Evaluating a baseball trade is always fun, whether it's a deal that just happened yesterday or 50 years ago. Just mention "Rocky Colavito to the Tigers" to an old school Indians fan and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Shortly after the 2005 season the Indians, Red Sox and Braves took part in what was essentially a three-way trade involving seven players. When the dust settled, here's what each team ended up with:
Indians: Third baseman Andy Marte, reliever Guillermo Mota and catcher Kelly Shoppach.
Red Sox: Outfielder Coco Crisp, reliever David Riske and catcher Josh Bard.
Braves: Shortstop Edgar Renteria and $15 million
If you believed the spin coming out of these front offices at the time, Crisp was supposed to be a cheaper facsimile of the recently departed Johnny Damon and Marte was the next Ken Boyer. The Braves were looking for a cost-effective replacement for Rafael Furcal, who had signed a big money deal with the Dodgers.
Nearly 1 1/2 seasons later, it looks as though only one of these three teams -- the Braves -- got what they were after. Renteria has played at an All-Star level, batting .293 with 100 runs scored in 2006 and a sizzling .320 with nine home runs already this season. Not only that, but Boston is paying more than half of the $29 million remaining on his contract at the time of the trade.
Shoppach has proved to be a capable backup to Victor Martinez in Cleveland, but the centerpiece of the deal, Marte, has been a bust. The one-time hot prospect at the hot corner was sent down to Triple-A a couple of weeks ago as Casey Blake has taken over third base for the Tribe. (Maybe a demotion is what Marte needed; he's hit four home runs in his past 10 games in Buffalo.) Marte's biggest problem, as Sheldon Ocker of The Beacon Journal pointed out recently, is that he can't lay off breaking pitches off the plate. You can bet that's the first line on the Marte scouting report circulating around the league.
Marte batted .215 in 230 plate appearances in the majors, which isn't good but not much worse than what Crisp has done for the Red Sox. Billed as a capable leadoff man, Crisp has posted OBPs of .317 in 2006 and .277 so far this season. Even the declining Damon has been a much more productive hitter than Crisp, eclipsing his successor in the Boston outfield in OPS+ by a healthy margin -- 90 for Damon, an anemic 51 for Crisp (OPS+ is an index whereby 100 is average). The Red Sox blamed Crisp's poor 2006 season on a broken finger, and you have to wonder if that same injury is still hampering the speedster who batted .297 and .300 in back-to-back seasons with Cleveland, because he looks hopeless at the plate.
To Crisp's credit, he hasn't allowed his banjo act to affect his defense, which has been spectacular. He leads all AL outfielders in fielding win shares by a mile, and that's a huge reason why the Red Sox are allowing only 4.00 runs per game, the second-best run prevention in the league. But the Red Sox didn't move heaven and earth to acquire a defensive specialist and sign him to a three-year, $15.5 million extension. With a crop of star center fielders -- Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter, Ichiro -- possibly coming onto the market this winter, don't be surprised if the Coco Crisp experiment comes to an end soon.
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Comments (17) Add A Comment
I think you're probably right although it's still to early on Marte. The Red Sox definitely got the bad end of that deal with a weak player in Crisp AND paying half of Renteria's salary. Don't forgot about Adrien Gonzalez and Alex Rios who are thriving now but were obviously late bloomers.
bg123
Knoxville , TN
Total Comments (2)
The Crisp deal isnt as bad as the Lugo deal. Atleast crisp plays gold glove center Lugo counldnt play on a high school team.
Same old s
Mine Hill , NJ
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For all the hype over Theo he has made more bad deals then good. Stop trying to buy everyone we could be paying Trot 3 Mil a year and get better results then JD. Bench Lugo put Cora at SS. And trade for Kenny Lofton to play 50/50 with Crisp then Trade Crisp at the end of the year.
Same old s
Mine Hill , NJ
Total Comments (2)
Dont blame Theo. Its Luchino. He wanted Crisp to replace Damon. Everybody and their mother knew that Crisp would plummet from 2005 numbers, but Luchino went after him anyway
RedSox5945
Avon , NY
Total Comments (1)
I agree with same old...right now, Lugo has been a disaster. As much as Coco Crisp has struggled with the bat, his defense has been outstanding, which should be enough to compensate for what he is lacking on the offensive(no pun intended) side of the ledger.
When teams hit to their capabilities, it's more feasible to carry a player who isn't pulling his weight when he sparkles defensively...and for the Red Sox, this clearly has not been happening. For a team that is supposedly ripe with a high-octane offense, they as a collective unit have been in an underachieving mode thus far, and because of this, a guy like Coco Crisp cannot escape criticism, which is unfortunate since he is playing centerfield at a Gold Glove pace.
It's fair to say that the Red Sox didn't dole out this kind of money for a defensive specialist, but again, if other players were hitting at so much as a reasonable clip, this column doesn't see the light of day.
In the end, it's Julio Lugo who needs to come out of hibernation...and J.D. Drew...and Manny Ramirez...coupled with Jason Varitek becoming more consistent at the bat...these are the players who need to get into gear offensively speaking.
Once this happens, one can be more than okay with a centerfielder who excels at the position.
adams300
West Palm Beach , FL
Total Comments (643)
I couldn't believe when the Sox got rid of OC. I watched this guy as a first year Single A ballplayer and I knew then he'd be a starter in the league. The second goof was getting rid of Renteria, who really didn't have time to aclimate to the AL in my opinion. Coco Crisp was a bad signing, no way around that one. He had career years with the Indians, and has only shown on the field what he can really do. I do believe(once the Yankees pass the Red Sox and win the AL East, yes it WILL happen) that the Red Sox will again try to bolster their lineup with a big money addition or two. I never saw the reasoning behind the signing of JD Drew and if he gets healthy and actually produces I can see him being shipped off to open up some more salary.
SuperSport
Total Comments (581)
Hindsight is always 20/20. Rememeber when Renteria played short for the Sox? He had what...35 or so errors in 2005. As for Coco, I was excited when they got him. He seemed to be an excellent leadoff guy primed for better seasons. I think the broken finger from last year has affected his swing and he may be pressing.
jaybo
Norwich , NY
Total Comments (6)
I too was pretty shocked when the Sox let OC go - he was money for them and he's been money for the halos. Sometimes deals have a funny way of working out. Lowell has proved to be, over 1.5 seasons, the better part of the deal with the marlins (at least from a Sox POV). Pedrioa has really come on, but Loretta gave them HUGE performances from 2B last year.
Apubonmarche
Redondo Beach , CA
Total Comments (3)
I think this is one more example of why John Schuerholz should be in the Hall of Fame as the greatest GM ever. He more than anyone else has kept the Braves as winners even despite having to deal with AOL as owners the past few years. What was his worst trade ever? Kevin Millwood for Johnny Estrada? That one even worked out....The guy is amazing!
TomahawkAl
Atlanta , GA
Total Comments (2)
Apubon-OC was money in Single A ball too. Great guy as well.
jaybo-All you have to do with Renteria is look at the body of work over his long career to reason that season in Boston was a fluke. He's(in my mind) a future HOF when his career is over.
SuperSport
Total Comments (581)
Red Sox gave up on Edgar too fast. As a Yankee fan I was worried when they picked up Renteria, the guy an play. When they gave up so fast I was very relieved especially when they brought in Coco who I had no fear of.
Chris Cole
Orlando , FL
Total Comments (944)
Why did the Red Sox give Renteria the money and not Orlando Cabrera? I believe they wanted similar contracts and had very similar numbers.
CMD
Total Comments (111)
Larry Lucchino is a f&*ken moron. is it football season yet?
Bucky Dent
Brooklyn , NY
Total Comments (1)
Renteria was not a good "big market" guy. You could see that he felt the pressure at Fenway. OC loved the attention. That's important, because once the boobirds start on you at Fenway, Yankee stadium and Shea, you've got a hard road ahead of you (see Arod and Giambi). I think that JD Drew, Coco and Lugo all are gripping that bat a little too hard now.
KYC
kyc
Newton Lower Falls , MA
Total Comments (1)
The idea that people say that Renteria isnt a "big market" guy is just some stuff that Theo made up as an excuse for Renterias bad year in Boston. If you look at his career he has always shined in the spotlight. The thing is, HE ONLY GOT 1 YEAR IN THE AL. Its as simple as that. I couldnt believe it when he got traded for Marte. That just shows the genius of Schuerholz. Renteria is a fantastic player and he would have shined in Boston. Aside from that, it is ridiculous to compare him with OC. OC is good, dont get me wrong, but Rentaria is a future HOF.
hc
Miami , FL
Total Comments (1)
I certainly don't expect Crisp to remain on the Red Sox much longer than (if through) the end of this season. Jacoby Ellsbury is waiting in the wings and is reputed to be an immediate gold glove caliber defensive center fielder and has improved at the plate each step up the minors.
tdaloisio
Bedford, NH
Total Comments (17)
To the Sox credit Crisp was coming off 2 years in which he hit 15 then 16 hrs, and had a .297 then .300 avg not to mention the great D that he has brought over. This year he already has 15 SBs (career high is 22), and while both Damon and him have poor arms, I'll take Cocos over his. Renteria didn't look comfortable at Boston, and his game just seems to suit an NL team anyway. HC how do you get Renteria being a future Hall of Famer?
CeltsFan12
Total Comments (517)
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