David Ortiz Takes On Shane Victorino In "Know Your Teammates"
Shane Victorino
In case you missed it, the Boston Red Sox are no longer in contention.
Through 100 games, their record stands at 44-56. Theyre 13 games behind the first-place New York Yankees. Theyre unlikely to get to .500 this season. Even climbing out of the cellar of the AL East seems like an impossible feat.
As the trade deadline approaches, the Red Sox have obvious areas that need improvement (as is what happens when youre tied for the worst record in the American League). Their pitching woes, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen, are so immense, there isnt a quick remedy to acquire by July 31. Their anemic offense, however, seems solvable.
The Red Sox wont be buyers this week. Pitching aside, the Red Sox do have the pieces to be a successful team. At the beginning of the season, the Red Sox seemed to have an overload of major league talent on their bloated payroll. Yet, with two months remaining, underperformances and injuries have led manager John Farrell to get creative with the lineup.
Unlike last season, the 2015 Red Sox lack the assets to have a July 31 fire sale. Their young players (Mookie Betts, Blake Swihart, etc.) have certainly attracted attention, but the Red Sox have rightly rejected these offers. The so-called Youth Movement will continue, now with the luxury of two months to develop young talent at the major league level without the pressure of making the post-season. With prospects settling into roles as contributors, the team needs to look into unloading underperforming veterans which is easier said than done.
On Sunday, there was a glimmer of hope: Rob Biertempfel reported that the Pittsburg Pirates were interested in Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino.
Napolis name was surprising, to say the least. Hes struggled severely this season, although a recent hot streak has finally brought his average above .200. Trade interest in Napoli is practically a blessing for the Red Sox.
Its unclear what the Pirates are offering in exchange. Just moving Napoli would be enough for the team, although a reliable bullpen arm would be nice.Dumping Napoli would allow the team to experiment with a permanent solution at first base. As with the Victorino trade, in which the Red Sox will pay the Los Angeles Angels $3.8 million of the $5 million Victorino is still owed this season, the team is looking to move older players to give young players a chance to prove themselves in the majors. With Victorino gone, Rusney Castillo, the $70 million Cuban outfielder, has the opportunity to do exactly this.
As evident at Victorinos emotional press conference last night, these decisions are never easy. Injuries have prevented Victorino from playing more than 63 games combined in 2014 and 2015. However, it cant be forgotten how instrumental he was in 2013. Without Victorino, the championship run would look radically different. The same can be said of Napoli.
Its never easy to part with beloved players who will live on forever in a teams championship lore. While 2015 is over, the Red Sox need to put sentimentalityasideand make moves by July 31 that will allow them to prepare for the future.
Source: http://isportsweb.com/2015/07/28/boston-red-sox-trade-rumors-mike-napoli-and-shane-victorino-edition/
