"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Theo Epstein is in Chicago, Ben Cherington replaces him in Boston, and John Lackey will miss the entire 2012 season on the count of he’s scheduled to have Tommy John surgery.

Categories:  1: Featured  Baseball  Bronx Banter  Games We Play

Share: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email %PRINT_TEXT

14 comments

1 Jon DeRosa   ~  Oct 25, 2011 4:47 pm

you know things are bleak when i hear about a season ending injury and immediately think, wow, what a break.

in a perfect world, lackey (or burnett) would not be allowed to ruin a season pitching poorly. but with those contracts, the only realistic way to get thrown out of the rotation is an injury.

so the question is, would you sign up for TJ surgery for burnett right now? i probably say yes, but that's just a gut reaction to this news.

2 Jon DeRosa   ~  Oct 25, 2011 5:00 pm

oh, i forgot boston planned for this. they can employ lackey at league minimum in 2015 if he needs TJ surgery. brings the annual avg of the contract down, gives them more flex under the cap too.

what a break indeed.

3 Eric McCauley   ~  Oct 25, 2011 5:24 pm

My wife's grandmother, a Sox fan who is not inclined to say anything disparaging about anyone, said "I don't like his face" at one point during a game this past summer when Lackey was choking hard.

4 RIYank   ~  Oct 25, 2011 6:53 pm

Jon, it will bring the annual average salary down, but only because they're going to be paying him for a season in which he doesn't pitch at all! That's not a break. (And anyway I bet you they won't exercise the option -- unless they can trade him.)
There is no salary cap in baseball, so not sure what you meant by that.

5 Chyll Will   ~  Oct 25, 2011 7:24 pm

[3] "I don't like his face"... with Tommy John surgery, the possibilities are endless.

6 Jon DeRosa   ~  Oct 25, 2011 9:02 pm

[4] they own rights to him now for 2015 at lg min. so his annual avg goes down to 13. that gives them more flexibility under the luxury tax threshold, which the sox have always made an effort to abide by, meaning it's easier to replace him now.

7 RIYank   ~  Oct 25, 2011 9:29 pm

Oh, I see what you mean.
But the problem is that they will continue to take the lux tax hit in 2015 this way. Without this mishap, they'd be all done with his salary then. So I'm not sure that's an advantage.
Also, the cap for next year is going to be something like $185 Mil. I think it's fairly unlikely that Boston will flirt with that number. Huh, if the Yankees weren't carrying A-Rod's salary, even they would be under!

8 thelarmis   ~  Oct 25, 2011 9:44 pm

it's also good, 'coz they have to pay him a lot of money NOT to pitch next year AND basically have to pitch him some in 2013, to prove he's healthy, so they can try to trade him.

9 RIYank   ~  Oct 25, 2011 9:45 pm

[8] They'll never trade him. Unless they pay his salary.

10 thelarmis   ~  Oct 25, 2011 9:46 pm

was there evah a word that he might have been pitching hurt? i don't seem to recall hearing anything. and it's not really an excuse anyway, 'coz he sucked the year before, too.

11 RIYank   ~  Oct 25, 2011 9:54 pm

No, everyone just thought he sucked.
Some fans are suspicious. But I think it's pretty unlikely that a pitcher would decide to undergo TJ surgery just as an excuse!

12 thelarmis   ~  Oct 25, 2011 10:09 pm

i read the article over at espn on (s)lackey. it's been shit sox central over there this offseason, per usual...

hey ri - there was a good beat of the day today! you might wanna check out that post the rest of the week... : )

np - bach violin concertos (np = now playing)

13 thelarmis   ~  Oct 25, 2011 10:12 pm

ah, looks like the shit sox figured they'd get their way (per usual) and get john farrell back, this time as manager. blow jays said, 'no way'.

would be fun(ny) if they hired wally backman, or something...

14 Greg G   ~  Oct 26, 2011 3:43 pm

Cherington just wanted the fans to like him, so he opens with John Lackey will not be pitching for the Red Sox in 2012.

(9) "They'll never trade him. Unless they pay his salary."

You might be right RI Yank, since Reagins is no longer the GM of the Angels. He must have gotten a big fat envelope with cash from the Blue Jays for taking Vernon Wells awful contract.

feed Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email
"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver