TwitterDempster, Uehara and How Things Look
15 Dec 2012
The Red Sox are rumored to have agreed to a 2-year, $26.5mm deal with Ryan Dempster pending a physical. Normally the physical would be a formality, but given the fact Mike Napoli has yet to ink his deal, you never know.
By all accounts, Dempster is a great clubhouse guy and can also pitch. But, let’s not get carried away, the lifetime 124-124 pitcher has a career 4.33 ERA having pitched almost entirely in the National League. I think the best thing about Dempster is that he has been a workhorse over the past 5 seasons. I like this deal and expect something like 12-14 wins with a 4.50 ERA, assuming he can stay healthy.
Of course there is the Harry Caray impression, that is never a bad thing.
Dempster offers depth and allows the Red Sox to put Franklin Morales into the bullpen at the ready to start if need be.
The rotation looks like this:
Lester
Buchholz
Dempster
Dubrount
Lackey
Having decent starting depth in the bullpen is a great thing as opposed to having AAAA starters in Pawtucket making those emergency starts.
Dempster’s signing is again an attempt by the Red Sox to compete in 2013 and 2014 but he isn’t a game changer. None of their new players are game changers. The Red Sox are trying to buy enough time to allow their minor leaguers to blossom complemented by a better free agent class in a year or two.
2015 projected line-up (guess work):
c – Lavarnway
1b – Bogaerts
2b – Pedroia
3b – Middlebrooks
ss – Iglesias
lf – Bentz
cf – Bradley Jr.
rf – Victorino
dh – Napoli
The Red Sox also signed Koji Uehara. At $4.25mm, he ain’t cheap, but for the pitcher with the best career K/BB ratio in MLB history, you have to ante up (I get it, a very small sample size). Great signing, if he stays healthy, he is an absolutely dominating pitching to add to the back of the bullpen.
I still maintain this is an 82 to 88 win team but if John Farrell can get Lester and Daniel Bard back to their old ways and if Middlebrooks can do again what he did in 2012 (minus the broker wrist part), Ellsbury has a 2011-like year, Ortiz doesn’t regress, and Napoli and Victorino earn their contracts, then they could nudge their way into a wild-card spot, but that’s a lot of “ifs.”
Dec 15, 2012 @ 21:48:45
Andy – I don’t want them to make the playoffs and have a false sense of accomplishment. I’d love Ellsbury to have a great year going and be traded in July. I’d love for them to realize the team isn’t built to win and figure out long term what to do.
Dec 15, 2012 @ 22:18:08
Andy
$13 million a year for a guy you think will have a 4.50 ERA when the league average was 4.08?
Dec 16, 2012 @ 00:04:54
it’s only money Peter
Dec 17, 2012 @ 14:06:31
Right, but he is durable and the Red Sox need innings. It is an overpay and getting established players in shorter deals results in higher aav.
Dec 17, 2012 @ 19:04:59
But if you aren’t really in contention why not give those inning to young guys who might surprise you and actually have upside?
Dec 17, 2012 @ 23:47:32
I see your point without a doubt, but the problem for the Red Sox, is they don’t have guys ready in 2013, perhaps at the tail end of 2013, but not at the start.
Remember, this ownership group has put their faith in Larry Lucchino and he is still trying to sell us on the Fenway sellout. Last year was a joke when it came to that sellout. LL doesn’t realize that fans understand the occasional need to take a step back. In fact it can be energizing, but he is going to spend John Henry’s money to put a team that might just complete in 2013 so they can sell some tickets and perhaps get decent ratings on NESN.
I understand why LL is worried about ratings and keeping the buzz alive, but I really think he has misjudged Red Sox fans. Larry, take a deep breath, and know that it’ll be good again and hopefully soon.
BL, I agree, I hope Ellsbury tears it up and then they trade him for an epic haul, a Hershel Walker haul at the trade deadline.