I vote we hold a candlelight vigil

Rotoworld:

The Red Sox have a three-year offer out to Mike Lowell that they may not be willing to budge off of, according to the Boston Globe.

Lowell will be able to get four or maybe even five years elsewhere, something the Red Sox must know. If they're sticking to three years, it better include a very good salary ($16 million per year or so). While Lowell wants to play in Boston, he can only leave so much money on the table.

Yanksfan vs. Soxfan: Damage control begins now? Gulp.

*Rocks back and forth like Tito in the dugout during a one-run ballgame*

P.S. I am completely surprised they resigned Curt. But pleasantly so. Which I guess makes me a member of NCWaPRSFWaSHwtRSoCS. Except just 'H' rather than 'SH' in my case.

Oh, and if I hear one more professed Red Sox fan begin to rationalize the idea of signing A-Rod...

Comments

[anne]

I am so there.

[Devine]

"professed"? "rationalize"?

No, I don't think I'm doing that. I just think he'd be better at shortstop than Lugo (though I really don't see how this happens).

And if Lowell wants too much (and I like the guy, I do, he seems like a good person), then I wouldn't be terribly bummed if they got A-Rod. I really don't think that's rationalizing.

Also, getting A-Rod implies that Theo likes the idea, and given his (Theo's) track record, I'd be okay with trusting him on that move. Of course, he's the guy who got Lugo and Drew...hopefully Drew hits next year (besides, you know, October).

[Bloggy]

I have a pack of matches and just got back from Doozy Candle.

A-Rod bad.
A-Rod so bad.

Think "intangibles" Theo.....INTANGIBLES....

[beth]

devine, at $35 million a year i don't think he's a better option than anybody. no player is worth that, imo, and signing a-rod would mean a complete departure from the red sox' financial m.o. that's my first objection.

second, i don't care what his regular-season numbers are, we know what happens to the man in the postseason (1 RBI in his last 56 playoff at-bats).

third, he's a clubhouse cancer.

in my view, he would boost the sox payroll to literally match the yankees, disrupt the clubhouse, demand special privileges (private jet to games, private suite in hotels), and after all that, choke in pressure situations. he has done this on every team he's ever been on. it would be like JD Drew x 100.

but people (not necessarily you) are getting seduced by his regular-season numbers the last two years...saying, oh, maybe big papi and manny and the other veterans would get through to him on his behavior...no. he has had the same effect on every team he's joined. i don't need to see any more of that pattern to believe the red sox wouldn't be any different for him. that's why i used the word "rationalize", because i've heard so many people trying to convince themselves that it would be different if he came to boston. i just flat-out don't believe that.

[Devine]

I don't believe he is a postseason choker. Look at his numbers with Seattle. He was killing everyone the first six, seven games of the '04 postseason with the Yanks. People have bad stretches of ABs; just a shame (for him) they came in October.

Plus, JD Drew came through in the postseason (his final line is very nice!), so to me, that means anyone can.

$35 mil would be stupid. $25 mil for, say, 5 years....maybe not that stupid. Still overpaying, but not completely ridiculous.

I prefer keeping Lowell, but honestly, you wouldn't prefer A-Rod to Lugo?

[beth]

i think the team spent the last three years trying to get rid of manny ramirez's $25 million multi-year contract, and i would be confused as to why they'd deliberately saddle themselves with another one.

absolutely, a-rod is a technically better player than julio lugo. but so is orlando cabrera. so was alex gonzalez, at least this year. personally i'm tired of the revolving door at shortstop and i'd like to see them give lugo another chance to step up. we won the world series this year with julio lugo--why should we pay so much more for so potentially problematic a player? to me, a-rod as an upgrade at short seems a drastic measure for a team that ain't broke.

as for the postseason choker thing, i know it's a matter of perception, but i think you and i just have a fundamental difference of opinion on that. i think he's been an albatross around the neck of the last two teams he's played for, including the yankees, where they have the luxuries to accomodate him, the payroll to pay him, and the professional teammates to surround him with experience / try to impart some sort of common sense and / or wisdom. i still can't grasp the thinking that given his issues in new york, he'd be any different in boston.

[Devine]

That's cool, beth. I see what you're saying (though holding onto Manny's contract--about $17 mil--didn't exactly hurt us, except the regular season this year).

However, look at A-Rod's postseason lines up to 2004 (throwing out '95 because he had 2 whole ABs):

'97: .313/.313/.563
'00: .371/.421/.600
'04: .320/.414/.600

He's had good postseasons (7 RBI in 9 games in 2000, 8 RBI in 11 games in 2004) and bad postseasons ('05 and '06 were dreadful, '07 just okay). I just think the clutch thing (he had two, three walk-offs this year, at least two of them homers) is overrated.

However, I admit he might be personally aggravating and clubhouse-detracting enough to worry about. That's something I cannot claim to know anything about, though, except hearsay.

[Jai/MoonstarMA]

The only comment I would like to add is that a BIG difference between the contract demands of A-rod and Lowell is that Lowell is looking for 3 years minimum and preferably more. My understanding (and correct me if I'm wrong) is that A-rod is looking for lik 8 year contracts @ 30 mil per year. If the Red Sox are already balking at more than 3 years for Lowell, I can't see them being okay with 8 years for A-rod (it's like Manny contract all over again). Plus, A-rod is only like 2 years younger than Lowell. I don't think you'd ever be able to move a contract like A-rod's if you ever did end up hating him.

For nothing more than personal snarkiness, one nickname for A-rod is "The Cooler". And not in that awesome sort of way. I mean in the way that whatever team he joins seems to start sucking. None of the teams he ever played on having made it to the World Series (notice Seattle went to the playoffs after he left) and he does "coincidentally" fall apart when the team really, really needs him.

Finally, I agree with Devine that the stuff about A-rod's personality is all hearsay. But even if one iota of it is true, it's not someone that belongs on the Red Sox.