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Lugo designated for assignment
Julio Lugo, who was plagued by injuries and ineffectiveness during his 2 1/2 seasons with the Red Sox, has been designated for assignment.
The designation, which was confirmed by his agent, Sam Levinson, this afternoon, means the team has 10 days to either trade or release the veteran shortstop, who signed a four-year, $36-million deal with the Red Sox as a free agent before the 2007 season.
“When you see a good looking girl, you get married and sometimes things don’t work out,” told the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley, who caught up to him at the airport in Toronto. “I gave it my best and unfortunately things didn’t work out. This is the best for both parties. I wanted it to work out but it didn’t.”
The Lugo deal will go down as one of the poorer personnel decisions of Theo Epstein's tenure -- something the general manager more or less confirmed late this afternoon while discussing the decision.
"This was one of the free agent signings that doesn’t work out. We were paying for past performance, not current performance," Epstein said. "That’s the true definition of a mistake, and as the decision, that’s on me. We’ll just move on and be a better organization having gone through it, and we’ll make better decisions going forward."
A source told the Globe's Amalie Benjamin that a trade of Lugo is still possible and that the Sox have talked to several teams, but thus far there have been no takers for the 33-year-old, who is owed roughly $13.5 million through next season.
If he is not claimed, the Red Sox will be obligated to pay the remainder of his contract, and Benjamin reports that the Sox are prepared to eat a "significant" chuck of his salary, something Epstein indirectly confirmed.
"I think ownership has been consistent that we’ll do what we need to do to keep the best possible team on the field," he said. "A sunk cost is a sunk cost. We’re sorry it didn’t work out better with Julio, obviously. But keeping him on the team wasn’t going to change that. Sometimes the best organizations admit their mistakes and they move on. And that’s what we’re doing here."
Lugo was absent from the team's mandatory workout at Rogers Centre last night, though manager Terry Francona said it was because of a communications mix-up.
The Red Sox needed to open up two roster spots today with third baseman Mike Lowell expected to return to the lineup tonight after a stint on the DL with a hip injury and righthander Clay Buchholz being recalled from Pawtucket to make tonight's start.
First baseman Aaron Bates is expected to be optioned back to Pawtucket to clear one opening. Shortstop Jed Lowrie, who has been out since May after wrist surgery, is expected to return Saturday, with Buchholz heading back to the PawSox.
The writing has appeared to be on the wall regarding the end of Lugo's disappointing time with the Sox for weeks. Nick Green, a journeyman who joined the club as a non-roster invitee to spring training, played well while Lugo was sidelined beginning in March after knee surgery.
Upon returning in late April, Lugo produced adequately at the plate -- he batted .284 in 37 games -- but struggled mightily defensively (seven errors in 97 chances) and seemed hesitant, particularly in turning the double play.
The strong-armed and steadier Green secured the brunt of the playing time at shortstop at Lugo's expense, and with Lowrie's impending return, there was no spot remaining for Lugo. The club is content to go with Lowrie and Green at the position for the foreseeable future.
"I think it’s just a matter of putting our best team on the field," Epstein said. "That’s really the motivation behind [the Lugo move]. Jed Lowrie, ready to be recalled tomorrow. Nick Green playing well and out of options. We felt like those two would be our best combination for the shortstop position at this point."
Signed to a lucrative four-year deal in December 2006 after splitting the previous season between the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers, he struggled from the get-go with the Sox, batting .189 through July 7 in his first season in Boston.
Dropped from the leadoff spot to the bottom of the order, he did rebound enough to finish at .237 with 8 home runs and 73 RBIs as the Red Sox won their second championship in four seasons.
But the problems continued last season. He batted .268 with one homer and 22 RBIs, but made 16 errors before his season ended after 82 games because of a torn quadriceps muscle.
In 10 seasons with Houston, Tampa Bay, the Dodgers, and Red Sox, Lugo is a lifetime .271 hitter.
Chad Finn and Adam Kilgore of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Tony...you're slipping it took an hour after chad mentioned it on his live chat to get a blog posted. ahhh.....we still like you anyway. great piece today.
waste of money ..............................
Hooray!
Finally!
Good riddance
THANK GOD!!
Why did it take you an hour longer than WEEI to report this?
Type your comment here...
Wow Theo! $9 million this year, and $9 million for 2010. I am glad you are not playing around my money at $36 million or you would be with Bernie Madoff ...
At $13.5 million remaining on his contract you could designate him to Aruba and he'll enjoy those mangos with Pedro.
Thank God!
Yay!!!!!!!!!
What took so long???
He has been a good soldier, he came into camp in shape and got hurt this year. You can't do anything when you are hurt. Nick Green has capitalized on his chances, Lugo had nothing to do with that. Lugo was a productive player and he will be again, although maybe he is an NL offensive guy and he shouldn't be on a defensive statistical club like the Sawx. Hmmmmm Theo, Renteria and then Lugo? Maybe the assitant GM should be thinking through the shortstop deals, haha.
One of the biggest disappointments in Red Sox history this guy was a bust, take the jersey off your back and give the money back. You are a theif !!!
Finally.........our most recent shortstop nightmare is over!
This was the biggest black hole on the team and we can now move forward..
Let him learn to catch the ball and turn DP's elsewhere!
THANKFULLY! Theo's worst signing!
finally!!! get this bum outta here!!!! has not had one big hit the entire time he was here.....
Sorry Julio- your a good guy - best of luck
It's about time!
finally...
Cute without the E, cut from the team
It's about time.
$9m is a lot of money in this economy. Lugo was a bad decision like Rentaria.. Good luck to Lugo.
Thank god... They should have released him a long time ago. He's getting paid 9+ million and has done nothing. It was a terrible signing to begin with.
See ya, wouldn't want to be ya
Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it's about time!!!!!
I had such hope when the Sox signed him. Lugo was great for Tampa when the Sox played them.
Sad he could never live up to his production in Tampa Bay when he killed us!
He is lucky he got his money before the economy went bad.
we could not win with him.
Wish him well!
I guess that this turns out to be their costliest mistake. Better to take their lumps now by buying out his contract or paying for him to play elsewhere.
Thank you 7 pound, 4 ounce baby Jesus. The end of an error!
finally!!! get this bum outta here!!!! has not had one big hit the entire time he was here.....
about time!
THE only thing I wondered, was whether Lugo could have been a back up outfield as well? His baserunning and hitting would be OK as a bench guy and right handed bat in the outfield.... BUT I guess he isn't viewed that way..... A few years ago before Ellsbury hit the lineup and before Crisp came..... there was talk about getting Lugo (to leadoff) and play center field.....
Nah-nah-nah-nah. Nah-nah-nah-nah. Hey Heeeeeey! Goodbye!
Hooray!!! its about time. I was never in favor of this signing. We have never recovered from the bad signing of Renteria. This position has been a money pit since Nomar. Lets let Lowerie start and Green back him up, and get some stability at this position.
I can't say I'm sorry to see you go, Julio, but you've been a classy guy, and I hope you find better success somewhere else.
It is about time!!! I never understood why he was even acquired. Sox should now acquire Miguel Tejada to mentor Lowrie, and the ss position will be secure for the future.
Adios Julio! Enjoy the "parting gift" of $12mil for your efforts.
poor lugio
poor lugo
Some quick math........ 235 hits in 2+ seasons at $36 mil equals $150K each. How do you like them apples??
He really wasnt a bad guy, just didnt like his performance. Good luck to him, he could have been a distraction if he wanted to, but he was a team player. Not sad to see him go though.
Thank you, God.
WOO HOOO!!!!
My friend Jamie won't miss you.
Woo hoo!!!! Thanks the baseball gods for this one!
The Sox need to find a team that is as much denial about Yugo's lack of talent as he is.
Sad but probably over due. There seems to be consensus about what a "great" guy he. Hard for anyone to argue, seriously, that he was getting the job done, let alone earning his money. I find it useful to remind myself that it isn't his "fault" that he was outrageously overpaid, that way I can wish him well, where ever he lands
next.
This says that there is no market for this guy, even if the Sox eat the entire salary.
Don't let the door hit you in the backside, Julio! Hopefully the hankees pick him up. He would look great in pinstripes.
Theo's one blind spot, Shortstop. I wish I knew why Theo was so high on this guy in the first place. I think he expeceted a bounce back year. Instead we got what he was before he got here--a player who couldn't crack the starting lineup.
It's about time
Wasn't Sam Levinson the guy who would "fill-in" when scheduled guests didn't show on the old Merv Griffin Show? Maybe that's part of the problem.
Finally! The end of yet another shortstop disaster. Here's hoping we get it right going forward. Thanks for the memories, Julio (NOT)
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
:(
Good Luck, Julio! Hope things work out for ya.
Tony, I believe the Red Sox have 10 days to trade, release or demote him.
Another shortstop bust ! Who's next Theo ?
Finally
About time!!!!
Thank God. Its Happened
finally...now we just need to find someone who will take him....for free....and the sox can pay the rest of his contract....and buy the new team dinner....
Am I the only one breathing a sigh of relief??? 'Just wish they hadn't waited this long but then again, it's not my $$.
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice signing Theo, almost as good as Drew.
Does Epstein mean moron in Yiddish?
YES!!!!
thank you, thank you, thank you.
I was always rooting for Lugo, but he just couldn't get it done, adios muchacho!
I'll miss his constant effort!!!
"DING DONG! The witch is dead!" Wonder if Mr. Henry is going to take the 13mil out of Theo's salary?
No surprise. Too bad it didn't work out for Julio. I wish him luck.
What is the problem with Theo and shortstops? Was there a single person in baseball other than Theo who thought Lugo was worth $9 million a year?
Not a week. Ten days.
Hasta Lavista Julio
About time, the worst signing by the Sox ever.
Jamie from NYC says "good riddance".
better for everyone this way. i think he should be NL bound, he was never a bad guy just lost a step or 2 after TB. good luck - get us something in return.
YEAH!!!!!!
Finally!!! Fantastic News =D
Sucks he will be paid for doing nothing! He never did anything for us, but caused losses!
I simply felt sick everytime he played, I hated that we ever signed him.
I never understood signing him!
Good ridance!!!
Good Ridance to
Huck a looo Lugo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Letting him go is long overdue. He's been useless baggage for so long.
About time! Theo made a mistake he knows it and he is man enough to move on. Theo has not had much luck finding a shortstop. Call the Mets for Reyes or the Marlins for Ramirez dangle Buckholz and Masterson and heck throw in Lugo Milwaukee has a young stud in the waiting maybe Melvin would do a deal.
FINALLY!
About time! Theo made a mistake he knows it and he is man enough to move on. Theo has not had much luck finding a shortstop. Call the Mets for Reyes or the Marlins for Ramirez dangle Buckholz and Masterson and heck throw in Lugo Milwaukee has a young stud in the waiting maybe Melvin would do a deal.
about time i never understood why the Sox signed him anyway. now if they could get Halladay it would be freakin awesome even at the expence of Buchholz
Should've been done two years ago.
Why would any team give up anything for Julio? Unless they are desparate for a bat right now. But, it makes more sense just to wait 10 days and get him cheap. Very frustrating deal---he seemed to have potential--just never lived up to it. He was our shortstop during 2007--let all of us just remember him that way as we wish him the best somewhere else.
A shame. One of Theo's mistakes. Julio did not live up to expectations for whatever the reason (injury, overrated, underachieving, wrong environment, all of the above, etc). Another example of a highly paid athlete who did not live up to the hype and potential.
FINALLY!!!
Finally! What took them so long? Clear out the dead wood.
Bye bye. Thanks for your contributions, and don;'t let the door hit you. IU can't believe he lasted this long!
Finally.........bad signing Theo
Say what you want, he has a ring and Nomar doesn't.
Releasing Lugo was the best move that the Sox could have made. A terrible hitter, a bad fielder and a real liability. It was probably the poorest signing that Theo could have ever made.
bobbyres
Finally! Now I can start playing "Me & Julio Down By the School - Yard" again. Certainly not one of the "boy genius'" better acquisitions! Since we traded Hanley Ramirez to the Marlins for Josh Beckett & Lowell, perhaps we could trade Lugo to the Nationals for Julian Tavares! Just imagine....Dice K pitching the first 4 innings with Tavares mopping up. Think of all the extra in-stadium revenues the Red Sox could generate from 8 hour ballgames!
thank god
Good! Get rid of this loser ASAP. Lugo sucks...
Three words:
HAL AY Looya
Now go get Freddy Sanchez from the Pirates!
Another one of Theo's blunders. This guy has thrown away at least $100 million on bad contracts and ineffective players. We should have kept Cabrera.
Every GM has a few clunkers, and this was one of them. I think the SS position on this team has attracted the evil eye or something.
Hey, don't bring Drew into this! NOT on the same planet!
Never understood why the Sox were so high on him. But let's not forget his contributions to the '07 team, including his superb WS grab....
Nix the Sanchez suggestion...forgot he was a 2B...but I can see him playing SS (at least a hell of a lot better than Julio)!
Teams need to be more careful when signing players to big long-term contracts. Players need to demostrate consistent production and reliability before committing this kind of money and years.
Fortunately, the Red Sox have deep pockets and can absorb this. Most other teams can't.
Really am curious if Lugo ever dabbled in the PEDs, that is the only way I can understand the numbers that Theo found so attractive. The real Julio that we all know and "love" so well showed up after he came to Boston and put down the siringe? I'm not saying that this is the case, but I am curious.
Anyway - best of luck out there Lugo, am sure that you are set for life and can retire to some tropic island sipping drinks and laughing at us poor shmucks that still have to work.
Also - whoever said something about him being a wife beater - I've never seen that alleged before. From all accounts he's a pretty nice guy. Something like that really should be tossed around lightly.
Wish Lugo well, but he just doesn't fit into the Sox any longer. Very high on Nick Green at that position, think he looks much better than anyone could have hoped.
Sadly, it had to be done. Good luck Julio.
omg ! yahoo just doesn't cut it..
at least one good thing is comming out of this bad time..
yipee!
so long sucker! get a life loser! go back to t-ball. lol lol
Any chance the Sox could maybe swap Lugo for a guy like Hanley Ramirez? There contracts are similar except Lugo's is expiring soon which would open up some cap space for the Marlins in 2010 even though it may be an uncapped year. Ramirez is younger, better bat and is taller. Oh, and yes Nomar does have a ring from 2004.
FINALLY! Been waiting for this day since the day Theo signed him.
"The Rat”
Julio Lugo A “True” Sportsman.
Another great guy who gets the cash and then bags it after the checks pour in.
Well at least JD Drew is playing with that unbridled spirit and killer desire that top notch athletes possess.... I hope they replace Lugo with a driven, hungry young kid....I can’t stand the “Theo” approach towards free agents - a total business approach - he's a Jewish businessman who happens to like baseball.
THANKFULLY! Theo's worst signing!
Posted by Neil July 17, 09 01:24 PM
No, I would disagree...that would Edgar Rent-A-Wreck, uh, I mean, Renteria...
He's a mediocre shortstop. Sox were dopes to throw all that money on him. It's not like he was an all star caliber player who didn't produce when he got here. He was NEVER worth what Theo and the crew were convinced he was.
#24: "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya"
The person who posted that must be crazy! Lugo may end up making around another $12 million to sit on his butt the rest of this year and next year. Sign me up!!!! I'd LOVE to be in Lugo's shoes. He's out of a job, doesn't have to look for another (it will find him if it's out there) and gets incredible unemployment benefits! What's not to like if you're Lugo? LOL
In all seriousness, I'm glad the Sox finally made this move, but I bear ni ill will towards Lugo. He tried and it just didn't work out. I don't think he came here with the goal to be below average. I wish him well in the future...unless, of course, he signs with the Yankees.
Lugo.
Gagne.
Clement.
Wily Mo.
Drew*
* Not in the above category but surely not worth $92,454 per game.
Don't get mad at Lugo for taking the money, all you "hind sights" would have done the same thing if you were Julio. I'm sure all of you out there have slacked off on your jobs as well, perhaps even, right at this moment. Good luck J.L....Soko from Colorado.
Addition by subtraction.
Julio - thanks for trying, for being our SS when we had NO SS at all.
You were never the "greatest", except in heart and you certainly did try, you had some key plays and hits. You were an important part of the 2007 team and WS. The RS are not an easy team to play for as we have seen other who were "great" come here and fail. Wish you well, God Bless.
"When you see a good looking girl, you get married and sometimes things don’t work out. I gave it my best and unfortunately things didn’t work out. This is the best for both parties. I wanted it to work out but it didn’t." -- Julio Lugo to Steve Buckley today
Well, Asta La Lugo!
Now time to work on signing Big Baby! GO CELTICS!