To Trade or Not to Trade?
"If I learned a lesson from the offseason it’s never feel the need to do something. If you’re trying to avoid one move that you don’t think is going to work out, don’t then settle for a different move that maybe doesn’t check all the boxes. Be true to the philosophy and understand the bigger picture. There’s always another day to fight, you don’t have to get everything done in one offseason just because of what’s going on in the environment around you.” -- Theo EpsteinI didn't go looking to quote Theo, but that bit fits nicely. The urgency to make a trade may be misplaced.
The talk has centered on Kevin Youkilis, but before that we bandied about Josh Beckett's name. In Youkilis, the Sox have a guy who can play first and third, and can DH. Granted, he is having a tough year (his lowest average ever, and on pace for the fewest walks -- ironic for the man called the Greek God of Walks), but that doesn't mean he's done.
(The entire team, by the way, is on pace for about 493 walks, compared to 578 in 2011, 587 in 2010, and 659 in 2009.)
Recent reports suggest there may not be a market for Youk. Ben Cherington now says the Sox are focusing on getting him going.
That sounds about right to me. I'm sympathetic to the "He needs a change of scenery" argument, but he might also benefit from hearing that he's not being traded, and that the decision will be made in the offseason. Who's more likely to get hot at Fenway, a new player not used to Boston, or "Yoooooouuuk?"
Things could get urgent before the trade deadline. If the Sox keep up this not-really-in-it, not-really-out-of-it-yet pace, and it seems like a deal could make the difference and get them into the postseason, then they will feel the need to act. But the move ought to check all the boxes.
