Slight Return

While I am still living in a state of almost paleolithic squalor in the absence of an internet connection at my home, it appears that I have some time here at work to throw down some thoughts, so I wanted to do so while I had the chance.

Kudos to Teddy for keeping up with everything in my extended absence - soon I will be back to my 3/4 posts per week, and I've certainly been letting this lag too long.

The main points of discussion here have to be deadline deals - the Sox nabbed Eric Gagne, the Yankees Wilson Betemit.

What I know about Eric Gagne is that he, like Flash Gordon, was once a promising starter who never quite lived up to his promise who was then converted to closer, set a record for converting consecutive Save opportunities, and then had his career derailed by injuries.

He seems to have bounced back into circulation sooner than Flash did in the late '90s/the early part of this decade, and his name still conjures images of Eckerslian dominance rather than reliable setup work and a pencil-thin mustache. Gagne is likely to be simply a rent-a-player, (a la Larry Anderson) but he should be a Class A free agent, which means beaucoup de compensation picks for the Red Sox, and I don't have any concerns about Kason Gabbard, David Murphy, or Engel Beltre beginning a decade and a half long career of Hall of Fame excellence starting next season.

The deal essentially gives the Sox three closers (Papelbon, Gagne, and Okajima) and will mean fewer high-stress innings for the excellent but still inexperienced Manny Delcarmen. Donnelly is out for the season now, and Timlin may be going on the DL to make room when Schilling comes back. Javier Lopez is the only other lefty in the pen, so a decision may have to be made between Snyder and Tavarez at some point. If Timlin goes on the DL until the end of August, then the Sox can avoid having to make a decision once rosters expand. If the choice did come down to Snyder or Tavarez, I'd take Snyder (sure he only throws in the 60s, but he doesn't have the Chernobylesque meltdowns that Tavarez does) but I think the Sox would hold onto Tavarez due to the amount they're paying him, and in honor of services rendered as a starter this season.

As for the Yankees and Betemit... huh? The only way this makes sense is that they wanted to trade Scott Proctor before his arm physically fell of his body and the Yankees' medical premiums went up. I know the logic is that Betemit could play some first... or can fill the Luis Sojo/Enrique Wilson Memorial Supersub role, or that he will be the in-house replacement if A-Rod opts out at the end of the season.

Say what?

What I know about Wilson Betemit was that he was touted coming up for the Braves, who were forced to trade him due to Chipper Jones refusal to permanently move off of third base even if he played the position like an elephant in a tutu. He then went to the Dodgers and was such a crushing disappointment that the Dodgers have resorted to playing Nomar "Banana Arm" Garciaparra at third base.

So what doomsday scenario should Yankees fans be waiting for if A-Rod opts out and Betemit steps in? I see a situation where the Boss, in one last blaze of senile, domineering glory, goes over Cash's head to overpay for Andruw Jones (the Braves will be using that money to extend Tex anyway) and the Yankees will wind up with Betemit at third, Jones in center, and Damon at first.

Of course, that's a lot less likely to happen than for Kyle Farnsworth to make disparaging remarks about, say... the NYFD. He hasn't done that yet (as far as I know) but golly, who hasn't that boy alienated lately?