Sox acquire Alex Gonzalez

"is an excellent defensive player who should sure up"
What??

Why Theo ever let him go in the first place is beyond me!

Welcome back Alex!!!!!

Above average player at Shortstop for the Red Sox: CHECK!!!!!

These panic moves by theo only make matters worse. There is no cohenrency in the club house with all the moves that have been made this late in the season. I am not sure how Theo gets to keep his job after this disasterous season. I am not sure if anyone can point to one trade that has panned out for the sox since last november!

The best news for weeks.....a great fielder, the best Sox ss for years......would the Reds take Papi (not really joking about this).

Great pickup. How many games have we lost due to poor defense at short? Any hitting is a bonus.

Yes!

Finally......some defensive stablity at shortstop.

Should never have let him go in the first place.

I was hoping for a player who could hit well also. I don't think defense has been near as much of an issue as offense.

yeah, but who are we giving up?

Here we go round in circles. Time to also fire Theo.

Awesome! What a joy it will be to see some slick fielding at SS again!

Wouldn't J.J. Hardy have been a good (and maybe even cheaper) long-term solution?

In any case, welcome back Gonzo!

Send Smoltz!! Oh wait, nobody wants him as everybody else in the league knows he is worthless now...

Good defensive bench player, probably gave up a low grade prospect.

Woo hooo... we never should have gotten rid of him in the first place!

Halleluluh, praise Jesus (and Theo) and all that sort of "stuff". He NEVER should have been allowed to leave. I've seen all the Sox SS since Rico Petrocelli, and Gonzalez was THE best Sox defensive SS I'd ever seen. I used to hope the opposition would hit it to short just to see Gonzalez field. He alone was probably responsible for a few points off the staff E.R.A., and several fewer pitches thrown per starter the year he was with the Sox.

Welcome back! Never should have got rid of him in thew 1st place. He hit about 270 as I recall batting 9th. Yes, he's an easy out but not as easy as some of the chumps we've run out there lately.

Welcome back Alex

A-Gone! Welcome back buddy. Looking forwards to your steady hand over there.

Well now, I'm confused. Was the trading deadline not a deadline, then?

Hmmm...

Welcome back Alex!

instant defensive upgrade...streaky hitter in the middle of a hot streak...hope that continues. good move at this time.

YES!!!!! Welcome Home Gonzo!!!!!!

Hopefully the merry-go-round is closed for short stops in Boston for a while

SWEET!

They never should have let him go in the first place. Yeah, he's a streaky hitter but his defense is what he's on the field for in the first place. That defense is some of the best I've ever seen at shortstop. Good move.

It's "shore up," not "sure up"

Before anyone else comments on this, Gonzo hit .255 in his 1 season with the Sox. I guess I "misremembered." =)

He was absolutely the best SS they had since Nomar was traded. I think it's great.

Great Job Boy Blunder. Go back on tour with Pearl Jam or better yet don another monkey suit and go out the back door.

Great move! He never should have been sent packing before.

stupid trade. dude is hitting .210 with 3 homers and 26 RBIs... rather have papi in the lineup then this chump

It can't hurt (unless they've traded a supposedly can't miss prospect). In reality though I think the emphasis that fans and apparently the Sox place on SS has been overplayed. The recent woes of Nick Green are just that, recent. Overall he's performed above and beyond what we the fans or the Sox had a right to expect. The Sox management must feel that water finds it's own level and Green has been approaching that level.

great trade, shortstop position has been brutal

Am I the only one who thinks this team is turning into a big mess? I'm seeing the Sox as a very leaky ship to which Theo is sticking band-aids to -- band-aids that won't keep the team afloat. Gonzo is not that great of a pick-up, particularly because of his terrible hitting. I don't care how many runs his defense saves, Varitek followed by Gonzo in the lineup bums me out.

He will make some plays at Shortstop. No question about it. He is also one of the worst offensive Shortstops in the game today. Hitting .210 with a OBP of .258. Just what the Sox need...........another automatic out.

I believe that's "shore up" the team's defensive issues, is it not? In any case, I hope he doesn't fall victim to Chuck Knoblauch syndrome, as Nick Green seems to have...

It beats Woodward/Lowrie (DL DieHard)/Green -
I just hope he hits better.
His last stint with us, he couldn't hit the ball if it sat on a TEE -

Let's go A-Gon !! (I made that up - A-Rod, K-Rod, V-Mart, A-Gon)
Yeah, whatever....

'04 Cowboys Forever !!

Great move, of course if we didn't give up much. Which I doubt we did, the Reds probably just want to save some money.

stop the shortstop revolving door..I am getting really tired of the constant trading for a SS. There are several great prospects in Portland. What the sox need is to find a solid pitcher who can last more than 5 innings..Oh wait the redsox got Byrd..again...lets keep going back to the old redsox ways of getting past outdated players who primed 100 years ago...

Theo should've re-signed him to a 3-year deal after the 2006 season. Would've saved the team millions instead of overpaying for Lugo...

Can anyone explain to me how they made a TRADE....AFTER the trade DEADLINE? I don't understand how teams are doing this.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome back Alex

Should have never let him go to begin with!

Wasn't he the SS in '06 ... the year we didn't make the post season?????

I think the Red Sox did not aggressivly address the the Ortiz and Jason Veriteks Offense. These two guys kill the Red Sox. Forget trying to Patch up shortstop. They had all last year and all this year to find a bat to replace these two AUTOMATIC OUT MACHINES and they failed to do it thinking they would come around. Please !Veritek could never hit and poppy has been done for over a year. I will never understand why Jason Veritek gets this free pass at the plate. Everyone says he is so importzant to the pitching staff but his offense and throwing runner out murder this team more than people will admit. END IT!!!!!

EXCELLENT!!! SHOULDA NEVER LET HIM GO IN DA 1ST PLACE A COUPLE YEARS AGO, HERE WE GO NOW THIS WILL HELP START THE RUN TO OCTOBER. BACK 2 DA BENCH GREENERRORMACHINE.

The Sox killed two birds with one stone. Got rid of David Ortiz and Jason Varitek in exhcange for Alex Gonzalez.

I would be shocked if the Sox had to give up more than a box of baseballs for this guy. Are you kidding me ? Don't we have enough dead wood in that lineup ?

depends on who they traded for him

You guys want Bronson back too? Just pitched a CGSO last night on a fist of PED's.

The first inning during Tazawa's debut probably pushed Theo over the top to make any deal. I'm still trying to find out what happened to the Guzman deal at SS. With the next 3 weeks being make or break for this season, we'll find out soon enough whether the Gonzalez makes the grade. Doesn't seem like a long term solution.

Excellent move; let's stand pat with that. If I recall he was a solid .260 hitter, not injury prone and was outstanding defensively... I can live with that.

It's a great move at this time. All you fans squawking about his poor batting skills need to think about how many hits he is going to take away from opposing teams with his great defense.

What is the over under on him landing on the DL before the end of the season? The Yanks must be happy we added a hitter that is very easy to pitch to and hits .200 with defensive ability that is severely eroded due to age and injury.

WELCOME BACK A.GON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

never should have let him go in the first place. they let him go to sign LUGO?? A-Gon was AWESOME

Feels like 2006 more and more every day...

This is great! I loved watching Alex. I wished Theo never got rid of him, especially for Lugo. Welcome back!

This is a good move folks.

How many double plays has this team NOT turned this season because of shaky play at SS? And how many times have those missed opportunities come back to haunt them in the form of a "big inning" by the opposition? I know that I can count the instances on more than one hand at this point in the season.

The shortstop position is all about defense. A shortstop who can hit simply is a luxury item--and until the last 15 years or so in MLB, it's usually been an anomaly.

Gonzalez won't help the offense, that's for sure, but that's not what this move is all about.

The only thing that can help the offense is Tito finding the brass cojones to sit down the struggling Big Papi, and the struggling "captain" of the team, and get Lowell in at DH and Martinez behind the plate almost every night (I still like Ortiz' bat in the lineup at Fenway against most righthanders--a guy like Verlander or Halladay being the exceptions, since he can't hit guys like that any more).

Not that this move is a panic move, but please, we need offense and defense!!
What Edgar Renterea wasn't available? Theo has gotten his hat handed to him the last few years! We have an anemic lineup without Youk and Peddie, Verlander or no Verlander. Gonzo will hopefully be gone after this season. Hanley Ramirez anyone?

Just what we need. Another guy with a batting average lower than his weight.

I know this was one of the best shortstops weve ever had but I personnally like Pokey Resse when he played. He could really cover some ground.

1) He's not the same elite fielder any longer
2) Don't worry, there's no way any prospect(s) of real potential get dealt
3) Hardy would def not be a cheaper long-term solution
4) "Sure's up"? Seriously? Meaning: it sure is up. Don't think so pal.

If this doesn't work out, we'll bring Alex Cora back at some point.

Gotta love the fire theo post. How soon we forget the Sox have won 2 world series in the last 5 seasons and before that it was I believe 1918. These are the people who just complain about everything.

the trade deadline was only for non-waiver deals. Until the end of August teams can trade players that make it through the waivers process. Basically, the July deadline is the last chance to get A level talent. Teams can get C-level talent through August.

great move . no good team can have a lousy glove at ss.

great move . no good team can have a lousy glove at ss.

What is wrong with Nick Green? Is this another screw up by Theo and the Spitter Francona?

The next thing we will hear is that they are going to trade Mike Lowell as he does not hit enough home runs in one game and all the time they keep Big Pappi in there who is not worth the money unless you give me some steriods to assist him.

How does it go.... maybe next year, yeah!

Teams can still trade players as long as they clear waivers. A team places a player on waivers. If no other team claims him off waivers, then he can be traded.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Good trade. Welcome back, Alex, and yes, we should have never let him leave in the first place.

Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh. What a terrible, horrible panic move. "Gonzalez, as Red Sox fans will recall, is an excellent defensive player..." No, Gonzalez is a mediocre but sure-handed and smooth defender with a vastly overblown defensive reputation. He's an awful hitter, he's got limited range in the field, and if he's an upgrade over Nick Green at all, he's not enough of one to justify giving up ANYTHING to get. And Franconca will play him over Lowrie even when Jed's back. This is a dreadfully bad move, a panic move, and it's extremely disturbing.

#34: July 31st is the non-waiver trade deadline, not the overall trade deadline.

This is a good move. I've been bemoaning not having a good defensive SS ever since he left. This is a guy who will SAVE you runs a game, regardless of how well or poorly he hits. Unfortunately that won't show up in the scorebook so the naysayers will have a field day with it.

This team hits well enough to win providing everyone comes out of this team-wide slump they're in, and if they don't come out of it one more big bat isn't going to help.

Hope this is true. PLEASE take him. Your cheers will become jeers in no time. He is no longer a top-tier SS and he is nearly an automatic out. Would have thought the Red Sox had deeper pockets and better talent evaluators than this...

cg - this is a waiver deal, which means that a team can put a player on waivers. If that player clears waivers, then they are eligible to trade that player until sept. 1. Waivers work in terms of priority, (or reverse priority) where crap teams can put a claim on that guy before a team who has a better record.

When a player passes thru waivers without getting claimed they can be traded even after the deadline. The deadline is the nonwaiver trade deadline. Gonzo made it thru waivers without being claimed therefore the Reds have the ability to trade him.

Love the people that call for Theo to be fired because of the shortstop situation. Lugo and Renteria were quality players before they came here. What did you want him to do? Who would you like him to get?

JJ Hardy wasn't available to be traded to anyone who commented on that.

2 WS and a couple ALCS's in Theo and Francona's tenure, its a HELL of a lot better that what was being done in the past. You want Duquette back?! And people why Red Sox fans look like a$$holes all the time its people like you guys.

what the heck??? another .220-230 hitting shortstop?
I agree, it may be time to consider a GM change.

Also, why during the crunch period are we filling the lineup with unproven, non-hitting players????? I must be missing something?

It's a waiver move, the guy cleared waivers, it's not a trade. All of you like HOW ARE WE TRADING! ISN'T THE DEADLINE OVER! No need for the caps, do a little bit of research on your own and you'll realize real quickly that you can make roster moves after the trade deadline through waivers. Obviously no other team below Boston wanted to pay his larg(er) salary and the Sox scooped him up. You'll probably see a Green/A-Gon combo since we have no other back up shortstop right now.

Never should've let him go. He's the best defensive SS the Sox have had in decades. So, he can't hit. Pitching and defense wins games in the playoffs.

The Sox were able to deal for him because he was waived and then cleared waivers.

Ethan defense is the most important thing as a shortstop not offense. He hit 270 for us. He and Loretta broke a mlb record for errors didn't they?? And he and Coco and Loretta brought small ball to the Sox. We won some games on steals and bubts and sac flies. Good move not great but welcome back Gonzo.

You're welcome to him Sox fans. The guy can't hit a lick, and his fielding has diminished long ago. This is if you can even get him on the field. One good stiff breeze now, and he goes on the DL. Good luck with that!

What is wrong with Nick Green? Is this another screw up by Theo and the Spitter Francona?

The next thing we will hear is that they are going to trade Mike Lowell as he does not hit enough home runs in one game and all the time they keep Big Pappi in there who is not worth the money unless you give me some steriods to assist him.

How does it go.... maybe next year, yeah!

This is a great move! He is the best defensive shortstop I have ever seen other than Ozzie smith. Great move theo! Now the pitchers can go back to concentrating on each hitter and not on the defensive lapse at shortstop. They need to keep him for next year by picking up the otion, Welcome Back Alex

The rumor is straight up for Lowry.

Totally agree - big pappi has been cooked for over a year - he should not be the regular at DH. He no longer even runs the bases....... Not that Francona (what meat head) has ever demanded this team hustle. Did anyone see Drew jogging home on the past ball 2 nights ago - he didn't he hustle, he didn't slide, and he was almost tagged out. The camera shot in the dugout - Tito was laughing with Drew. Billy Martin would have been screaming at a player for making that a close play.

Tio has to go.

I think Theo has lost the idea of teh SS. I just want to make it clear, only one can play at a time. And their batting avg, rbi's and hr's are not added together to make one uber SS. Why is Theo such a proponent of SS by experiment?

Find another O.C. and be done with it.

Hey, Theo, what took so long??? I agree with many of the comments already posted, "WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM UP IN THE FIRST PLACE!" If I recall correctly, he has won at least one gold glove in his career and is the best defensive short stop I've ever seen. Welcome home, Gonzo!

Hey JR,

Lighten up on Smoltz. He's a classy HOF'er who worked his a** off to help the team. It didn't work out, but you're the only one who's worthless here.

in order for a player to be traded after the trade deadline, they have to pass through waivers

fills a hole they sorely need

what the heck??? another .220-230 hitting shortstop?
I agree, it may be time to consider a GM change.

Also, why during the crunch period are we filling the lineup with unproven, non-hitting players????? I must be missing something?

I live in Cincinnati, and I am a big time reds fan. Alex Gonzo sucks. Sorry rox fans, you just got duped.

send youklis home to cincy.

"I think the Red Sox did not aggressivly address the the Ortiz and Jason Veriteks Offense. These two guys kill the Red Sox."

Are you joking? Ortiz was hurt last year and no one knew he'd be this bad this year.

Are you seriously that stupid to say they didnt address the Varitek issue when they traded for one of the best hitting catchers in the league?

Moron.

When did he become "Roto Theo"?.

it appears that the red sox do not give anything back to the reds. the red sox will absorb the remainder of his $5M salary, with a $6M club option for next year (or $500K buyout). It appears that to make room on the roster they are releasing SS Chris Woodward

...sounds good to me

Let's bring back Pokey Reese while we are at it. And Damon Buford.

send youklis home to cincy.

...we'll see.....if he can hit the ball out of the infield.....maybe with a strong wind he'll be able occasionally I guess......

The Reds are filled with good defensive players that can't hit. And that's putting us 13 games back. Gonzo was another one in the bunch. I hope we get someone who can hit the ball. And for the ones wondering about the trade deadline, the deadline is for trading without any restrictions. Now that we are past the deadline the players have to pass waivers before they can be traded.

I punched him in the face because he put me in the ground!

CG, It is called the waiver wire. After the trading deadline a player has to clear waivers before a team can trade him. What that does is allow every team based on record to put a claim on that player. If a team puts in a claim then they can either trade for him, the team can just take the player and assume their contract or the team who placed them on waivers can remove them from waivers so in that case they have to keep them. A-Gon must have cleared waivers so he could then be traded to us.

Now we will certainly beat the Yankees!

CG and David M, it's a post non-waiver trade deadline deal you idiots. Look it up. Yeah, we really have a knowledgeable baseball fanbase here. You guys must be the ones wearing the pink hats. You can make a trade after the trade deadline if the player in quesion, i.e. Gonzo, was claimed by the Sox off waivers, or he cleared waivers, thereby making him eligible to be traded.

cg,

July 31st is the "non-waiver" trade deadline. Which means a player does not have to clear waivers before they are traded.

August 31, is the "waiver" trade deadline. That means a player, ie Alex Gonzalez, needs to clear waivers before he can be traded. ( And potenitally the player the Sox send the Reds would need to clear waivers as well)

Hope this helps

"Gotta love the fire theo post. How soon we forget the Sox have won 2 world series in the last 5 seasons and before that it was I believe 1918. These are the people who just complain about everything."

Seriously, they must have just started watching the Red Sox in '03 to be that stupid. Dont forget all the ALCS's

I don't know about Alex Gonzalez. Orlando Cabrera would've been a better SS to get back!

CG & David M,

July 31st was the non-waiver trade deadline, players did not have to be placed on waivers in order to qualify to be traded.

Players being traded now have been placed on waivers and have either A) been traded to the team that claimed him or B) cleared waivers (no one claimed him) and were then qualified to be traded anywhere. I hope that helped.

Some of you so called Red Sox "fans" are completely clueless. This is a waiver wire deal. Teams can place players on waivers - basically dangling them for any team to come in and say "Yeah, we'll take that guy." The teams can either work out a trade or the claiming team can just take the guy and assume what is left on his contract - or there is the dubious "player to be named later" that the teams agree to beforehand. If the claimed player does well, the other team gets Player A, if he does poorly, they get Player B, or another form of compensation (cash, lesser prospects, etc).
PS - The Waiver Deadline is 8/31. Anyone not on a team's roster by that day is not eligible for the playoffs.

Post # 34 -
The trade-deadline is for active-roster player trading via straight-trades.
"We'll give you Masterson, Price & Hagadone for Victor Martinez"....
It must be completed before the clock strikes 12AM (Midnight) on the morning of August 1 in order that that player can be eligible to be on your playoff roster, should you make the playoffs.

After, you have from (August 1 - August 31) to trade across "the waiver-wire".

When a team designates a guy for assignment, he goes "out-on-waivers"....which allows teams to express an interest on a "soon-to-be-released" player (waivers). The team that has him on waivers then has 10 days to arrange a "waiver-trade" to complete the deal. This timeframe for "waiver-trades" gives teams all of August (up to 12pm (Midnight) into the morning of September 1) to seek last-ditch efforts to have a new player on their roster on a deadline that is eligible for the playoffs, should they make it.

Any straight-trade done after August 1 (Active Roster-Player for Another Active Roster Player) renders that player ineligible for the playoffs, should the team make it....and any "waiver-wire" trade and pickup's done after September 1 - render that player ineligible for the playoffs, should they make it.

So, in essence, these trade-deadlines are "with the playoff roster agenda in mind". Continued trading is fine at any point in the season....but the "deadline" prevents a team from getting a massive acquisition 2-days before the ALDS, ALCS and just throwing the guy on the club and field. (i.e. - A losing club throwing a Matt Holliday to the NY Yankees after that club knows they are out....and the Yankees tossing Holliday right on the field).

Deadlines are about "playoff eligibility".

To answer the question about trading after the deadline.....there is a waiver trade deadline as which is after the trade deadline. You can trade players you have placed on waivers. The reds had put A-gon on waivers, and he cleared them today, so he was eligible for trade.

Re: Trading after trade deadline.
The so-called "trading deadline" is really a "non-waiver trading deadline." This is a waiver deal, in which the Reds put Gonzalez on waivers to be claimed (i.e., taken onto the roster at current contract terms) by teams in reverse order of standings. In Gonzalez's case, no team made such a waiver claim, so Gonzalez had cleared waivers and was eligible to be traded.

"Gotta love the fire theo post. How soon we forget the Sox have won 2 world series in the last 5 seasons and before that it was I believe 1918. These are the people who just complain about everything."

Yeah, it's good to know that it's not just the losing in Cincinnati that brings out the whiners and know it alls. It's just a fact of life everywhere. We should be so lucky as to have ONE winning season...but I digress.

I don't know what all the Theo bashing is about. So what he can't find a SS. Anyone remember what it was like here for almost 90 years before Theo and the Trio? God forbid they don't win the World Series every year. What a joke some Sox fans are. As a lifetime Sox fan, it's disgusting to read about people b*tching about firing him. Who do you want back? Sweet Lou Gorman or the Duke? Get a grip people, we have it so good we have gone backwards....hmmmmm, kinda like America.

cg, Gonzalez cleared waivers. Just read up on waiver rules, and you will understand how teams make trades after the deadline.

IIRC the "trading deadline" only means that teams can trade a player without him clearing waivers.

Post # 44 -

I'd take Bronson Arroyo back, gladly.
That Arroyo-for-Wily Mo Pena deal was nightmarish.

Why did we ever let this guy go in the first place? Looking forward to watching some slick fielding up the middle!

A necessary and good decision. A-Gon will stop enough scoring to offset his offensive shortcomings.

This is yet another result of Theo the Boy Wonder papering over multi-million dollar mistakes with John Henry's fat wallet. Few other teams have the resources to survive such expensive blunders as Renteria, Lugo and Drew.

#24 Ethan, when was the last time David Ortiz played SS for the Sox or any time in his professional career? I do not think Alex Gonzalez will be DHing.

One report has Daniel Bard going to the Reds.

As a Reds fan that's seen a lot of this guy over the last few years (and missed a lot of him because of his injuries), I can say that this is not the same guy who was in Boston in 2006. He's a step slower in the field and the pop in his bat is nearly gone. I hope he finds his magic for you, but I wouldn't count on it.

To all you posters wondering about the 7/31 trade deadline and how they can make a trade after the deadline and blah blah blah -- if you don't get the difference between the NON-WAIVER trade deadline (7/31) and the waiver-deals that are always being made afterward (like this one), perhaps you need to repeat Baseball Fan 101, and study harder..

HARDY WASNT AVAILABLE YOU IDIOTS!!!!!

Was it the "HARDY WAS NOT PUT ON WAIVERS" articles you couldn't understand.

A player gets placed on waivers, the team with the worst record has first dibs and so on, if he passes through he's eligible to be traded...pay attention.

Great, another guy who can't hit.

Post # 54 -

Hanley Ramirez....
And feasibly, who would you be giving away to The Marlins?
What group of major-talent would you ship there for The Marlins to let-go of "The Face" of their Franchise who just signed a $70 Million Dollar Deal with them....

....I'll wait on your proposal. (This isn't Fantasy Baseball).

What's the Red Sox FARM system for? Can't they develop a top-notch hitting/fielder for the future? What have they been doing since Nomar left???

why fight it??? Nick Green is your short stop. He only has a tough time when you deny it and make him split time. When he is in there every day he is stellar. Just give the guy the job for the rest of the season.

Lets remember that Alex Gonzalez is 3 years older than he was when he played with the Red Sox and has lost a few steps because of age & injuries.
His hitting has also fallen off quite a bit.
It seems like Theo could have done a little better. Maybe JJ Hardy.

just shows theo is a .500 hitter.........misses as much as he hits.....Gonzo should never been allowwed to go gonzo

love it...guy is awesome with the leather.

Its good to see that Red Sox fans are just as happy about this as Reds fans. Gonzo was brutal for the last three years... well, at least for the 150 games he actually played over those three years. As a Reds fan, I'm excited we got rid of him... talk about a skillset that deteriorated quickly... which probably none of you noticed because the Reds don't play in the AL East.

I like Gonzo too, but to give up Bowden and Bard for him ? for a few months ? I dont like it

Mike M, you are a moron for wanting the team to fire Theo, lest you forget he crafted rosters that won 2 world series after an 86 year drought.

Naturally, the predictable Hanley Ramirez post was necessary, to prove we can't get rid of all our idiots.
I'm a little concerned that Rotoworld stated he's been playing "average defense." What does that mean?
AGonz was far and away the best defensive SS I've ever seen in a Sox uniform since 1966 and was scr&wed out of a Gold Glove in '06 when Derek No Range All Media Jeter stole it.
If he's close to the SS he was before, he offers the team a big upgrade on the left side of the INF, even taking some pressure off of No Glove Lowell now.

You can trade player at anytime during the season. The "famous" trade deadline is when you can make trades without players clearing waivers. After the trade deadline another team can block a trade by claiming any of the players involved. All trades must be final before 8/31 to be eligible for post season play.

And around an around we go. Where the short stop lands noboby knows.
Can you have Gonzales, and then not have Gonzales, and the have Gonzales again?

No longer a good defensive SS, can't hit.

boo.

Last I checked we are losing games due to lack of OFFENSE...not defense!

Let's see, hasn't really played a full seasons in a couple years due to bad knees and bone chips in his throwing arm. NO power is his bat and barely hitting above the Mendoza line. So what's the excitement here. ABSOLUTELY NO improvement over our current no hit & no field shortstops.

Was Rick Burleson not available?

Reds were very happy to get rid of him. Decent glove, no bat what so over.

Amazing deal! Gives you the option to move Green to the outfield and let him show off his cannon out there as well!

Mike M., you're a moron.

whatever

Smart move. Improves the defense on the left side. With the offense as amenic as it is, if they can't improve it, they need to ensure they're not giving away runs. And .210 is an improvement over what Green has hit since June 1.

I'm glad Theo picked this guy up, If i were Theo I woulda traded Nick Green for a hunting dog, then shot the dog.

Baseball Man: Get a life, you retard. They should call the trade deadline something else then.

To everyone else that provided a legitimate response, I thank you.

CG, The trade deadline is for non-waiver deals. Everyone can be traded for everyone else (Not counting no trades etc.). Now a player must clear waivers before he can be dealt. For the Sox to get Gonzo he would have had to cleared waivers which means every team had a shot to claim him (there are 2 types of waivers revocable and irrevocable).

Post # 118 - King Buzzo

Thanks for advising that we don't see "The Cincinnati Reds" games because they don't play in the A.L. East. We didn't know that here in Boston (Baseball Central).
One of the biggest baseball platforms in MLB, with the biggest & most educated fans.

Thanks for the updates, Ohio !!

David M., CG-After the trade deadline, players must CLEAR WAIVERS before they can be traded. This has been written about in numerous articles. There's no mystery to it. Before the trade deadline, you can trade players with any team at will. AFTER the trade deadline, the player must be placed on waivers 1st. Once no team puts in a claim, you can then trade them to any team. IF a team puts in a claim on a player when they are put on waivers, the team can A. Pull them back off of waivers. B. Work out a trade with the team making the claim. C. Allow the player to just go to that team. Teams would much rather be able to trade said player rather than just release them because of contract issues.That's the issue with Smoltz right now. Teams are waiting for the Sox to release him because the Sox will have to pay most of his contract, effectively paying him to pitch for someone else.

Gonzalez is still rehabbing his right arm - bone chips in his elbow. Reports are he can't throw even at 80% of his old self. We've added an aging and injured SS to the roster.

Theo needs to go........the thing that's made the difference from the previous 90 years was John Henry's money. Imagine if we had John Henry's money during the Yawkey and Harrington days........ It's the same with the Bruins - no mone, no cup.

With a few more trades like this, maybe we can get our team batting average down to about .230. These trades make me feel that Theo is the GM of the Royals, not the Red Sox. Wouldn't want to have to spend money on a position player like Texiera who can be a real game changer. We let him go to the Yankees over a measly $5 mil over 3 years. I bet we wish we could counter-offer now!! At least with A-Gon, we can sit down Ortiz and let Lowell be our DH.

HUGE move. Nice work Theo. Hopefully you didn't give up too much, but most likely it's a couple minor leaguers.

NO BUDDY MENTIONS (ORLANDO CABRERA)!!!!

That guys was the best shortstop we ever had....(great fielder & very good offensive player)....and he was available this year. So......why not bring him back Theo? Puzzling!!!!!

"When did he become "Roto Theo"?. "

Um, from the split-second he arrived in the job, maybe?

Remember his, "it doesn't matter who pitches late in games" fantasy league bullpen in 2003?

Same process that brought us Lugo, Clement, Renteria and Drew.

Nomar Garciaparra
Orlando Cabrerra
Alex Gonzalez
Edgar Rentaria
Julio Lugo
Alex Cora
Jed Lowrie
Nick Green

Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
Nomah – hmm, nope
Cabrerra – A’s offered him to Theo at the trading deadline but he passed
Gonzalez – Oh yeah, this move will surely help the offense.

In Theo we trust???????

good ridence. have fun with this guy. 206 BA. he is hitting 206 after this amazing hitting streak he is on!!!

Thanks for taking him off our hands for us!

Cincy boy

If we'd traded and gotten Renteria back , I could use my Renteria game shirt again .. never bought one for Agon or any other SS as we don't keep em around long enough.

This guy was WORTHLESS to us in Cincinnati since we signed him a few years ago. Keep some space open on the DL, you are going to need it. I find it hard to believe that his defensive ability along with his below the line Mendoza line bat will be enough to be the hated team from NY. I hope he is enough to get you past Steinbrenner's boys. Good luck, just send us a broken bat or 2 in return for Gonzo and we are good.

CG, first trade deadline was a non waiver trade deadline. Gonzalez had to clear waivers before this deal could be made, for which the deadline is Aug. 31.
Gonzalez is going to be a huge upgrade at short, and should be no different at the plate than what we've already got. Unless he gets jacked up by returning to the Sox... who knows, he could hit 260 (which would be great considering what we've gotten from our SS's this year!). Doubt that the Sox had to give up much to get him, mayeb a low level low impact prospect and/or cash... not like they were being asked for Hardy. I think good deal, and there's no way we keep him next year for $6mil. It'll cost us peanuts to keep him for the rest of this year!!

Best move of the season and will pay huge dividends in the long run for the Sox. This guy is the best defensive SS in baseball. We'll figure out the bats later - already too late to make up ground on Yanks.

I agree Theo needs to be fired. He had a nice run as a kid, time to bring in an adult to run the team.

Idiots.
Stop posting.
Please.
The Red Sox did not give up Daniel Bard for Alex Gonzalez. Most likely it will be a "Player to be named later" or cash. The player to be given up will be a system guy, not a prospect.
The Brewers are not giving up on JJ Hardy, but they do want him to go to AAA to get his confidence back. He certainly would not have cleared waivers to be traded to the Red Sox.
This move will involve adding Alex Gonzalez to the roster, and taking Chris Woodward off.
It's a good move.
As for the folks who want a GM chagne, you're the chief idiots. Emperors without clothes.
Post #97 takes the cake though, the Red Sox have developed a number of top hitters and fielders in their farm system. More than most contenders. Does the name Dustin Pedroia ring a bell? Kevin Youkilis? Jacoby Ellsbury? Jed Lowrie would be the answer here if he were healthy.

What is a trading deadline? Can someone explain? Anyway, this is a good move and maybe this time we'll hang onto him.

HMMM! 118 SECOND GUESSERS......

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.
But I still think The Curse of Nomar will have the last word.

This is a Waiver Trade, from Wikipedia:

The Major League Baseball non-waiver deadline is July 31. After the All Star Break, teams will determine whether or not they are in position to contend for the post-season. Because of free agency and the lack of a salary cap in baseball, players in the final year of their contract are put on the "trading block" by many of the poor and mediocre teams. Smaller market teams will not, or cannot afford, to pay their better veteran players high salaries so they will trade them to a contender for some players that can help them in the future.

The MLB waiver deadline is August 31. There is much less activity between July 31 and August 31 because players must clear waivers.

Theo's thinking is that there are 2 ways to achieve run differential. A. Score more runs, or B. Prevent more runs. Gonzalez helps to prevent more runs. Since offensive production from the SS position has been sporadic, as has been the defense, he has upgraded the defense. Back in the late 60's and 70's, the Orioles had some outstanding teams. Their SS named Mark Belanger had a career batting average of around .200. However, he was AMAZING in the field. The Orioles felt he was well worth the trade off. They won many, many games with Belanger in the lineup. Their defense up the middle was sterling. The point is that this is not an unprecedented approach. It has been used in the past and has worked in the past.

good god, can all you pink hats go away already? i'd say about 90% of the comments are from people who don't know anything about baseball. damn bandwagon LOSERS

you can trade after the deadline, so long as the player clears waivers. he must first pass through all the teams in that respective league before being available to those in the opposite league. (i.e. nobody in the NL wanted him, then all the AL teams with records worst than the sox all passed on him). his steady defense is a HUGE upgrade over anything we have. i like green's arm, but that's about it.

Aug 12 Gonzalez matched his career high with four hits in the Cincinnati Reds' 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. He also drove in a run and scored another.
Advice: After going 1 for 27 in his first nine games after returning from the disabled list, Gonzalez is 11 for 26 (.423) in the past eight contests.

I could almost wear my Yo-Lo-Go-Lo-Va shirt again! HeHe

As a follower of both teams, having moved to Cinci, I don't understand the trade.
Gonzo has been hurt most of his time in Cinci and an auto out on a weak hitting team almost all the time with rare exception. Perhaps Theo is planning on having a 3 way rotation at ss. Gonzo, Lowrie and Green. Subbing Gonzo everytime he comes to bat.
The Reds were dumping salary, 2 more to go, Harrang and Aroyo. Bosox should take a hard look at their 1st baseman Votto. He could be next Tex with better hitters behing him.

"just shows theo is a .500 hitter.........misses as much as he hits.....Gonzo should never been allowwed to go gonzo"

A.500 hitter how about all the drafting you idiot? LOOK AT THE FARM SYSTEM AND WHAT THEYVE PRODUCED. You think he's not involved in any of that. How are so many Sox fans such retards? Yeah when there wasnt much on the market they got renteria, who was supposed to be solid and had been in previous years trending up, Lugo, when there was no one left on the market and Drew who even though has struggled still gets on base at a high clip despite the low average.

ESPN is reporting it was Bard going to the Reds.

The most likely move would involve the Sox releasing infielder Chris Woodward to make room for Gonzalez on the roster.

So we are making a minor move to get a pretty solid defensive SS (a position that is depleted) and getting rid of CHRIS WOODWARD...

...And people are complaining, want to fire Theo, and are asking why they didn't get Hanley Ramirez.. Really this blog is a shame.

Sox screwed up when they didnt sign OC, then they screwed up again when they didnt resign Gonzo, then they screwed up signing Rentawreck, then they screwed up sigining Lugo and now signing a .210 hitting 32 year old SS is another screw up. Should have signed him in 07, not trade for him now. Theo said the other day he has never answered if he would do the beckett and Lowell trade for Hanley Ramirez again. If he liked the trade wouldnt he just say yes? I think if they kept Hanley and signed Burnett instead of trading for Beckett they dont win in 07, but put Burnett's 08 numbers in place of a broke down Josh in 08 and that probably equals an 08 championship

nomar wasnt available?

might as well take him back, i think we're still paying part of his salary from the last go around

Good riddance! Alex Gonzalez can't hit a lick and his fielding prowess left him years ago. He's an error machine. Enjoy him beantown.

The phonix club post number 158 is a complete idiot.

And for all you baseball fans, it took me 3 seconds to see Alex Gonzalez batted .255 not .270 for the Sox.

You think good GMs just fall out of trees? Who built up this farm system? Who won the WS's, and ALCS's? TITO AND THEO. Get over yourself you fairweather loser and remember what it was like before then.

Alex Gonzalez is the best fielding Red Sox shortstop in my lifetime.

Hopefully he still has some of that 2006 magic left.

Response to post#1 John Roe, the Red Sox is going to give up Big Papi and the Captain my friend ahaha:)

Alex is going to give a huge boost to the Sox stale lineup with his big .210 batting average and .258 on-base percentage...are you kidding me? This is going backwards not progressing forward. This is not a good thing for the Sox.

Welcome back AGon! You should never have been allowed to leave, that is true!

Hope we still have your number...

I'm glad Red Sox fans are happy, but I'm as happy being a Reds fan. This is a win-win situation for the Red Sox and the Reds. Gonzo isn't the everyday player that he once was (he's lost at least a step or two), but he's still an above average player with some pop in his bat and he frees up some valuable payroll for the Reds. Good luck Gonzo!!

Jim- Look back through the posts. You'll see this issue addressed numerous times...

Woo hoo the saviour is here!

Not. But he is a much needed defensive presence....and he hit during his first tour of duty in Boston. Plus he hit for the Reds (excuse this year). I still would have liked to see Guzman running the basepaths, but Gonzalez should come cheap in this trade.

We'll revisit the Hanley Ramirez for Mark Bellhorn and Carlos Baerga talks this offseason. That's a joke by the way.

S

Never should have been let go in the first place, but he's a few years older.
Hoping he still has it defensewise.

Post#169, the Sox is going to give up Big Papi.

the greatest fielder we've EVER had. you can argue all you want, but the guy was a top-10 highlight every night and made all the toughest plays. seriously, why DID we get rid of him in the first place?

Kris Negron going to the Reds

Why not Nomar???

I just watched a DVDA of him and man can this guy pump!!!!!!!!!!

Why not Nomar???

Reading these comments makes my ears ring and my eyes bleed. You people should become educated baseball fans

The open trading deadline has passed but teams are free to trade players who clear waivers. There are also a limited number of exceptions that allow for this to occur. Because there are only a few names available during this limited trade period, Alex was a huge snag for a team that needs a defensive shortstop!

This move to bring in Alex was made for his defense and defense alone. This move doesn't address hitting and wasn't meant to. It's a defensive move to hopefully shorten innings for our starters and to, consequently, preserve our bullpen. Brining in Gonzalez also tells us something about the team's analysis of Jed Lowrie's condition. If they aren't sure about his long-term prognosis then this move was an absolute necessity and a good one at that... We are trying to think through the first round of the playoffs (not just about the remainder of August.)

In short - this was a fantastic and necessary move for a team that has been struggling to get out of innings and may have a serious SS deficiency this fall!

For those in the peanut gallery who keep chanting trade for "offense!" - there is little the team can do post-trade deadline other than to monitor the waiver wires to see what teams have dangled which players. The players must clear the waivers - no teams can claim them, in order for the trade to another club to be eligible.... All this is red tape to fans... but it's important to understand that this is the only way these clubs can make moves at this hour. Sometimes, teams get lucky and the exact player, payroll and terms fall through the waiver wire. But don't expect it to happen. Teams often take a risk and claim a player they don't really want to block other teams from fulfilling their fall "wish list."

The best moves this late in the year generally come from pulling players directly from the minor league farm! Look for lots of teams to pull up one or two red-hot rookies - players who haven't yet been competely scouted and figured out by other organizations. This costs the team nothing and gives a much-needed booster shot to the ballclub.

I wonder whether this is a signal that Lowrie will be out for the rest of the year. Gonzalez was clearly a great defensive shortstop. Whether he still is remains to be seen. He was always a weak hitter and a .210 average in the National League does not bode well.

The Sox Management is brilliant.

Is everyone stupid? This guy is batting .210 and is not the same defensive shortstop now as he was in 2006. He's a step up from Chris Woodward, but he will help the Red Sox nominally. What we really need is Ortiz and Drew to start hitting, and Dice-K to come back and pitch like a champ.

This is a waiver trade, the teams get another month after the July-end non-waiver trade deadline. You could not pick-up a top-tier player in August because they would never clear waivers (the worst record teams get a chance to pick them up off waivers before the top teams can). That is a quick and simplified explanation.
And btw to the A-Gonz doubters, he is a +++fielder who plays whenever asked and he is replacing very error-prone fill-ins who were not hitting any better than he will... this is a BIG upgrade. (Nick Green, though he won games for the team in the early going and deserves our thanks for the job then, has not been the same player for two months now, hitting and fielding-wise).

Gonzalez is hitting .275 with a .733 OPS in August. Combine that with his stellar glove and I'll take him at shortstop gladly. Good pickup by Theo, tainted only by the fact we could have - and should have - kept him after 2006.

Whats wrong with Orlando Cabrerra?????? Gonzalez cant hit his weight!!! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Green has been playing pretty good since Lowrie went down AGAIN. Lowrie is proving to be too brittle. Should have trded for some more pitching.

Desperate move for a desperate team...may be too little too late (like Alex's batting average and OBP) When can the Sox find a REAL shortstop??

JUST ONE HELPFUL NAIL IN THE RE-CONSTRUCTION PROCESS.

Huge pick up. Makes them the best D in the AL overnight with this. The guy saves more runs simply by adding a lot of range than most fans realize.

It is driving me crazy reading some of these comments. "He will save you runs in the field." Really ? This team needs to score runs. Gonzo would have to show considerable improvement at the plate just to be awful. He is a good defensive player but no longer a great one. There are too many automatic outs in this lineup already. They just added another one. I can't wait to see how quickly people change their mind when he is hitting .150 by September. Will his defense make you forget he can't hit a baseball to save his life ?

If you're bashing this move while suggesting JJ Hardy - you've got no right. Do some flippin' research. It's maddening reading these ignorant posts!!

Contrary to what most new Sox fans think - the rest of the league isn't there simply to allow Sox management to pick and choose whom they want...

Where was it ever said that Milwaukee was putting Hardy on waivers or that they were willing to trade him? Anywhere? Because, I'm sure the folks in the Milwaukee team offices would be surprised to see that.

If you don't know what you're talking about, keep your "criticism" to yourself... You're already ON the damn internet - it's not that difficult to find this stuff out. Un-flipping-real.

Reds fan here.. HAHAHAHAHA...you guys are stuck with him now!!!
We could not wait for someone to take this fragile guy off of our hands.
Sure he can play SS, but he is just about an automatic out if you let him swing the bat. Send him up there without a bat and have him either strikeout or walk. No double plays that way.
A box of new balls and an extra order of Votto bats will do just fine in exchange.

Chuck- For GM's, player acquisition is often a matter of timing and need. Before the trade deadline, and before Cabrera was traded to the Twins, Theo may have been waiting on Lowrie to come back and not wanted to part with talent to acquire Cabrera. Noone could have predicted a .125 average from Lowrie upon his return. It's real easy to second guess a GM, but one can only imagine the stress and challenges that come with performing that job for the Red Sox with their legions of "brilliant fans" who all seem to know more than he does about player performance and what the right moves are.

For all you pink hat fans, the trading deadline on July 31 is THE day, after which no team can trade one of their players to another team UNLESS every other team in their league with a worse record than the receiving team has already passed on taking the player being traded. In this case, since A-Gon was from the NL, it was also necessary that EVERY team in the NL decided they didnt want to pay him. That's what it comes down to, "Do you want to pay my guy's salary to play for your team? If so, let's talk"

Perhaps understanding the reason for the deadlines will help. In the absence of the July 31 deadline, teams that are "in it" (the playoff race!) would simply gobble up the overpaid perhaps underperforming players on teams that are "out of it" (again, the playoff race!). Teams that have no chance to play past September generally don't like to pay the remainder of multlmillion contracts to players they decide they do not want. The waiver process makes it possible for the teams that AREN'T in first or second in their league to make moves that might help them catch the first or second place teams.

And final remaining deadline is September 1. If a player is not on your 40-man roster by September 1, you cannot take him to the postseason. There are some important exceptions to this rule, having to do with replacing a guy who gets injured.

And finally, for all you pink hat fans, the answers to these questions are quite easily obtained through a simple google search.

Fire Theo?? How did they make a trade after the deadline?? Please... go take a nap.

To the guy who said: Am I the only one who thinks this team is turning into a big mess? No, you aren't. They are a big mess.

Here's the thing, and there's no big point to be made, it's obviously obvious (I intended that):

• Production normally comes from: DH, 1B, 3B, and the outfield. That's six positions. Normally, on any club, anything else is considered a luxury. Yes, you can say "The Yankees have Jeter at SS" and that skews the production, but two things: 1) they are the Yankees and don't apply to conventions; 2) They have outfielders who aren't great. And A-Rod hasn't been himself. So yeah, there's exceptions to this, but that's the general rule, and where there's an exception, there's usually a trade-off. Built on that premise...
• The Sox get production from: 1B (Youk); 2B; CF; and wherever V-Mart plays. You could make a small argument for Lowell (3B), but it's up and down with him and he's injury plagued with the hip. So that's 4 guys, maybe 5, out of 9. This tells us what? They are one short.
• If Bay, or Drew, or Ortiz could just get a little hot, they'd be okay. But they have sinkholes at RF, LF, C/DH (depending on V-Mart), SS, and sometimes 3B.
• Normally, you acquire Alex Gonzales, you are saying "we need to get better defensively." Problem is, in this case, this year, he actually NEEDS TO HIT. Because when Tek plays, and Papi plays, and Green plays, and Drew plays, that's four outs. And at times, you can throw Bay into that bunch.
• So the acquisition for Gonzales is basically the Sox saying, "Look, we've done everything we can do offensively. Either Bay, Drew, and Papi are going to figure it out, or, this is it. However, we can do something defensively. We need to prevent runs, and we can't give away outs on failed DP conversions and other stupid stuff."
So their best lineup, offensively and defensively, looks like this:

CF Ellsbury
2B Pedroia
C V-Mart
3B Youk
LF Bay
RF Drew
1B Kotchman
DH Reddick
SS Gonzales

Ortiz can't do it. Simple as that. Tek is too much of a liability at the plate which they can't afford with lack of spectacular production from the outfield and DH. So that's it. Those are the best hitters on the team along with the best defenders in a decent Left/right/left combination. Yeah, you sub in Lowell here and there, and Youk goes to first and you sit Kotchman and shuffle the order a little, but that's basically it. Tek & Ortiz can sit for a while. And I'd be willing to sub in Reddick in Right if they had another bat ANYWHERE.

6 mil here,5 mil there,etc.,etc.,etc.,.......why not jus go out and DO IT,THEO........Way too many bandaids in ones' life!...........This Strange Infatuation between Theo and SS's has worn me,and I'm sure others out..................Theo.........Read my lips.......NO MORE BANDAIDS!!!........As someone once said.........JUST DO IT!!!.........PULL THE STRING,THEO

Why would they ever give up Bard for this guy ... UNREAL !!!
this report was just confirmed

unreal, i used to believe the 'In Theo we Trust' but its getting old ... maybe i just need to watch the DVDA of the '04 team and watch how they made all those Double Ps

SHOULD HAVE BEEN CABRERRA BACK IN jULY. WE DIDN'T NEED 12 FIRST BASEMEN. OUR PITCHING WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER WITHOUT SS'S THROWING THE BALL WHEREVER. TIME FOR GREEN TO GO

As always sitting here enjoying the reader comments more than the article.

For every error he does not make, that will be less pitches the starters need to throw, and for every one of those that do not reach base due to an error, it will mean less runs scored, and therefore our guys will not have to score as many runs?

Pitching and defense win championships.

OMG!

If you didn't notice, we're not exactly having a problem with the defense thing. We need someone that can hit. I would rather see Nick Green out there.

Ryan in Malden:

Thank you for a terrific analysis. I tried as wll, but yours truly rocked!

Ryan in Malden:

Thank you for a terrific analysis. I tried as well, but yours truly rocked!

Something had to be done. Gonzalez makes the team stronger up the middle.
This game has two parts: run production, run prevention. Gonzalez is intended to be run prevention. Martinez (who also plays up the middle) addresses run production. What Theo's doing makes sense. It's really up to the guys on the field to get it done. When Youk comes back, put Papi on the pines.

After watching him play for the Reds this year, you are not getting the same player you let go a few years ago. Since knee injury he has no range and arm strength has deminished since elbow surgery earlier this year. The Reds had pitchers who hit better than he did. Great guy, but just no a major league player anymore.

Problem here is that this dude is batting .210 in the NL. If the rest of our offesnse didn't stink I'd be fine with the move. Even though he was only here a year, he's just about the best SS we've ever had. But Nick Green has a decent bat and while we've lost a few games cause of shaky defense, we've lost more cause of poor offensive production. I'm guessing A-Goz is goona be more of a late inning guy.

Duh - of course Lowry is out for the season...in fact, don't be surprised if his career is over. His arm has been weakened and will never be the same again. That poor kid is toast.

Duh again...there are two trading deadlines...EVERY year, this is NOT new folks!

Welcome back, Alex! The friendly confines of Fenway look forward to your return to duty.

I CAN'T WAIT TO BUY HIS JERSEY!!

It was a mistake to let Alex Gonzalez go in the first place.

Think about it. This guy is an upgrade of Woodward. Compare his numbers to Woodward, to include defensive skills and which one makes more sense? I am sure that Green will split time with him. This is a patch to get us to the off-season where the trade for a quality SS can be completed.

As far as a replacement for the DH spot (Ortiz), we have one on the team already, Lowell. Oritz needs to be released to make room for a move for another SP or long reliever.

Thanks Theo for taking injury prone Gonzo off the Reds' hands. Good riddence!!!

Sox just improved the pitching staff with this move. All you dummies crying about his hitting should look at the lineup he was stuck in. As far as Theo goes, let's give credit to a man who can learn from his mistakes.

Very funny... Gonzalez hitting only .255 in '06 was a big part of the reason he wasn't re-signed for 2007. That .255 is better than Varitek, Papi, Green and Drew are hitting right now and only 4 points lower than Jason Bay. What a difference a couple of years and a colossal offensive collapse can make. While Theo is re-writing history, maybe he can go back into his way back machine and not sign JD and Julio.

.......yawn.........

What exactly does "Gonzalez cant hit his weight!!! " mean???Are you inferring that he weighs over 210 pounds? Or is there some other analogy that I am oblivious of? For an "engineer"...not a logical post.....

It is so funny to hear these "time to fire" Theo fans.... Or so called fans, these people showed up in 2004 when the Sox finally won a World Series and then they think the team should win it every year or they need to get rid of their pink hat. Like players, GM's have bad years but an organization looks at the BIG picture and Theo is good for baseball in Boston. These are the same fans that seldom watched a Patriot's game until 2001 and now it's their national past time on Sundays and they feel they can complain and give up on a team that they really never followed until a championship was won. Gonzalez is a solid pick up to solidify shortstop for the stretch run.

any chance Sox will still pursue Hardy from Milwaukee if he's placed on waviers?

Defense - Defense - Defense - a little offense too. Great move Theo!

Can he play tonight? Sox will be lucky to get 2 runs against the Rangers in any of these games.

Great, now in another two weeks Gonzalez will be benched for some other mediocre shortstop. Get someone consistently good and stick with him!

What does it mean exactly to "pass through waivers"?

#222: You can have mine that's been in my closet from 2006.

Theo's good moves far out-way the few bad ones. There's no crying in baseball. (that's for the whiners),

NEWS FLASH: Massachusetts has just changed its name to New Jersey, as in every time the Sox start at home, there's a new jersey. Instead of printing new jerseys every few days for this revolving door, why don't they just use sticky name tags -- then with the savings they can afford to pay Dice K $50M not to play. Can a "team" that changes key parts every week go to the postseason? Can an August 14 ss acquisition acclimate to the daily changes at first base? Hard to turn a double play when you have never played catch with the guy(s) at first. When Tito says, "Keep the line moving," it now means the infield gloves, not bats. Tough season for anyone to "manage," be he the GM or Tito. Really, league-wide, a weird season.

the sox will pass the yankees by labor day after this move. and thats even after the yankees trade for holiday

I seem to remember that the 2006 Redsox team led the league in fielding percentage that year, and Gonalez had a couple of decent batting games versus the Yankees. I may be wrong - my mind's been programmed to forget about 06.

What is everyone freaking out about....they are giving up a single A guy who will take Chris Woodward's roster spot and number. Alex is 3 years older now and surely is not the player that was here in 06 but he beats the alternatives at this point. Still have trouble understanding why they did not do a deal with the A's for OC but there has to be something behind the scenes there because he would seem to be a better offensive option with similar defense. No doubt AGon had just an incredible year in the field in 06 and if he can just be steady and make the routine plays he will be an improvement. That double play Green blew for Tazawa the other night was just the end for me......Nick Green, the Sox's current starter at the position, is batting .130 with a .219 on-base percentage and .239 slugging percentage since June 24. AGon can't do any worse than this at the plate and you know his glove will be much better. Low Risk possible High Reward deal...it is a fringe deal so let's all come down.....OC would of been better but we'll never know why it wasn't him....

Good luck with him. as Reds Fan I have no Idea if he is any good. He has only played about 40% of the time he's been on the team.

With Gonzo, best line up right now is....

CF Ellsbury
2B Pedroia
1B Martinez
3B Youkilis
LF Bay
DH Lowell
RF Drew
C Varitek
SS Gonzolez

This makes little sense - we already have several shortstops who hit .220. Feedback is that the years have slowed him down. Wonder what our total ss payroll is counting those like Lugo that have been "cut."

Great move. I don't care if the guy hits .095, he more than makes up with it with his glove. It will not only help the Sox defense on the field, it will help the pitching staff psychologically, as well.

They should never have let this guy go to begin with.

since i 1st attended my primier baseball game at fenway s.s. has been the biggest problem for the sox,with the exception of rico". this is going to do no good. his knee is affecting his hitting not his fielding.

Just when the rotation was pitching well again but the offense was quiet, the Sox get another hitter approaching the Mendoza line? The team needs hitting upgrades. Anyway, welcome back and good luck, Gonzo. Hope you hit better here.

.215 AB --- yeah, that will help.

"but he batted just .255"
In Boston, that qualifies him as an upgrade for the DH spot!

I am pretty sure the Sox scouts aren't going to sign off on this if he didn't play healthy. Please use your brains. This is a HUGE upgrade because it wil settle the d.

The deal is Alex Gonzalez and 1.1 million for Single A infielder Kris Negron. Article is in Boston Globe Red Sox page. Never saw a THING about Daniel Bard, so whoever posted THAT rumor might want to check their source.

Not bad for a 1 1/2 months of A-Gonzo: $900,000

The deal was Negron for Gonzalez and $1.1 million

cg, you are the RETARD. Look at how many people had to explain this to your feeble mind. Why don't you go back to watching Michael Phelps swim instead of getting involved in baseball discussions. Leave real sports to the real men. Retard.

Agon will get to about as many balls as any decent SS, HOWEVER, it's what happens from there that makes him special. He delivers strikes to the 2b and is always in the right position. The Reds fans showing up to act like you got fleeced may have no real understanding about defense. Or their just bitter about losing 9 years in a row. Don't listen. The Reds just couldn't afford his option and could use a little cash right now, otherwise I'd think he'd be back next year.

JJ- Good breakdown, bro. Nice to read an educated post here...

desperation move. sox really wanted guzman, but he's staying with the nats. they needed to get gonzo back. excellent defender, however no better of a hitter than nick green. those 2 will split pt. hopefully gonzo can stay healthy.

Can you have a shortstop, then not have a shortstop, then have a shortstop again?

Why would ANYONE believe that Theo would trade either Bowden or Bard for Gonzalez? Go read the facts about the deal as reported here on the Boston Globe. I am AMAZED at some of you people!

Yahoo is also reporting Bard is going

Comment on what this deal IS, not what it ISN'T. What it is is an upgrade to our backup shortstop. Gonzo is better for us than Woodward and we gave up little to get him. Period.

Some of you people must have read some hype about "knowledgeable Red Sox fans" and thought that meant everyone. It only applies to you if you actually UNDERSTAND baseball. If you DON'T, it's your responsibility to LEARN instead of coming on these posts and annoying everyone else. Bowden and/or Bard for Gonzalez...Spare me the nonsense. Please.

At first glance i gave a big yippeee (sarcastically), but if we are only giving up a single A prospect as is stated above this is a steal! Saying that we need help at short stop is an understatement. I would have rather seen us make a move for Stephen Drew from AZ. They had made him available before the deadline. He plays good SS and knows what to do with the bat. But none the less, this is better than our current options.

when a guy hittin' 210 is "waived", does he have to wear a cup?

anything trade right now is a desperation move. Nick Green is committing terrible errors again and his bat is pretty much limp. Gonzo is an excellent fielder and will go a long way in shoring up the huge hole on the left side of the infield. His bat is nothing special but can't be much worse than Green's.

Wow... sounds like a bunch of Yankee fans here. This was a defensive pickup and his bat can't be much worse than Nick Green. I like the trade because I remember him in 2006. I thought he was great defensively.

Anyone who thinks Theo should lose his job is out of their mind. We've won two championships because of the teams he put on the field and have been serious contenders for the rest.

OK, so the Sox turn Chris Woodward into one of the best fielding SSs in the major leagues, (even if he isn't as good as 2006) for an absolute no-name Single A prospect and the Reds send along $1.1M with him. This is a guy who can be on the field in the 9th inning instead of "2 Es an inning" Green.
What does the Pink Hat Brigade say?
Fire Theo.

Uh, whatever. Idiots.

You Sox fans can have him. A Hispanic ballplayer is past their prime at 35. Gonzalez here in Cinci was a joke, sometimes field.....no hit. His biggest issue is not keeping his head in the game. I've seen him make some bondheaded plays that a highschooler wouldn't make. He is gifted, but never took advantageof his skills to make himself better.....got by on what he had. A real loser.

BTW- QUIT CALLING PEOPLE DEROGATORY NAMES! Some people need a baseball education. So, help them out. Share your knowledge so we really DO have a "knowledgeable fan base"....

Does anyone think Gonzo will make a difference..............because if so then your dreaming. First off, he's not an upgrade in the least at offense and he's really not that much better defensively either. This really is a waste of a deal for the simple reason "What does Theo plan on doing with not one but four bad and or washed up SS." JJ Hardy, Scutoro, or Cabrera could of and should of been had before boy genius adds Gonzo and Woodward. Are you kidding me? Theo to me seems like he is trigger happy or desperate.

Dfwelch - cheers man... Have a great weekend! And be careful, your IQ may go down reading some of these comments!

By the way everyone, the cap lock is conviently located on either side of your standard keyboard. Please use it immediately! It won't make your thoughts any more coherent, but it will make it easier for the rest of us to deal with your gibberish.

Everybody should just read Dube's comment (#240) and shut up. Gonzalez is above average defensively (and better than what we currently have), is not a step back offensively, was acquired inexpensively, and can actually help the team.

Also, baseball is a game.

And, if you walk outside, you can experience this thing called 'fresh air.' It's amazing. Check it out...

red sox are lost---they are going backwards!

Someone please check commentor 229 into a medical clinic. "I CAN"T WAIT TO GO BUY HIS JERSEY"

Holy wild kingdom..what's wrong with you people on here...This is a absolutely horrible move for the Sox. You'll see. Wow another bone head move on Theo's part. Factor the trade amount into the fact you have to assume a fairly heavy salary and bam another problem 1 month from now.

Another Reds Fan. Just wanted to say thank you for taking this guy off our hands. I had heard that they wanted to deal Alex and Bronsons guitar, but no dice. Nonetheless, we will take not having to see him on our DL all year and pay him accordingly. We owe you for this one. Give my Regards to Willy "Pedro Cerrano" Mo Pena.

Mark- Yahoo must have pulled that unsubstantiated rumor as quickly as they posted it, because it's not on their page NOW...

RE comment 267: I disagree that Daniel Bard's going to the Reds does not qualify as giving up "little to get him. Period."

Mark- Yahoo must have pulled that unsubstantiated rumor as quickly as they posted it, because it's not on their page NOW...

A much needed move. This is the best defensive shortstop I've seen in my 30 years following the team. He'll be fine batting #9 for us, and if we want Green's bat (gulp), Gonzo will spell him in the late innnings. Terrific pick up especially with Lowell moving so slowly at 3rd due to his injury.

Take it easy, folks. He's hitting .210.

Well, we didn't get him for his bat: 2009 STATS
BA HR RBI OBP SLG
.210 3 26 .258 .296 and he's been hurt, does he still have the D-skills?
I guess we find out, Lowrie done, too?

DE

And our hitting struggles continue. Gonzalez is hitting .210 this season. That's right... Two. Ten. that's worse than Green. And his defense is nowhere what it used to be 3 years ago when he was with the Sox. Now, he is just an average infielder. Why does Theo continue to make this dumb moves. Every week, they are signing another loser who won't help them win the World Series. Tell Theo to suck it up that he put this team in such a hole by wasting so much money signing Lowell, Drew, and Tek to such ridiculous contracts, and now it's coming back to haunt us.

Well, we didn't get him for his bat: 2009 STATS
BA HR RBI OBP SLG
.210 3 26 .258 .296 and he's been hurt, does he still have the D-skills?
I guess we find out, Lowrie done, too?

DE

Add commentor #88 as someone who should seek immediate medical attention.

The comments on these Red Sock forums are unprecedented.

Lemme echo all the annoyance over the people talking about Bard and/or Bowden here. ... If you think that's it's even remotely possible that Bard and/or Bowden would both actually clear waivers AND that the sox would ship either of them to Cinci for an aging, injury-prone, no-hit, plug-in backup SS -- then please, please go away. ... Find some other sport to talk about, cuz this one isn't for you.

Good deal. He wont be a everyday SS. His hitting stinks and people need to chill out!!They more then likely picked him up for late inning defence and to give some rest.

It still remains we have problems at catcher and SS and our DH has become
a dead head at the plate.

The Yankees and Tampa Bay are deep in hitting.

Bay and Ortiz looked like AAA against verlander!
Bad scene at the bat. Bay has nis eye back against bad pitchers. Ortiz is cooked well done!

The deal was for Kris Negron. He is a Class A SS. They would include Bard for Halladay. They would never trade him for Gonzo.

I am sure that all of you "fans" who believe (and some 'confirmed') the Red Sox are going to give Papi, Varitek or Bard for an end-of-year defensive fill-in are the same geniuses who believe that the health care bills include a Death Panel/Squad for grannie. I am constantly amazed at those who believe everything they hear.

Wily Mo Pena, John Smoltz, Julio Lugo, Brad Penny, Saito, JD Drew, Matt Clement, Eric Gagne, Coco Crisp, Joel Pinero, Brenden Donnelly--all rejects of other teams due to injury, age, or lack of talent = big stars to Theo Epstein

Theo wouldn't trade Bard for Agon? Isn't he the idiot who traded David Murphy for that load of a unrelief pitcher, Greg Gagme.

I am missing the big idea here....the redsox traded a YOUNG, outstanding defensive player with sub-par hitting with plus speed for an OLDER, hurt outstanding defensive player with sub-par hitting and no speed? I understand he is a veteran but come on...oh i get it; he must be a professional who doesn't show emotion or lose his footing under pressure...another robot. I am waiitng for the day they dump youk because he has too much enthusiasm.

Mazz, what's going on it that club house???

Bad move. No need for a good glove if there is no lead to protect. This makes no sence. If they are going to make a move, get a bat in there. This is just another panic move that will not pan out.

thank god. Nick Green is a bum.

WE SHOULD NEVER OF TRADED HIM. HE WAS PROBALLY ONE OF THE BEST SHORT STOPS WE EVER HAD.

Reds get A ball SS Kris Negron. Gonzo was out of the Reds plans so good for Walt Jocketty getting anything for him. He probably would have been put on waivers in the next 7-10 days if the Reds hadn't found a trade partner. He's lost some range and bat speed in the last year. Good luck Boston.

Wake me up when Theo is finally shipped off to Buffalo or someplace far away from Fenway. We need a starting SS - not another backup. Trade for Hanley and get on with it. Hanley was our SS for the decade and we need to get him back in Fenway.

Gonzo is still recovering from elbow surgery and he's beginning to break down physically. I wonder why he cleared waivers......gee.

Wow ... what a bunch of idiotic posts! If you don't know about the post-trade deadline MLB waiver wire deals then you don't know much about baseball & you shouldn't be posting ANYTHING. Potential waiver wire deals get discussed almost every night ... watch many games?

And for the non-Sox fans posting that Bard was traded, go back to picking the lint out of your belly button.

As someone else pointed out, this was a low-risk acquisition ... net change offensively is zip, defensively is a plus. If nothing else, Gonzo comes in as a defensive replacement late in the game if we have the lead. It's expensive but it's not my money ... good move.

CG,
The "deadline" refers to the "waiver deadline" meaning a player does NOT need to clear waivers to be traded. After July 31 (or whenever it was), the player must clear waivers BEFORE he is traded.
August 31 is the "non-waiver deadline" which mean if a player is not on a teams roster by then, he cannot play in the post-season.
Hope this helps clear things up...

we should it trade for cabrera instead of getting gonzalez

You people are ridiculous....Bard isn't going anywhere.
Just read up on it....My Lord.

Here:
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
08/14/09 3:50 PM ET
CINCINNATI -- Gonzo is the latest Reds veteran to be gone.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez cleared waivers and was traded by the Reds to the Red Sox on Friday for Minor League shortstop Kris Negron.

Everyone breathe....

If THIS IS THE BEST THEO CAN DO....... THEN WE ARE IN TROUBLE......HIS ARM IS HURTING AND HE CAN'T HIT........FITS THE SOX CRITERA...

Alex was great in 2006 defensively.I wish we had never lost him but I don't like the current trades we have made.Call me crazy but I would rather have seen argenis diaz get a shot if we didn't care about offense He is a great defensive player who will improve and maybe give us a future.Alex is a good defender who is in decline.We now are really thin at short and are thinning out our farm system.I love our pitchers and I only think we should give up prospects for players that will put us over the top.

These idiots that are calling for Theo's head are ignorant. How many GM's in the game, both past and present, can show the kind of success Theo has had in the past 6 years. I agree with the previous poster (can't remember your name) that these are the morons who showed up in 2004 and think it the team should win it every year. It doesn't work that way.

Alex was great in 2006 defensively.I wish we had never lost him but I don't like the current trades we have made.Call me crazy but I would rather have seen argenis diaz get a shot if we didn't care about offense He is a great defensive player who will improve and maybe give us a future.Alex is a good defender who is in decline.We now are really thin at short and are thinning out our farm system.I love our pitchers and I only think we should give up prospects for players that will put us over the top.

Nice, but it should have been Orlando Cabrera

Too much hysteria and extreme praise or blame in many of these posts, for an intelligent, costless move by Theo.

This is still a good ball club with (maybe) very good pitching.

Tony, you meant .299 OBP, right?

Unfortunately Nick Green, whom I like, has made a couple of errors--the throwing error the other night in 1st inning when Tazawa was pitching-- of the sort that can shake an entire team's self-confidence, if subconsciouly. (In that case the ensuing "downer" was reversed by the Youkilis HBP incident.) Sox aren't going to hit better over next 50 than Texas and Tampa Bay but with Buchholz now and maybe Tazawa and maybe Wakefield plus the pen (and of course Beckett and Lester) they may be able to hold opponents to fewer runs than those two. That's their best bet to get wildcard, imo. That said, you better have a sure-handed, sure-armed ss behind your pitchers even if range not what it once was. Limited range failings don't spook rest of team.

I think Gonzalez is better than what the Sox have in Green or Lowrie defensively. I was hoping for an offensive upgrade at the position and I'm baffled as to why Guzman wasn't targeted.
Epstein should have pulled the trigger on getting Scutaro at the trading deadline. I'm down on him as a GM and this move is not going to supply the edge they would have gotten from an offensive upgrade.

We needed a J.J. Hardy, Khalil Greene, or Bobby Crosby. Someone who better represents New England values.

Not another Renteria, Cabrera, Garciapara, Lugo, or Ramirez at shortstop.

We need a real New Englander.

Not Bard. Negron is going. The web sources were wrong.

The folks who don't uderstand how they made this trade after the deadline and those who feel this is a bad deal need to stop calling themselves Red Sox fans. Great move. The Sox are last in the league defensively and Nick Green has been anything but sure-handed in the field or at the plate lately.

Are you sure you're reporting OPS and not OBP? Even Gonzo couldn't have had a .299 On base + Slugging percentage...

Great move. We've traded bad field no hit for good field no hit. This doesn't bear the earmarks of championship mentality. But it is an upgrade.

Gonzalez has no range at SS. The arm is still strong. The bat is still mediocre and he still swings at balls way out of the strike zone. The Reds fans say good riddance.

As a Sox fan from Arkansas since 1941, I have never seen a Red Sox player I didn't like, as long as they were still/or again in a Sox uniform. I will detest Damon as long as we both shall live or until he is in a Sox uniform again, same with Boggs, Clemens, etc. in other words , especially those jerks who jump to the New York Yuckies, andI I welcome Gonzales back and hope he is tremendous at shortstio for US.

I have now been asking myself for 5 years why the Sox did not keep Orlando Cabrera. Duh. And he was available this off-season! AND he was just traded this summer. Totally available, could hit, could field, and gave positive energy to the Idiots via all those crazy handshakes. The slew of SS's since Cabrera has been pathetic.

Does anyone know anything about that cuban shortstop we signed in july, the book on him says he is a great fielder at his position....and the soxs anted up like 8 mil to get him....cant wait to see this kid play.

If there is one thing that has been proven numerous times, its that Theo can not evaluate ss. For all you who want a good fielding ss, its not Gonzalez. After his knee operation, he's been making 16 errors a year. Not bad, but not great for a .210 hitter.

Relax people. Not a killer trade. It's Gonzo or Chris Woodward. That's it. And Cincy is paying the rest of Gonzo's salary for the year. We gave up Kris Negron, a nice player, but likely wouldn't have made it to Fenway. So just think of it as an exchange of Gonzo for Woodward. Lowrie won't be back til the first of September. It's a slight move in hopes of getting even a little defensive upgrade. That's it. There's a kid at Portland (Navarro) who could be the answer at short, but not for a year or two. The Lugo failure means his way may be blocked now. But he's good.

You have to be kidding . . . hitting .255, haha. Wait that's my batting average!

An upgrade in SS was definitely needed, and Gonzalez does not accomplish it. I wasn't sold on him in 2006 either. Bad knees have since hurt his range somewhat and the guy is batting all of .210. They could have had Orlando Cabrera two weeks ago with a little bit of effort, and I"m sure Toronto would have listened to a trade offer for Scutero (Delcarmen??). Bosox need a Cabrera or a Scutero, not another Ray Oyler-type to throw out there.

I think Red Sox Nation is turning into Red Sox Nasty Nation. Some of the comments here are incredible. This isn't a big deal folks. Nothing to get all worked up about. A minor deal to meet a need. This "Fire Theo" stuff is insane. 2 World Championships people! And we're not going to win one EVERY year. It hasn't been a smooth year with injuries and aging players and the Sox are still contending. Let's not jump off the bridge just yet.

Keep this in mind before you start downing your Sam Adams...Gonzalez missed all of last season ( knee surgery) and was on the DL for several weeks this June because of bone chips in his throwing elbow..Translation...Not the SS he was back in '06..Range has been curtailed and the arm strength might be questionable? Career .246 hitter while Green, who has slumped badly, is a career ,.239...Pick your poison! I don't see a huge difference..What happened to Guzman?

HOW ABOUT THIS FOR A THEORY... the demise of this team began when Manny decided he had enough with the Red Sox.

Think about it. You have a line-up with a few players who at their very best are capable of batting .320+ with 30+ homers. Youk, Bay, V.Mart, Lowell (maybe), Ortiz (at one time), Pedria (minus 10-15 homers). Now stick Manny Ramirez in there between any of these guys. You want to see a production increase. Try having to be forced to throw 2 or 3 more strikes each at bat to any of these guys. You saw how that worked out for Mr. Ortiz. Same could be said for Lowell batting behind Ortiz during those days. I can only imagine what Youk and V.Mart would be doing to the ball today if they could be hitting behind a machine like Ramirez.

Bottom line is we had to give up Manny. And we all know why. But notice the gaping hole that it has left this line-up. Baseball is a funny sport and sometimes they say pitching & defense wins championships. Well Manny couldn't do either of those but he could put runs on the board and that also wins championships (see 2004 & 2007)

And for the record those same people who say that pitching & defense wins championships will also tell you that hitting a round ball with a round bat is the hardest thing to do in ALL sports. Something Manny has done as well as anyone that has ever played the game and is still doing today... just ask the National League!

This move is useless. Useless. I thought the idea was to win a championship. You don't see the Yankees picking up ss that bat under 210. I hate this move and many others. Theo in my opinion is highly overated.

Good move.

Theo is good.

Better than lowrie and equally as good as green.

everyone wins.

wild card mission next stop.

Seems like this is Theo admitting that he made a big mistake 3 years ago letting him go. Doesn't really improve the offense coming from SS but at least holds the mendoza line and we get a vacuum cleaner at short to solidify our pitching.

He's a better hitter than BIG POOPIE.

Terrible move. He hasn't been the same since he broke his leg. Green's range is wayy better and so is his offense. It's too bad that Hardy wasn't put on waivers.

Why don't we get Nomar back, will we're at it?

"HOW ABOUT THIS FOR A THEORY... the demise of this team began when Manny decided he had enough with the Red Sox."

You mean the guy who was just suspended for 50 games? And then, when he was allowed to return, WASN'T IN SHAPE and needed more time off to get ready, even though he could have been doing exactly that the entire time he was out? THAT Manny?

Yeah, what a shame the Sox don't have HIM around anymore.

It's about time, It's about space! Oh that's right Bill Lee, the real spaceman's days
are over! But, Now we have Theo!!!! Thanks for finally landing and bringing back
Gonzo!! Who NEVER SHOULD HAVE LEFT !!!!!!!!

HUH? what?

the guy is worse offensively than varitek and we are celebrating? Green gets outs, and has an effective bat. What are we dooooing again? I Disagree here. horrid at the plate. horrid.

...and why didn't the Sox trade for Orlando Cabrera at the deadline???

nice job but i think the red sox should get ryan zimmerman at the end of the year because he becomes a free agent

We are reading that Gonzo's range is not the same. A check with fangraphics.com shows that he had a great UZR of 11.8 in 2006 with the Sox. This year, he is sporting an above average 2.0, but not 06 range. BTW, Nick Green currently has a 4.5 UZR!!! This in spite of a 977 fielding average and 6 errors for Gonzo and 955 and 14 for Nick. It seem s to show Nick gets to more balls, which may explain more errors. I wonder what Theo's answer to this would be.

he's basically here at no cost but you can't expect him to be as good in the field as he was before his leg injury. we still need a bat. maybe he'll be trade fodder.

We can live with a good defensive, weak hitting SS. A weak hitting DH, however, is a totally different gig. Designate Papi for assignment.

I can't even believe they thought of offering Bard!! What idiots.

Can't hurt.. He knows how to play short....... Theo is this it?

Been following Sox for 50 years, Gonzales is the best fielding SS the Sox have had in that time. We need him.
I like Tito, but his closemess to Papi is hurting us. We need to dump Papi.

Been following Sox for 50 years, Gonzales is the best fielding SS the Sox have had in that time. We need him.
I like Tito, but his closemess to Papi is hurting us. We need to dump Papi.

S T U P I D

Can't hurt.. He knows how to play short....... Theo is this it?

GONZO could not hit the ball out of the infield, so why does Ep. think he can now? You have to be strong up the middle and Tek, isd all through!, Pedroia ia FANTASTIC and so is Jacoby. But the s.s. is ands has been a problem for some time and Gonzo is not the answer!! Buy the way, Papi is pathetic and should be sent down!

I'm really disgusted with Francona's handling of the players. It's the final third of the season and he's giving young, vital players "days off." Would a Pedroia have made the difference vs. Verlander??? Who knows. He is the MVP and a tough out. Now Ellsbury is given a day off. Why?? Is he 72 years old? Had he been in poerhaps the first inning vs. Milwood might have been a really different story. The players and young and tough. Francona, you're losing it. Play your best players. Stop giving away outs to the other teams. Unless a key player is hurt, or cannot hit vs. left or right-handed pitchers, let 'em play. Seems like after a player has a great day, Francona gives them a day off. The reverse should apply.

Did they really give up Bard? What idiots!

It's CHEER UP! Not Shore up OR sure up! Or is it syrup?

great move. all those who want theo out are NUTS! the sox are doing fine. after two world championships, not one, but TWO in the past 5 years have some of you gone CRAZY!! it's not like the Sox are in last place with no hope. give it some time, the new members will mesh well and everything will fall into place. stop your whining!

#317 Danny McNelson, can we borrow your robe and hood? I never seen such moronic comments from allegedly the best sports fans in the US. What's waivers? Get Cabrera after he was already traded to another team. Get Guzman and get stuck with his 8 million dollar contract in 2010. Why is defense important? Why would Theo trade Bard for Gonzo? Why did they trade Gonzalez after 2006? Nick Green is Jeter-esque. I am Joe Blow and I know more than Theo. Our catching sucks. But we have Chris Woodward. Tell me about "Lowry" and "Scutero" Negron is the next A-Rod. Most of you should go to the closest mirror in dummy slap the person you see in the mirror.

Most of you should go into the bathroom and dummy slap the person you see in the mirror.

Some of the comments here are rediculous. This is a smart move with little to nothing invested. I commen Theo for being relentless to improve his team at every point in the season and with every opportunity we can. Gonzalez defensive skills will without a doubt end the defensive issue we've had at shortstop this year. It's not a panic move. Simply an opportunity for the Red Sox to sure up that position as we head into the late days of the penant race. Not a single one of the shortstops we've had this year would be able to do what Gonzalez can do defensively. If we are lucky and he hits .250 then we go a bonus out of it since not a single one of the shortstops on the roster was hitting any better than that. If we can save 8 more erros this year then that might mean a few games.

reply to 344 Larry seavers.......He is a better ss than Green. Period.

He's alot like Everett and he passed the eyeball test this past series as he got to everything. One other point. Green is solid but it's that tight play in the late innings that may cost us. Gonzo will be insurance for that....you can write it down.

This getting Alex R is not going to help our situation with the bats anytime soon....until the Red Sox can get a winning streak of like 10 games , we may have a wildcard of a chance.....but already we are letting texas have their way with our pitching........playoffs are not in our future this year, trust me ,the writting is on the wall.

Tony ...........This is the ONLY post out of 350 that makes sense!!! They should have done it months ago. Red sox brass does not go for winning. They Pussy foot too much. Then it's too late. ala Lugo. He lost them at least three games.

post #61 (The only thing that can help the offense is Tito finding the brass cojones to sit down the struggling Big Papi, and the struggling "captain" of the team, and get Lowell in at DH and Martinez behind the plate almost every night)

Okay...a glove for another bat that never leaves the shoulder - he'll be another non factor and continue the rotation of liability's and non production at shortstop.

Yawn....

They basically gave up a ham sandwich for a guy who is a top defensive SS...we now have an all-gold glove infield...Lowell, Gonzalez (doesn't he have one?), Pedroia, Youkilis and Varitek...name another team that has that!

Living in Cincinnati...we are happy to see him leave!

Not O Cabrera but will suffice...Nick's done well but he doesn't have what it takes up the middle...

Too many times now Theo keeps going the cheap route and the infirmiry to get players. How about acquiring a shortstop who is young and hasn't had surgery?Also where is the offensive improvement here with Gonzales?

I thought they should have tried to get Omar Vizquel.

Orlando Cabrera is every bit as good a fielder as Gonzalez ever WAS, and a heckuva lot better hitter. I still like Theo plenty, but I'd rather see Cabrera or even Garciaparra.

He was the third of three consecutive shortstops who we should have never let go after giving brief auditions to. (Cabrera, Renteria and Gonzalez).

Alas I fear this is too little too late

As a Red Sox fan, I wonder what the excitrment is about. As I recall, the Sox didn't let him go; he left for more money. He's been injured so often since he left, who knows what remains of his defensive ability? He's hitting .210. Based on his $6,000,00 option for next year, he won't be with the team for long.
Don't buy your uniform shirt yet.

Seems like the fan excitement for Gonzo similar to Doug Maribeli (sp?) coming back. At the end of the day, there is a reason why one of the worst teams in baseball just gives up on a player. Good, but no longer great, fielder who hits .210.

Its so predictable to say why let him go after 06 ? move on man and be happy he came back.

It is to little to late. He was a teriffic S.S., but his range has dimished. They wouldn't have let him go if they didn't think his best days were behind him. The Red Sox are famous for picking up players that are over their prime, and have arm or leg troubles. You do have to admit that they sign some big name,

the red sox need to start hitting half the team is hitting .250 now we have another sub .250 hitter. great !!!

Seems like we have run in circles ever since we let Normar go away. More of the same with no offence. SS hasn't been that bad this year. Look close at Greens arm. Yes we need a backup for now.

It is so amazing to see all the Yankees fans on a Boston site. The Yanks may be winning now in the middle of August, but time and time again the Yankees can not win in the post season. The season changes in the post season. And cinci fans please, your not even a factor in any post season race as your just trying to stay out of the basement. One positive thing for ya is you probably wont be worse than the Nat's this year. Welcome back Gonzalez

Sox fans stop whining, good greif we are not winning every single game and are not breezing through the second half like Yankees and we are ready to give up on the SOX and send Theo packing. The Sox scrap and fight and that is why we love em. That is also the very same reason the Yanks cant win in the post season... because they get soft. It is good that we dont coast...keeps us hungry and sharp. Why are Cincy fans giving us crap, please you'll be lucky to not finish in dead last... how's that post season looking for ya...? Welcome back to a team that is playing for somthing Gonzo

How many more people that hit 220 are you going to have in the lineup at one time?

Give part of the store away and trade for Rameirez! I watch a lot of Marlin games scince he was traded and he is in a class all by himself, both defensively and offensively. That is what you t rade for, not a Gonzo who really is gonzo! Fair fielder and poor hitter!!!!!!

The Gonzo of today is not the Gonzo we remember. He's a has-been. His terrible batting average will fit right in with Tek's. And with Lowell's limited range added to Gonzalez's limited range, there will be a huge gap between third and short. Why do so many commenters only remember what a player did in his prime? This is another terrible, desperate Sox move. Just like Gagne!!

I think the Sox would have been better off trading for J.J. Hardy from the Brewers. He needs a change. Maybe his bat would be a good fit in Fenway

It's amazing how non-Sox fans come on here and post their opinion. Anyone that's ripping this deal obviously hasn't watched one Sox game this year and what has been happening at the SS position. He can't do any worse offensively than Lowrie or Green and he's an upgrade defensively over both. I find it hard to believe that any Reds fan, with that sorry excuse of what is supposed to be a baseball team, would come on here and give their opinion from such a minor league type city.

Great. move, as long as he stays healthy, which hasn't been the case lately. Anyway, Gonzalez was stagnating in Cincy. He needed to be playing for a viable contender.

Another trash picking deal by Theo, not much to be gained here. Orlando Carbrera was one of the better short stops the sox had and they didn't resign him. Lugo by the way is hitting over .300 for the cardinals. Time for the sox to begin to signing real players and stop trash picking.

great deal! Any other fire sales out there?

This is the solution? Theo, you are kidding, right? Still expecting Lowrie to magically become healthy? More Nick Green? Come on, John Henry is conceding the season, that's all.

Theo is wishing he had held onto Lugo, who can at least hit over 250. A 210 avg for Gonzales is painful and will hurt a team already struggling at the plate, especially against good pitching.

Can we keep him this time and put an end to the ridiculous revolving door at shortstop? Why we ever let go of Cabrera is beyond me. Theo has a crush on shortstops the way Gruden has one on QB's. He had to have Renteria - bust. He had to have Lugo - bust. Alex Gonzales did a wonderful job for us in 2006. Let's keep him this time.

I am sooooooohappy he is back

I have always contended that centerfield, catcher, shortstop, make up the nucleus of a contending team....A weakness in any one of these positions
demolishes a contender, and the shortstop position has been a weakness
all year offensively and defensively. AG will tighten it up, and if he doesn't
hit consistently so what. ...A lot of the steals this year have been due to the
pitchers not holding on the runners. Watch Beckett..He holds them on and
it pays dividend.s. Nobody can hold our centerfielder on, and for defense &offenseI I wouldn't take any other CF in the league. GoAGandGoSox
wouldn't have any other cemtefielderin twhe

The reason why Theo got Gonzalez is that nobody else was available. Unless you want to be stuck with Guzman who is a) an unproven hitter in the AL b) a disaster in the infield and c) signed through 2010 for 8 million. Secondly, people do tend to forget that the team looked pretty good on paper at the outset of the season. All the things that have hit us were not foreseeable.

Additionally, Papi was on the up before the scandal hit him. Give him some time and he will hit about 270. And how could Theo have dealt Lugo any earlier. He was injured and there were no takers for him. I find all those comments that blame the problems on Theo or Tito or whomever completely ridiculous. You are probably all the same pink-hat wearers and fair-weather fans that were swamping these boards with 'In Theo we trust' comments before the season.

this team is falling apart. who cares if they beat detroit or even texas for that matter. they can't beat the yankees or tampa or any other good team for that matter.

time for the real team in new england the patriots.

Maybe now I can remove the "pokey would have had it" bumper sticker from my car.

Should have dealt for Cabrera at the deadline. It accomplishes the same thing, yet gives us a SS that can hit, run, and yes, give us more CONSISTENT defense. Alex Gonzalez had been a mediocre defender before he reached Boston, but he did put up a great year in 2006.

I'll take Gonzalez, but let this be a lesson to the Theo: YOU ALWAYS GO WITH DEFENSE UP THE MIDDLE. Offensive SS's never pan out (i.e. Julio Lugo). Cabrera was worth the 4-year deal he wanted after '04.

P.S.- Jed Lowrie is a utility infielder AT BEST!!! He's not

gonna cut at SS. He doesn't even have the ability to play that position every day.

A 2.10 average with 3 HR's. He'll fit right in with this lineup

I hope I am wrong, but there is so little offense right now that defensive hopes may not make a real difference: Gonzalez probably isn't the same player he was. We could trade Ortiz and perhaps do better?

I'm glad, and it's about time. They should have got Orlando Cabrera back-he went to the Twins from the A's, and is tearing it up in Minn.
DEFENSE is important! Alex is an excellent fielder.
Remember Earl Weaver, baseball HOF manager of great Orioles teams from 69 to the '80's. His SS was Mark Belanger, a weak hitter-yet won a few Gold Gloves.
When asked "How do you win" , he said- "Pitching, Defense and 3 run homers."
Absolutely right.

2004 Sox got Doug Mientkiewicz and Orlando Cabrera to correct a fatal flaw as Theo put it about the defense, In 2009, he gets Casey Kotchman and Alex Gonzalez for the same reasons. Maybe lightning will strike again.

The lightening is the same as 2006. This team is poorly constructed...up the middle the Sox have had a revolving door at shortstop and Nomar has been laughing all season long.

Captain Jason is pathetic throwing runners out. Tonight the Rangers stole 8 bases. BTW-Victor Martinez is also a terrible receiver.

Soon, J-DL Drew will pull up lame so he can hang out the rest of the summer on The Cape. Manny sent him the keys to his place and he is sick of all of the scrutiny.

I HATE ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO BECAUSE OF ONE SEASON OF BAD AQUISITIONS TURN ON THEO. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT HE GOT THEM BECAUSE EXPENSES SPEAKING IT WAS A LOW RISK DECISION THAT DIDNT PAN OUT THE WAY ALL THE FANS WANTED IT TO.

I think we need new management there is something seriously wrong what are they thinking our pitching stinks just about everything where are they getting these players from Orlando Cabrera big mistake and these veterans are not the Red Soxs future we look so confused on the field so sad if we as fans see it what are you seeing.

why the **** would the sox ever fire theo.. hes made plenty of good moves this season.. victor martinez has 20 rbis since his acquisition