Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said that he is not aware of any trade talks involving either the acquisition or trading of a pitcher, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Major league sources also dismissed the idea that Boston would consider trading Josh Beckett in the wake of his golfing controversy.
“I’m sure that Ben’s looking at every conceivable way of improving our team, but I haven’t been in on any trade conversations about pitching, either coming or going,” said the manager.
Speier writes that Beckett's value would be virtually non-existent and points out that he has given the team more quality outings than any other pitcher so far this year. Beckett, 31, is set to earn $15.75MM each year through 2014.
Valentine also said that no real consideration was given to the idea of sending the struggling Clay Buchholz to the minors. Had Boston made that move, they would have exposed the pitcher to optional waivers.
Well…what is he supposed to say….our pitching staff sucks, and I should’ve stayed at my easy ESPN job?
I love pointing it out, because for some reason I was laughed at. I said the Sox were a 3rd/4th place team and their pitching staff had red flags all over it.
I’d like to welcome my fellow fans back here in reality
you are high-stepping to the end zone while on your own 30-yard line
it’s also worth mentioning that you predicted that about a team with crawford, ellsbury, youkilis, and bailey
but yes good call. the orioles are legit
True, but the defenders chasing me are slow as hell.
But I said the division was going to go Yankees/Blue Jays/Rays/Red Sox
i have nothing good to say about the team right now, but i’d still take that bet
all i’m saying is that if you had said they’d finish fourth if they lost significant time from those 4 stars, nobody would have laughed at you
Well, they should be.
Buchholz looked sharp last night for 6 innings but then fell apart with wildness in the 7th. He walked the first two batters he faced then…it was off to the races. I mention this, only to point out that this is the 3rd or 4th time this season where this same scenario has occurred on the field. Perhaps, field management is leaving these guys in for one inning to many, at this point in the season. Understandably, Bobby wants to protect his bullpen from being overworked but if it is costing the team ballgames they otherwise should win he might want to be quicker with the hook for his starters. It is also apparent that he is asking his starters whether they can go on. If they say “yes” he is taking them at their word. Are his pitchers being objective with him? Apparently not.
ps. Buchholz, for the first time, was very aggressive and his pitches had a lot of bite. So, maybe he is finally rounding into form?
I also want to comment about Andrew Miller who came on, after Rich Hill, to get two outs and close out a Cleveland rally. He looked extra sharp, hitting 95-97 with his fastball and throwing a nasty curve. A year ago, a wild Miller had difficulty getting through the first inning when starting. We were told he had to have extra warmup pitches to be effective. Not so this year… apparently. Can anyone explain why the difference? Having listened to Dennis Eckersley in the both these last few days, I couldn’t help but think that Miller reminded me of the side-armed, overpowering Eckersley during his hey day as an all-star reliever in Oakland. The full beard and flowing locks gave Miller a nasty appearance too.
ps..Kudos to Alfredo Aceves for another effective performance when it counted.
“he [Beckett] has given the team more quality outings than any other pitcher so far this year”
Setting the bar pretty low there, Bobby.
Where he was going with that made some sense. If you check his numbers, Beckett had struggled in 2 games out of six overall. He gave up 7 earned runs in 4 innings at detroit and 7 earned runs in 2 this last game.
the other 4 games he went
6.2 innings/ 3 earned runs at White Sox
6 innings / 2 earned runs at Minnesota
7 innings/ 3 earned runs against Texas
8 innings/ 1 earned run against Tampa Bay.
You need to look at all the stats Fangaffes instead of just popping off without doing some research.
Did I disagree with Valentine? Beckett has four quality starts, which is better than the low bar set by the other guys in the rotation.
Sorry I had to explain that to you.