Help Wanted

[Patriots4ever]

Wanted:

Currently accepting applications to fill the void at the SS position for the Boston Red Sox. Applicants must be able to play good defense, but will sacrifice this for offensive contributions. Must be able to show discipline at the plate, by that we mean working counts and not swinging at the 1st pitch or 2-0/3-1 counts. Speed preferred but not required. All applicants must submit their applications ASAP, as we are in dire need to fill this position.

Contact Larry Lucchino at 1-800-RED SOX.



This guy has been my bitch from day 1 this season. He isn't helping his case right now, to say the very least. I didn't want to go on record because I wanted to give him some time, but as of right now: TIME'S UP!

[SlumpBustR]

he's moving forward P4.....

he's gone from called K3 looking to K3 swinging to weak ass popups to medium-deep OF soft line outs --- even one to the opposite field tonite, so you know he's at least trying to go with the pitch :blink:

he's just batting with the strength of seemingly a 90lb weakling is all :(

[SamBam39]

I still don't know why they didn't just re-sign O-Cab!!!!

[SteelerFan87]

And people here in Pittsburgh are saying there isn't much of a market for Jack Wilson. I can think of 2 teams without much thought: Houston, since Everett is hurt, and the Red Sox.

Of course, I wouldn't trade Jack unless we got a really good offer, because I'm not comfortable with Jose Castillo or Brian Bixler as our every day SS.

[SamBam39]

Don't think the Sox could do it unless they traded Lugo for him. They have too much $ tied up in Lugo!!!

[SteelerFan87]

Don't think the Sox could do it unless they traded Lugo for him. They have too much $ tied up in Lugo!!!

If you can spend $50 million to talk to Matsuzaka, you can afford to eat Lugo's contract.

[3 Point Stan]

If you can spend $50 million to talk to Matsuzaka, you can afford to eat Lugo's contract.
First, they're not going to eat a contract like that in YEAR ONE. And besides, who would the Sox trade for him is the question.

[Mikiemo83]

If you can spend $50 million to talk to Matsuzaka, you can afford to eat Lugo's contract.
the 50 million will be made up from with the new Travel packages the Sox sell to Japan

how many visitors from Pittsburgh could the Sox expect to offset the money?



silly small market team fans think it is easy to spend money wisely :blink:

[oldskool138]

Alex Gonzolez: 11 HR's

Manny Ramerez: 11 HR's

'Nuff Said...

[southcarolina]

Alex Gonzolez: 11 HR's

Manny Ramerez: 11 HR's

'Nuff Said...


So we should trade Manny for AGone?

Im so confused.....

[Mikiemo83]

So we should trade Manny for AGone?

Im so confused.....would we have to eat his salary?

we could play lugo in Left

[kgsmith]

man..
I would love to see some of you on the playing field.. you are talking crap about a rookie, who not only has improved his defense, but has improved on his offense.. for a while there, besides youk, pedroia has been one of the most productive players on the roster.. why arent you getting on manny, ortiz or even JD? these are the big men in the lineup, and both manny and ortiz have, what? 11 homeruns? They are making far more money then what pedroia and lugo are making combined..

[nomars_girl]

would we have to eat his salary?

we could play lugo in Left

But that doesn't get Lugo's bat out of the lineup. We would need to DH for him and let our pitchers fend for themselves.

[Mikiemo83]

man..
I would love to see some of you on the playing field.. I played the field for a long time before deciding on a manager, I was quite good in teh field but my issue was always going for the long ball instead of trying to hit a single or sliding into 2nd for a double





oh and we are talking about Lugo - I must be mistaken I thought he played a few years in teh majors but as I say I must be thinking of someone else

[oldskool138]

So we should trade Manny for AGone?

Im so confused.....

I'm just saying that Manny and AGonz have the same number of homeruns.

Lugo was brought here because of his bat and has only hit 2 or three HR's. I'm not saying we should trade Manny for AGonz...Come on now!

[Mikiemo83]

lugo has already matched his RBI total from last year, so he is putting up some hits at timely moments

[3 Point Stan]

This thread is embarassing :)

[SamBam39]

I'm less concerned about his power numbers and more concerned about his OBP and OPS. They want him at the top of the line up and currently he is a huge liability at the plate. Couple that with his below average defense and that is not exactly a pretty picture.

[patfan64]

I still don't know why they didn't just re-sign O-Cab!!!!

Theo had a massive woody for Renteria. Now he had to soften the Renteria mess with the can't-miss Lugo.

Oops :icon_oak:

[SteelerFan87]

silly small market team fans think it is easy to spend money wisely :blink:
No, it's small market teams that have to spend money wisely. Big market teams can afford to make financial mistakes that would cripple small market teams.

[EverettsTheoryOfEvolution]

I think the point was that from the small market perspective, it seems like we can do anything with money, when, in fact, that's not the case. Just look at the the Yankees!

[SteelerFan87]

I think the point was that from the small market perspective, it seems like we can do anything with money, when, in fact, that's not the case. Just look at the the Yankees!

Yeah but what I meant was, if a big market team gives a guy alot of money and he sucks, they can deal with that mistake much more easily than a small market team, where, if they give a guy alot of money and he sucks, they're ****ed.

[Patriots4ever]

man..
I would love to see some of you on the playing field.. you are talking crap about a rookie, who not only has improved his defense, but has improved on his offense.. for a while there, besides youk, pedroia has been one of the most productive players on the roster.. why arent you getting on manny, ortiz or even JD? these are the big men in the lineup, and both manny and ortiz have, what? 11 homeruns? They are making far more money then what pedroia and lugo are making combined..

That wasn't the point of the thread. The point of the thread is that I am a fan, I want to see the Red Sox put the best team out there, and most importantly I want to see them win. I was against this signing from day 1 and never quite understood it to be very honest. I mean, the TB Devil Rays did dump the guy after all. I also don't recall very many teams knocking down his door for his services, and the money they signed him to was ridiculous. Plus, they signed him for his bat and were willing to sacrifice his inadequacies in the field. This was a huge mistake.

BTW, we're talking about Lugo, who isn't a rookie, not Pedroia.

[oldskool138]

This was a huge mistake.

Don't worry...I'm sure the Red Sox will be paying for him to play on another team next year.

BTW, who are the free agent SS at the end of this year?

[Patriots4ever]

Don't worry...I'm sure the Red Sox will be paying for him to play on another team next year.

BTW, who are the free agent SS at the end of this year?

I don't know, but the Red Sox are in the market for one.

(EDIT: another thought on my post above in response)

The reason I am not getting on Manny, Ortiz, or JD is because they are all hitting well above .200 and getting on base.

[Patriots4ever]

Yeah but what I meant was, if a big market team gives a guy alot of money and he sucks, they can deal with that mistake much more easily than a small market team, where, if they give a guy alot of money and he sucks, they're ****ed.

That is the only other sound argument in conjunction with the Dice-K thing. Do you think the owner of the Pirates is living pay check to pay check? The Pirates are averaging almost 20,000 fans per game. Why I don't know, but that owner should shell out a little more at the beginning of the season to field a respectable product. The good baseball fans of Pittsburgh really deserve it. He reminds me of Jeremy Jacobs. Signing 1 or 2 big money FA doesn't really cut it, but a good mix of these FAs in conjunction with young talent can make a team better. When they do develop a player through the minors, they are either trade bait because they won't/can't (pfft) resign the player, or bring them up to the majors too early which in essence ruins their psyche.

Oakland and the Twins don't seem to have a problem fielding a competitive team. I call bullshit.

[EverettsTheoryOfEvolution]

Oakland and the Twins don't seem to have a problem fielding a competitive team. I call bullshit.

And let's not forget the Florida Marlins' TWO world championships! (I am going to bring this up every time the large market/small market debate surfaces ;) )

[Patriots4ever]

Plain and simple, the Pirates have ownership/management issues. Nothing more. Their players aren't anything to write home about either, but that isn't really their fault. Management, not the manager, assembles the team.

Pirate fans (Royals too) really need to look in the mirror instead of pointing fingers at the economies of scale and the general economics of baseball itself. To an extent, I agree with them that it isn't 'fair' that teams like the mofos and Red Sox can spend tons of $$$$ and fix their mistakes by dumping salaries, but I continue to see the aforementioned teams (Twins, A's, Marlins) compete and win in this unbalanced system. Sorry Steelerfan87, I like you, but I vehemently disagree with you on this one, except for the Dice-K argument and the fixing bad signings deal. :D

[SteelerFan87]

But I'm not really disagreeing with you guys, at least not entirely. I have always understood that it is the stupidity of our owners that is responsible for the Pirates' 14 (soon to be 15) consecutive losing seasons. However, it is the economics of baseball that prevents the Pirates from ever being on the level of the Yankees, Red Sox, etc. Sure, if you're really smart, and everything goes right, you can compete every once in a while. If you're REALLY REALLY smart, like the A's and Twins, you can maintain a decent level of being a playoff contender almost every year, and on occasion a possible world series contender, but you're still on an uneven playing field with the big market teams.

The Post-Gazette had a chart yesterday of the bottom 16 teams in terms of payroll. The A's were #16 with a payroll of about $80 million. The Twins had like $72 million. The Brewers just jumped to 1st place in our division by spending $71 million. The Pirates' payroll is $38 million. The Reds' was $68 million I believe. Now, assuming the Nuttings stopped being stupid greedy bastards with no commitment to winning, I'd say the Buccos could go up to about $60-65 million. Maybe $68 million like the Reds, but we probably couldn't maintain that. Looking at the chart in the Post-Gazette, and looking at where those teams were in the standings, it seems you have to spend about $50 million to be decent and $70 million pretty much guarantees you'll be a playoff contender. The Marlins, of course, are the exception. They are extremely good at developing talent. Their payroll is less than the Pirates. The other teams below the Pirates are the Nationals and Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay is screwed, because they're never going to win in that division. The Nationals are getting a new stadium, and from what I've heard, are planning to spend alot more once they get it. The Marlins are in the middle of one of their rebuilding periods. By the time they're ready to try for another World Series, their payroll will be much higher. Then they'll have to let go of all their players and start over. Meanwhile, the big market teams can live off the guys the small market teams develop. Thus, they'll always be good. They'll always have a chance to compete. But the small market teams have to keep churning out talent or they die. Every move must be perfect, or they lose their chance at competing. And even if they are perfect, their window closes fast.

Is it impossible for a small market team to compete? No. Is it ridiculously hard and unfair compared to the big market teams? Hell yeah.

But, anyway, on to some of the other points.

1. No, the Nuttings (Pirates' majority owners) are certainly not living paycheck to paycheck. They just bought Seven Springs (a ski resort in Pittsburgh). They are, without question, the worst owners in professional sports. (none of this, however, changes what I said above)

2. We don't sign 1 or 2 big money FAs. We wait until everyone else has signed all the big money FAs, then we sign Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa, or Benito Santiago, or Tony "Armless" Armas. When Dave Littlefield first became our GM, he signed Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders, Matt Stairs, Daryl Ward, and Randal Simon. Lofton and Sanders were great, Stairs was pretty good, Simon was decent, and Ward had his moments. We were actually almost decent that year. Then ownership demanded Littlefield get rid of all those guys for financial reasons, and we had to trade Lofton, Sanders, and Aramis Ramirez to the Cubs for Bobby Hill, some pitcher who never made it past AA, and Jose "Strikeout Master" Hernandez. I despise the Nuttings.

3. There are plans for a walkout on June 30th to protest the shitty way the Nuttings are running the team.

[Mikiemo83]

the Pirates payroll is a disgrace... plain and simple of the 38 million I guess, no stats to back it up, that a large portion is paid by the Yankees luxury tax


the ownership is sucking the life out of baseball in that town by not developing a winning attitude and making losing an acceptable option, as previously mentioned the Marlins are doing a great investing job with their talent.

they develop a bunch of players internally and trade them off for other young players once the financial commitment becomes to great for the team. This keeps a steady flow of talented players in the majors making them a possible contender at any time - I use last season as an example of this. The typical marlin trade is a 3 for 1 swap possibly a 4 for 2 like the Lowell/Beckett trade - this allows them to dump a contract (lowell) with a promising player and get 4 prospects at different levels in return. the Marlins need to hit on only one of these players in the future (see H Ramerez nevermind Anibel Sanchez last season) to make the trade a success

the sox gambled greater by taking the Lowell contract and the 7 time DL Beckett

so this poor me, I'm a Pirate fan is total BS - I now know why the colors are black and gold, like the bruins mediocrity is acceptable to ownership :) must be a trait of all black and gold teams

[oldskool138]

1. No, the Nuttings (Pirates' majority owners) are certainly not living paycheck to paycheck. They just bought Seven Springs (a ski resort in Pittsburgh). They are, without question, the worst owners in professional sports. (none of this, however, changes what I said above)


There's a ski resort in Pittsburgh? :icon_eyes

Jeremy Jacobs (Boston Bruins owner) is, IMO, the worst owner in professional sports. The Yawkey's (Red Sox owners for many, many years) were pretty bad as well.

[SamBam39]

You can probably throw the Sullivans in there as well.

[Patriots4ever]

Jeremy Jacobs is hands down the worst owner in professional sports history. Yes, history.

[SlumpBustR]

Jeremy Jacobs is hands down the worst owner in professional sports history. Yes, history.in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Jeremy "There's a Suckah Born Every Buffalo Minute" Jacobs' picture should be next to this word:

[Patriots4ever]

Very sad RG, very sad. Sad, but true, unfortunately...

[Patriots4ever]

For all you Lugo lovers out there, although I don't think there are many.

He is hitting a paltry .196
Went 0-4 on Friday striking out 2 times and 2 LOB.
Went 0-3 last night striking out 2 times and 2 LOB.

I sense a pattern.

Time's up!

I am going to hammer this thread just like SOKB did to our boy Chad Jackson on Patriots Planet. :icon_fU:

[Patriots4ever]

Yet again, Lugo does not come through.

Weak grounder to 1st stranding yet another runner. What a loser!

[Patriots4ever]

Whadda know. Yet another ground out by Lugo. This guy SUCKS! Is this guy even hitting his weight?

[Patriots4ever]

He really knocked the crap out of that one.

[SteelerFan87]

There's a ski resort in Pittsburgh? :icon_eyes

Jeremy Jacobs (Boston Bruins owner) is, IMO, the worst owner in professional sports. The Yawkey's (Red Sox owners for many, many years) were pretty bad as well.

No way. Has he presided over 12 consecutive losing seasons? Does he constantly trade away all your best players for financial reasons? Does he promote bobbleheads, fireworks nights, pierogi races, and various giveaways instead of the team? Does he continuously pass up the obvious best player in the draft in favor of the cheapest? Does he refuse to talk to the press, only releasing the occasional written statement? Again, have the Bruins had 12 consecutive losing seasons under Jacobs? (The Pirates, of course, have had 14 consecutive losing seasons, the first few being before the McClatchy/Nutting group bought the team)


BTW, check out www.iratefans.com for a more complete picture of how horrible our owners are, and plans for fan protests. And keep an eye out on sportscenter and baseball tonight on june 30th, to see if they show the walkout.

[oldskool138]

No way. Has he presided over 12 consecutive losing seasons? Does he constantly trade away all your best players for financial reasons? Does he promote bobbleheads, fireworks nights, pierogi races, and various giveaways instead of the team? Does he continuously pass up the obvious best player in the draft in favor of the cheapest? Does he refuse to talk to the press, only releasing the occasional written statement? Again, have the Bruins had 12 consecutive losing seasons under Jacobs? (The Pirates, of course, have had 14 consecutive losing seasons, the first few being before the McClatchy/Nutting group bought the team)


Jacobs traded Joe Thornton to San Jose for three next to useless players. And that the most recent trading debacle. Bobblehead nights instead of good hockey...Yes. He doesn't talk to the press. I'm not a big hockey fan but I know that the Bruins haven't been deep in the play-offs in some time.

I'm sure if you asked a lot of NE sports fans, they'll all tell you that Jacobs is the worst owner out of the big four sports...Bob Kraft being the best! :icon_supe

[3 Point Stan]

Lugo = Tits On A Bull

[SteelerFan87]

Jacobs traded Joe Thornton to San Jose for three next to useless players. And that the most recent trading debacle. Bobblehead nights instead of good hockey...Yes. He doesn't talk to the press. I'm not a big hockey fan but I know that the Bruins haven't been deep in the play-offs in some time.

I'm sure if you asked a lot of NE sports fans, they'll all tell you that Jacobs is the worst owner out of the big four sports...Bob Kraft being the best! :icon_supe

Still, there's no way he's worse than the Nuttings. Hell, the elder Nutting is a quasi-mythical creature. I don't think anyone has ever actually seen him in public. Meanwhile the younger Nutting, who actually has been seen on occasion, looks like a combination of all of Bill Belichick's worst physical aspects, and a nerd. Only without the hood. Or the whole "let's actually give a damn about winning" thing.

[oldskool138]

Hey can we start calling Lugo "Juli-0-fer" instead of "Jul-E-o"? Three games played over the weekend in San Dogg...Zero Julio Lugo hits. Way to earn that paycheck. Man, if performed that badly at my job, I'd have be fired like 5 times already...:icon_hang

[Patriots4ever]

I did a comparison of the 5 Red Sox players that I think are relevant to this discussion. At some point, this season, they have been bitched about to a certain extent - to bench Lugo, Crisp, Drew, and/or Pedrioa --> or in Cora's case, more playing time.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/stats/sortable_player_stats.jsp?c_id=bos&section1=1&section2=1&section3=1&statSet1=1&statSet2=null&statSet3=null&statType=1&timeFrame=1&timeSubFrame=2007&baseballScope=null&prevPage1=1&readBoxes=true&subScope=teamCode&teamPosCode=bos&box1=XXXX150061bos6&box4=XXXX424825bosO&box7=XXXX136770bosO&box9=XXXX456030bos4&box10=XXXX133321bos4&compare.x=&compare.y=

Lugo leads the 5 with most RBIs and most stolen bases. His avg, slug %, and OBP is lagging severely compared to the other 4. He has the most AB, and least hits - Cora excluded. Cora does have 2 HR in 101 AB compared to Lugo's 4 with 274 ABs. Cora also has 4 triples. I am well aware that Cora is a utiltity type/depth player who is well suited to play sparingly and contribute. My point is that Lugo really needs to get out of this funk, otherwise, Fenway won't be a pleasant place for him when the Sox return home later on the week. This could be a problem, stay tuned.

I am strictly talking offense here, please don't get me going on defense. We'll save that for another day. I really hate Lugo!

[theyellowdart]

Rant Mode I can't take it anymore.... He might be the worst everyday player in all of Major Leauge Basball at this point. I am at my breaking point. .191? Really, Lugo? If you were a member at PatriotsPlanet, you shouldn't be able to post in the regular forum. You, my friend, are a true assclown. You and Dolphin 22 are two peas in a pod. I can't stand to even look at your face anymore. Just take a couple weeks off and we will see you after the all start break. Rant mode over

Now... Your contract tells us that we are stuck with you. Just clear you head and get yourself strait. I do wish we could get rid of your sorry ass but that aint happening. I am rooting for you because we have no other options besides Cora. A 9 million dollar a year bench player.. That is nice

Good luck Coolio because you are gonna need it once you get back to Fenway.

[theyellowdart]

Do you think Lugo could get a hit in a slow pitch softball game? Me thinks no...

[oldskool138]

Do you think Lugo could get a hit in a slow pitch softball game? Me thinks no...

Maybe he could lay down a bunt properly in a softball game...god! He sucks! :icon_hang

[Patriots4ever]

.191 batting avg.

This guy is going to hear it at Fenway badly this weekend. I am going to the game on Sunday, you'll probably hear me.

[Patriots4ever]

Julio Lugo = the biggest fukkin loser to ever EVER play for the Red Sox. I am going to the game tomorrow, and I swear to God if this guy is in the starting linup, I am going to go ape shit.

[3 Point Stan]

Who steals 3rd and doesn't slide? Seriously, name ONE guy who isn't built like George "The Animal" Steel that would try to steel a base and not slide.

[SteelerFan87]

Jack Wilson: .260 AVG, .311 OBP, .357 SLG, 4 HR.

Julio Lugo: .180 AVG, .260 OBP, .281 SLG, 4 HR.

Got any good relievers you'd be willing to trade?

[SamBam39]

Who steals 3rd and doesn't slide? Seriously, name ONE guy who isn't built like George "The Animal" Steel that would try to steel a base and not slide.
Umm Julio Lugo????:confused: :icon_pidu :icon_hang jk,jk

[Patriots4ever]

34 games - 11 errors.

The Red Sox NEED a SS. That is all.

[southcarolina]

34 games - 11 errors.

The Red Sox NEED a SS. That is all.


Unfortunately, the only internal option is Jed Lowrie, and everything i have read about him says he isnt ready to be a full time starting ML SS, and may not ever be.

No other team is going to trade the Sox a bona fide ML starting calibre SS, without the Sox giving up a Kings ransome. So, for now, we are stuck with Julio Lugo.

[Patriots4ever]

I know, which makes it all the more frustrating.

[southcarolina]

I'm actually shocked at this:

Julio Lugo has the 11th highest BA and 7th highest OBP of all qualified ML SS this season. His SLG sucks balls, and he leads the Majors in Errors at SS, but he has actually been competant at getting on base, which i guess is all you can ask from a #9 hitter.

I didnt see the error tonight....was it a routine play, or not? Throwing or fielding?

[Patriots4ever]

I'm actually shocked at this:

Julio Lugo has the 11th highest BA and 7th highest OBP of all qualified ML SS this season. His SLG sucks balls, and he leads the Majors in Errors at SS, but he has actually been competant at getting on base, which i guess is all you can ask from a #9 hitter.

I didnt see the error tonight....was it a routine play, or not? Throwing or fielding?

Fielding - 2 outs, routine grounder right at him and he bobbled it. When I saw the ball hit, I actually got off the couch to get another beer, bathroom, etc figuring the inning was over. That's how routine the play was and it most definitely should have ended the inning. I realize that it's up to the pitcher to work around this stuff, but even Remy indicated that everytime he makes an error, it hurts the Sox.

Although those offensive numbers are decent, I would like to see the ratio between runs he costs the Sox vs runs he creates for them.

:shrug:

[southcarolina]

Heh Lets play a game:

NAME THAT SHORTSTOP:

Player A

AB-119
BA-.286
OBP-.351
SLG-.345
OPS-.696

Player B

AB-124
BA-.298
OBP-.328
SLG-.371
OPS-.699

Player C

AB-129
BA-.209
OBP-.323
SLG-.295
OPS-.617

Player D

AB-105
BA-.152
OBP-.226
SLG-.238
OPS-.464

These are the stats of Julio Lugo, Derrick Jeter, Orlando Cabrera, and Troy Tulowitski.

GO!

[Patriots4ever]

Where are the defensive stats? Again, that is my main concern.


Lugo is A.

[southcarolina]

Fielding - 2 outs, routine grounder right at him and he bobbled it. When I saw the ball hit, I actually got off the couch to get another beer, bathroom, etc figuring the inning was over. That's how routine the play was and it most definitely should have ended the inning. I realize that it's up to the pitcher to work around this stuff, but even Remy indicated that everytime he makes an error, it hurts the Sox.

Although those offensive numbers are decent, I would like to see the ratio between runs he costs the Sox vs runs he creates for them.

:shrug:

Oh i dont argue the fact that errors suck. To me the worst thing about them isnt the unearned run they give up here and there, its the extra pitches it forces a staff to throw. As a team the Sox have committed 20 errors, which over 162 games would be about 87 errors. The Sox average 3.89 pitches per plate appearance. So those 87 errors will force the Sox pitching staff to throw at an absolute bare minimum 338 extra pitches this season. And thats assuming that each error only forces the pitcher to pitch to one extra batter.

My only point was that Lugo is doing his job at the plate, and if he pops off a 30 game errorless streak :D, he would be exactly the player everyone thought they were getting when they signed him.

[southcarolina]

Where are the defensive stats? Again, that is my main concern.


Lugo is A.


I didnt want to make it too obvious. :D

I was just pretty shocked how Lugo ranked against some recognizable names.

[Patriots4ever]

I am in full agreement with you southcarolina and I understand what you're saying. The "extra pitches it forces a staff to throw" point that you made is my biggest concern. Lugo really isn't a bad #9 guy to have in your lineup, but they signed him to be a leadoff guy, or top of the order type guy to hit ahead of or behind Crisp.

Funny the way things work themselves out here in Boston. :thumb:

[southcarolina]

I am in full agreement with you southcarolina and I understand what you're saying. The "extra pitches it forces a staff to throw" point that you made is my biggest concern. Lugo really isn't a bad #9 guy to have in your lineup, but they signed him to be a leadoff guy, or top of the order type guy to hit ahead of or behind Crisp.

Funny the way things work themselves out here in Boston. :thumb:

I think they signed him to play passable defense, hit about .280, have an OBP of about .340 and steal 35-45 bases. Other than the passable defense, he is hitting and getting on base this season about like should have been expected of him. And hitting in the nine hole is the perfect spot for him. Whether they signed him to be a "leadoff" guy is irrelevant. Other than in the first inning, having Lugo hitting ninth gives you a Lugo/Ellsbury/Pedroia and their .340/.397/.339 OBPs hitting in front of Ortiz and Manny.

[OBP]

And people here in Pittsburgh are saying there isn't much of a market for Jack Wilson. I can think of 2 teams without much thought: Houston, since Everett is hurt, and the Red Sox..

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want a guy with a career .688 OPS and a history of leg injuries as our starting shortstop when we have Jed Lowrie sitting on the bench. The real problem is figuring out how to trade Lugo without eating 100% of his salary.