My guess is right around the same time Adrian Gonzalez became Hank Aaron. Based on many of the nasty comments I’ve received, I know I am in the minority in not loving the Lackey deal. I think I’ll probably get a similar reaction when I say that I’m not too thrilled about saying goodbye to Ellsbury and Buchholz to get the other A-Gon.
First of all, I like the concept of home-grown talent versus signing or trading for “the next big thing.” By all accounts, Gonzalez is a game-changing power-hitter whose numbers are improving every season. That being said, he does hit into a crapload of double-plays and his numbers against the American League (though a small sample size) are not great.
Now let’s talk about what we’d lose in the deal. Clay Buchholz has the stuff to be a top of the rotation starter. He just turned 25 and has already had flashes of the pitcher he could be as he matures. Like Jon Lester, Buchholz could be around for a long time.
But I have more of a problem giving up Ellsbury. What he brings to the game is a threat that few others have. He can turn a single into a double, steal a base or two once he gets on, and plays great centerfield defense (regardless of what the stats say). If you’ve been listening to sports radio this week, you’ve heard a different story. Suddenly, his defense is average at best, he sucks as a lead-off hitter, tries too hard to be a power hitter and his speed doesn’t generate any runs. How quickly the Fenway Fickle seem to forget, eh?
I’m in the camp of keeping our homegrown talent and looking elsewhere for the extra bat in the line-up. You?
