| Utica_Blue_Sox | Isn't trading Stern for Lopez a rather high price or have I over rated Stern. His stats have improved a lot over the last month. |
| Gordon_Edes | Utica, first of all we don't know that the deal is for Stern. It may very well be for Machado, although if Tampa Bay enters a waiver claim, a likelihood I wrote about this afternoon, the Sox and Orioles may have to settle on another player. Hey, I liked the Canadian Babe Ruth as much as anyone this spring, especially after his heroics in the WBC, but he hasn't exactly set the world on fire in Pawtucket |
| Matt_2 | Gordon, do you think the Red Sox were the "unknown" team that claimed Andruw Jones today? And if so what do you think the Sox would have to give up to make a deal happen? |
| Gordon_Edes | Matt, my advice is not to get too excited about superstar players put on waivers this time of year ... just about everybody and his Papi gets put on waivers at this time of year, because waivers are revocable and a player can be pulled off by the team that listed him. This stuff is supposed to be relatively hush hush, so no,
I don't know if the Sox made a claim, but I'd be surprised if Andruw got all the way through NL and most of the way through the AL to the Sox |
| Paul_from_Vancouver | Hi, Gordon: Just read your update on the Lopez trade...Would it not be possible simply to deal Stern or Machado to Baltimore after the season? While it is true that the O's would likely want either player on their own roster for the remainder of this season, they could nevertheless get the player they wanted without having to contend with the always-obnoxious (and paranoid) Devil Rays. |
| Gordon_Edes | That would be an option, Paul, although I think the O's would probably like to get a look at/feel for the player to see where that player may fit into its plans down the road |
| Luke_Skywalker | Hi Gordon. Can you please explain how the waiver claim works? Who has access to it? How do other teams know about players possibly being picked up? And once a player is done, does the MLB has the last word? Thanks! |
| Gordon_Edes | A quick primer. You're going to hear of many players put on waivers between now and the end of August. If a player clears waivers, that is, doesn't get claimed by any team, he can be traded to any team. If he gets claimed by one team, he can only be traded to the team that claimed him. If he gets
claimed by more than one team, he goes to the team with the worst record in his league that claimed him, and can only be traded to that team. If he's claimed by teams in the other league, he goes to the team with the worst record, and can only be traded
to that team. Of course, not trading the player remains an option. He can be pulled back from waivers--once in August. If he is placed on waivers again before September, he can't be recalled a second time.
Or, if a team is just hoping to dump a player's salary, it can simply allow a team which claimed that player to have him for a small waiver fee. |
| Dude | Gordo, what exactly happened with the Lopez deal?! How are the Devil Rays involved? Can they block this deal?? |
| Gordon_Edes | The deal is official. The Sox have Lopez, he'll be in uniform tonight, as the Sox obtained him, as well as cash considerations, for a player to be named later. The deal is not in jeopardy. What the Orioles get in return might be, since that player--if he comes off the 40-man roster--has to pass through waivers first. As I reported earlier today, if it's Machado or Stern, the D-Rays may well claim him. |
| hog | Gordon, I think it's time we come to terms with the fact that Josh Beckett is a very mediocre American League pitcher thus far. We read in the media that the Sox pitching staff is anchored by Schilling and Beckett when in reality, Schilling is consistent while Beckett really hasn't done much but rack up an ERA of 5.00. Sure, there are flashes of brilliance, but what good is that if it's not consistent. the Home Runs are absolutely killing him. I've never been a fan of NL pitchers moving to the AL...it's just not a recipe for
guaranteed success. Thoughts?? |
| Gordon_Edes | I think Beckett's stuff is such that he will not be an AL stiff. Maybe it will take a year to make the adjustment to the new league, but the Sox obviously are willing to bet $30m that he is going to get squared away. Hog, as you've noted, the flashes are there. he was cruising last night, then
mislocated a couple of fastballs. yes, it's happened time and again this season, but I still think the man's track record marks him as an elite guy |
| Lincoln | Can you explain the organizational obsession with Julio Lugo? First they almost implausibly give up Marte for him and now it seems that Theo's Lugo fancy might have cost them the Lopez trade. Considering Lugo's light hitting and 24 errors last year (not to mention the fact that Pedroia plays the same positions) what do they see in this guy that we don't? |
| Gordon_Edes | It's not going to cost them the Lopez deal...that's done. Lugo is hitting .303 with a .370-plus OBP and a slugging percentage just under .500. That translates to better than a light hitter. He did make a bunch of errors, and tends to muff the routine ones, but he still has plus range. My biggest question is how he would do under the microscope in Boston or New York. He could well pull an Edgar, from what some scouts tell me. |
| mhwright88 | Hey Gordon! Do you have any idea how much money is holding up the Bard negotiations? Does Bard want a similar contract to the one the Sox offered Hansen? Are there any indications that he is not going to sign? Thanks! |
| Gordon_Edes | I don't know the dollars involved, and my colleague Nick Cafardo reports that Bard wants a major-league deal like Hansen was given. My own suspicion is that there were a handful of college pitchers still unsigned in the first round, and now that the Royals have signed Luke Hochevar, you may see the other guys fall in place. |
| deschainet | Gordon, What is the likely hood of the Red Sox acquiring a high salaried or struggling middle of the rotation starter through waivers this month? |
| Gordon_Edes | I would say reasonably high, deschainet, given the uncertainty over Wells' health, Johnson's effectiveness, Wakefield's health, Clement's health (although there doesn't seem to be much doubt there, Matt appears to be done this season). And Timlin and the kids in the pen need some help, clearly. |
