add pitching) could have beat the offer…Fishy.
As for the Harden deal is anyone shocked it fell through after a closer examination of Harden’s medical file? If only Cash looked that closely at the Feliciano file. Even with Lars Anderson being blocked by A-Gonz I still think this works out for the Sox. Price seemed a little high for a injury plagued starting pitcher on a 1 year deal on a bad team.
Heyman saying the Yankees are in on Heath Bell. Wonder if he can be a starter? ;)
It absolutely BLOWS MY MIND that the Rockies refused to allow the Yankees to do a physical as part of the Jimenez trade. What the hell?
I’m surprised the Harden deal fell through.
I think the fact that it fell through Ath tells how just how thorough the Sox and Theo are when making trades. They could have easily just said Ehhhh, it’s only Lars…Good for them.
Yeah, like I said last night I was disappointed that Harden was our return for Lars, so I’m not upset that the deal fell through. And like you said, the Sox medical staff seems to be pretty thorough.
I feel like Cash or Theo today…Trade deadline in my fantasy leagues today also. In one league I have Storen and Bell as my closers and both are rumored to be on the move. Storen might close, but with Nathan there it’d be an later than sooner thing in Minnesota. Bell will almost certainly lose his closer role no matter where he ends up. So I can pick guys like Nathan, Chris Perez, Madson, Izzy…or trade for a bigger name. Decisions, decisions.
LOL, sounds like me too John; my rotation is stacked, and I need outfield help, so I offered Josh Beckett for Ryan Braun to another player. Waiting for his response is pretty nerve-wracking.
Yanks are looking at Wandy Rodriguez. I don’t think I have confidence in him to perform well in the AL East.
Matt Garza would work well for either the Sox or Yanks.
Miller-Buehrle is such a lock for the White Sox.
/reversejinx
McDonald in today instead of Reddick. Evidence that he may be traded?
I hope not. Probably a lefty righty thing Ath.
I am using this as a gamer, I am on vacation and lazier than usual.
Meanwhile, Youk missed a total hanger there on 3-2 and now we have to watch the torture that is Andrew Miller.
Miller walks Konerko. He’s just useless control-wise.
And now a base hit. I really hope this is Miller’s last start. He and Wakefield can go bye-bye and I wouldn’t even blink.
Miller’s suck is only exceeded by Adam Dunn’s festering corpse. To the 2nd, 0-0.
Everyone looks lazy today. On both teams.
You’re probably right about McDonald, that makes more sense.
Varitek! 2-0 good-Sox.
Poor route to that ball by Ellsbury. Ugh.
Miller is just an awful pitcher.
Good riddance soon I hope.
Looks like the Sox won’t be getting another pitcher in the next half hour. Even so, Miller needs to go. This is just awful.
9 hits a HBP and a walk in 3.1 and yet he is still throwing. Good vision Tito.
Unbelievable Angels/Tigers game. Guillen hits a bomb off weaver, and pimps his way down to first. Weaver has some words and complains to the ump, who doesn’t do anything. Next batter Weaver throws a fastball at his head and is immediately ejected.
Then in the 8th Aybar tries to break up Verlander’s no-hitter with a bunt. Later in the inning Verlander loses the no-no, and yells to Aybar “next at-bat you’re going to wear one”
Well, credit to Miller for getting out of it this time(with an assist to the Ghost of Adam Dunn). But there’s still no way he can start Friday’s game against the Yankees.
Managerial luck will likely fool Tito into letting Miller start the 5th, which won’t end well.
Miller’s peripherals are great, but boy does he struggle with his location. Lots of fat pitches left out over the plate. Definitely don’t want to see him start against the Yanks.
Theo is staring at a horrible trade deadline grade. This team does not have championship caliber pitching under any circumstance except the one where Buchholz comes back at at least 90%, and that is looking barely plausible.
Two errors this inning. Like i said at the beginning of the day, everyone looks lazy.
What could Theo have done? Overpay for mediocre, short-term pitching?
Looks like Erik Bedard is coming to Boston. Wonder how much they paid for him.
NESN says Tim Federowicz has been removed from Portland’s lineup.
Trade for Bedard is what. I like the move (in a vacuum, without knowing the chip leaving). High return moderate risk, especially if a medium grade prospect.
Tim Federowicz, AA catcher, is the price. I’m cool with that.
So Federowicz and a PTBNL for Bedard? That seems fair, given Lavarnway’s presence in AAA.
Definitely worth that price. Bedard’s awful start on Friday must have lowered his price.
Oh, apparently it was a 3-team deal with the Dodgers.
I’m surprised the Yankees weren’t in on Bedard or Harden. I guess they figure on riding the Hughes-Colon-Garcia train to the end, wherever that end may be.
I think Bedard is a good move, better than Harden even. At least his injury this year seems unrelated to the shoulder/arm woes he’s had, which can’t necessarily be said for Harden’s lat strain.
Hmm, sounds like a complicated trade. Gordon Edes tweeting that the Sox also acquired Dodgers OF Trayvon Robinson. Interesting if true.
Sox get lead back, 2 run double for Pedoria
Pedroia! Sox take the lead.
I’m more than fine with riding the Hughes/Nova, Colon, and Garcia train. I was against trading for a starting pitcher the whole time. All we really need is another god damn lefty in the pen and a catcher who can hit.
Stuck, I read that Robinson was going to Mariners
Sox got best they could get. Ubaldo’s price was too high, Kuroda (sp?) wouldn’t waive his no trade, who else were they going to get?
Oh, Theo and his three-team deals. That’s the third three-team deadline deal he’s made since 2004. Wild man. ;-)
Yeah, Billsburg, Edes just put out another tweet clarify. He says, “Bos gets Bedard, trade Federowicz, Lin, Fife and Rodriguez. Dodgers get Federowicz, Rodrigiuez and Fife. M’s get Lin, Trayvon Robinson.” Anyone know anything about Lin, Fife and Rodriguez?
New version of the trade, per Edes: “Sox get LHP Bedard, RHP Fields from Sea. Bos loses Fed’owcz, Rodriguez, Fife , Chiang. Federowicz, Rod, Fife to LAD. OF T Robinson to Sea”
This is a great article about all the Sox’ prospects who could have moved in trades. All four players are listed in the “B Prospects/Rule 5 eligible,” which means they were part of the upcoming dilemma for the Sox in the offseason. They had too many decent prospects eligible for the Rule 5 draft who might be lost for nothing and not enough 40-man roster spots for them all. Navarro, who was traded for Luis Ayala, was in that group, too.
So Epstein gets his pitching help, and he clears four more players who were at risk of being claimed for essentially nothing in the offseason.
Seems like a fine deal for the Sox, though given the uncertainty, Fields could end up pitching more innings for the Sox than Bedard does. Pretty good deal for Seattle too, but the Dodgers seem to have turned one good prospect into three mediocre ones.
Probably should post the link: http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post/_/id/12875/soxprospects-com-breaking-potential-trade-chips-into-tiers
After reading that post by Paul, I say good move by Theo and team.
Bard in to get 4 outs, then Paps.
Wikipedia lists the correct orthography of his name as Érik Bédard.
(He should henceforth be known here as Accent Aigue.)
Reddick attempts a stellar play (and almost makes it!) but in the end it hurts the Sox by putting the tying run in scoring position.
Whew, inning over.
Nothing wrong with an insurance run.
Papelbon strike out the side. Red Sox win the series and go 20-6 in July.
Now they can insert Bedard into the rotation on Wednesday or Thursday against Cleveland, thus having Lester available to pitch against the Yankees on Friday.
Huge Georgia fan…Josh Fields of course was a Bulldog along with Gordon Beckham on their last really good team a few years back. Glad to see him on a good team, just hate for that team to be the Sox.
Does anyone know when Bedard will start this week? I was thinking about starting him this week but his start is unlisted.
He could start as early as Wednesday, since his last start was on Friday. The next four days are Lackey-Beckett-Wakefield-Lester, so I think you have to insert Bedard in there so Lester gets pushed back to Friday against the Yankees.
Rumor mill has it that Jesus Montero will be called up very soon.