UPDATE: The Chicago Tribune cites two factors for the non-trade – a disagreement over the players involved and Dye’s lack of desire to go to Boston. The Hartford Courant adds that Kenny Williams demanded either Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury.
UPDATE 2: Could the Phillies be the third team, working Michael Bourn into the mix somehow?
Ken Rosenthal has updated this post with some information regarding Boston’s ongoing pursuit of Jermaine Dye.
Apparently Dye was willing to waive his no-trade clause for some performance bonuses and a guarantee of playing five days a week. A third club would’ve been needed to somehow facilitate the deal Kenny Williams wanted. Rosenthal says talks are ongoing.
Tough to figure out how the Red Sox would pull off the five days a week thing. Dye has rarely played any positions other than the outfield corners. (Though he did play a game each at first base and shortstop in ’05 when the Sox were in a pinch).
If you consider Dye eligible to play first base, left field, right field, and DH, you can envision him starting five times a week. Kevin Youkilis’s homer tonight notwithstanding, he and J.D. Drew haven’t done a whole lot lately. Their playing time could be squeezed a bit, while Manny and Papi could use the extra rest. The problem? Dye is no picture of health himself and using him at multiple positions each week would probably increase the likelihood of injury.
Dye almost seems like a luxury for the Red Sox; why would they expend any serious effort to get him? Perhaps they aim more to keep him away from the Yankees or Angels. Dye could certainly be squeezed onto the Yankees’ roster as easily as Boston’s. Another motivation for Theo Epstein could be that he thinks he can give up players worth less than the draft picks he’d get for Dye. Kenny Williams is no fool though, so maybe that’s how the third team got roped in.
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