The Examination of Dan Duquette, Part Five

By now the Sox were contenders and Duquette's trade responsibility -- in both 1998 and '99 (the seasons have been lumped together) -- was to polish rather than build. More and more, the Sox were looking to fill specific needs in their dealings; with the arguable exception of the Carl Everett trade, they weren't looking for long-term solutions to problems. (And even at that, the Sox had a specific need for a center fielder who could hit.)

A look at the 1998-99 trades:

JUNE 18, 1998: Pitcher David West from Houston for pitcher Mike Blais. Analysis: Attempt No. 1 to fill the need for a lefty arm in the pen. Judging by his 27.00 ERA in six games, the attempt failed. Long term benefit or harm: Mike Blais was no loss, but the Sox were still in the market for a left-hander a month later . . . leading to a more significant transaction.

JUNE 21, 1998: Pitchers Carlos Reyes and Dario Veras and catcher Mandy Romero from San Diego for catcher Jim Leyritz and outfielder Ethan Faggett. Analysis: I went into a "The Sky Is Falling!" rant when this deal was made, a rant that proved not to be justified; a month later the Sox picked up Mike Stanley to do the job they (more or less) wanted Leyritz to do and were probably better off. But I'm not backing down from the main point of the piece, which is that, historically, when the Red Sox are faced with two issues -- 1) Their personal dislike of a player, and 2) Their need for the skills he possesses -- they tend to decide that No. 2 is less important than No. 1. And that's wrong. Besides, it isn't like Leyritz's whining should have been considered a surprise bolt from the sky. As I also wrote that day: "He's been this way his entire career, everywhere he's been, when he thinks he's being underutilized . . . and since he considers himself to be a hybrid of Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench, he feels that everyone has underutilized him. If you're not surprised when a duck quacks, you shouldn't be surprised when Jim Leyritz moans and groans." Long term benefit or harm: Reyes actually was somewhat useful in '98 (3.52 ERA in 24 games), so this deal wasn't a true disaster. But what it actually meant was, the Sox traded Aaron Sele (and Bill Haselman) for 2 1/2 months of Jim Leyritz, 3 1/2 months of Carlos Reyes, two seasons of Damon Buford and one season of Manny Alexander. Pee-U.

JULY 30, 1998: First baseman/designated hitter Mike Stanley from Toronto for pitchers Peter Munro and Jay Yennaco. Analysis: More BFA screeches greeted this deal, but Stanley bolstered the offense for a year-and-a-half and helped the Sox twice qualify for the playoffs -- all the while helping to set a tone of professionalism in the clubhouse that defined the late '90s Red Sox -- while neither Munro nor Yennaco has yet to make his mark in the major leagues. Long term benefit or harm: A good "prospects"-for-veteran(s) trade. There are a few of them, you know.

JULY 31, 1998: Pitcher Greg Swindell and first baseman/outfielder Orlando Merced from Minnesota for pitchers Matt Kinney and Joe Thomas and outfielder John Barnes. Analysis: Then there are bad prospects-for-veterans trades, and there's a certain national columnist who's had this one in that category almost since the day it was announced. His case seemed bolstered by 1) Jimy Williams's reluctance -- make that refusal -- to play Orlando Merced, and 2) Swindell's okay-but-not-great performance in a Boston uniform and his subsequent free-agent departure to Arizona. But Matt Kinney still hasn't broken through (he was given a chance to make the Twins' rotation this spring, didn't pitch well enough to earn a spot, and is currently 1-4, 6.44 at Edmonton), Joe Thomas is 26 and has just now made it to Double-A, and John Barnes is on the Triple-A disabled list. It's not to say any of these guys won't make it; it's just that they haven't yet. And the more time that passes before they do, the more the odds grow that they won't. Besides, the Sox turned Swindell into Brad Baker or Casey Fossum (I can't find which of these 1999 sandwich picks they got for Swindell), and it's possible that either (or both) will have greater long-term value than any of the original five players in the transaction. Long term benefit or harm: We're now getting into the area where not enough time has passed to accurately judge these deals. The Sox got what they wanted out of Swindell, at least for the remainder of '98, and were able to draft a prospect when he bolted. But until we see where Kinney, Thomas and Barnes fall on the big-league spectrum, we can't grade this trade.

AUGUST 31, 1998: Infielder Chris Snopek from the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Corey Jenkins. Analysis: The 1998 version of Craig Grebeck. In fact, I think I might have confused them when the trade was announced. (Honest.) Long term benefit or harm: How did Billy Preston put it? Oh, yeah. Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'.

MARCH 25, 1999: Outfielder Jon Nunnally from Cincinnati for pitcher Pat Flury. Analysis: This looked like a steal when it was made -- Nunnally was two years removed from a 230-at bat, .309/.394/.578 season -- but the Sox wouldn't give him the time of day as far a major-league job was concerned. And it's hard to say they were wrong, not after he hit .189 for the Mets last year in the role many of us envisioned him playing Boston. Long term benefit or harm: None.

JULY 26, 1999: Outfielder/designated hitter Butch Huskey from Seattle for pitcher Rob Ramsay. Analysis: Strange, isn't it? There was almost no BFA talk after this one because people saw a clear need for what they thought Huskey would provide (i.e., pop from the right-hand side). But by the time the Sox got him he'd been exposed as a substandard hitter -- I still shudder at that ghastly at-bat against Mendoza in the 1999 ALCS -- and Ramsay has a chance to be a decent major-leaguer. This certainly isn't BFA, but it is a case of a promising minor-leaguer being surrendered for a more-or-less worthless veteran. Long term benefit or harm: The damage has been done. How bad it is depends on how good Ramsay ends up being.

JULY 31, 1999: Pitcher Bryce Florie from Detroit for pitcher Mike Maroth. Analysis: What appeared to be a minor transaction worked out pretty well, since Florie was a decent 11th man on the staff. His injury, of course, has given him more notoriety (and importance) than his talents justify; odds are he wouldn't have made the team this year if he'd never gotten hit. Long term benefit or harm: Something for nothing is always good, even if the something wasn't much.

AUGUST 24, 1999: Pitcher Kent Mercker from St. Louis for catcher David Benham and pitcher Mike Matthews. Analysis: Mercker provided a short-term boost (2-0, 3.51 in five starts) and even started twice in the ALCS. (Keep your comments to yourself.) That looked like it would be the end of it, until Mike Matthews popped up in the St. Louis bullpen this year. In case you hadn't noticed, he has an 0.84 ERA, with only 10 hits allowed in 21 1/3 innings. Long term benefit or harm: How good Matthews actually ends up being will determine how this trade will be judged. Still, Mercker wasn't a disaster, no matter what the ALCS might have burned into our memories.

AUGUST 31, 1999: Pitcher Rod Beck from the Chicago Cubs for third baseman Cole Liniak. Analysis: Beck is pitching, and pitching well (last night notwithstanding), for the Sox, while Liniak -- having passed through the Cubs' organization -- is now playing second base for the Syracuse SkyChiefs and hitting his normal .250 with little power. A terrific swap. Long term benefit or harm: The Sox made out well on this one.

DECEMBER 11, 1999: Infielder Manny Alexander from the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Damon Buford. Analysis: One cancer bat for another. Trouble was, the Sox' third-base troubles in 2000 meant Alexander got to the plate 194 times . . . which is about 150 more than you'd like. Long term benefit or harm: It wasn't a long-term move, and was never meant to be. The short-term damage was mostly to our psyches, every time Alexander stepped to the plate.

DECEMBER 14, 1999: Outfielder Carl Everett from Houston for shortstop Adam Everett and pitcher Greg Miller. Analysis: Two days ago I identified what I'd hoped would be Duquette's trading M.O. -- Identify young, All-Star caliber players who were available for whatever reason and acquire them with the spillover from a bountiful farm system -- and this trade was in that glorious tradition. No matter what extracurricular nonsense Everett (Carl, that is) has engaged in over the last year-and-a-half, no one can deny he's a terrific player. And for once, the Sox are -- check the June 21, 1998 trade for a glossary of terms -- letting No. 2 take precedence over No. 1. Long term benefit or harm: It's hard to imagine this trade turning sour, no matter how good Miller and Everett (Adam, that is) end up being.

More tomorrow . . .