After all the free-agent signings and trades made in the offseason, work
doesn't end when the season begins.
Just ask Theo Epstein.
The Red Sox' first-year general manager was one of the busiest
executives in the game from the end of May through the end of August,
the end of the waiver-trading deadline.
Along the way, Epstein remade the club that he had when the season
opened, particularly his pitching staff.
A look back at his in-season moves and their consequences:
Shea Hillenbrand for Byung-Hyun Kim
This deal was talked about for months, starting in spring
training when the Sox had an excess of corner infielders and, quite
obviously, not enough bullpen help.
For the first few weeks, with Pedro Martinez sidelined, Kim was used as
a starter and kept the Sox in most games. When Martinez returned, Kim
was moved to closer, where, for the next few months, he helped stabilize
the bullpen.
In August and early September, Kim slumped. His slider flattened out and
lefthanded hitters, in particular, gave him trouble. His low-point may
have come on Sept. 20, when an impatient Grady Little yanked Kim after
the sidearmer drilled two hitters in a row in the ninth.
Since then, Kim has responded with some of his most efficient
late-inning efforts. His 16 saves, in about half a season, is still
(easily) tops on the team.
But what also must be considered is that the trade of Hillenbrand was
addition by subtraction, since it opened regular playing time for both
Bill Mueller at third base and David Ortiz at DH. Until Hillenbrand's
departure, both Mueller and Ortiz were part-time players; after the
deal, they were, arguably, the two most valuable players the Sox had.
Hillenbrand wasn't missed a bit. In fact, in the second half of the
season, his playing time was reduced in Arizona.
GRADE: B
Minor-leaguers for Williamson
When the deal was made, it looked like the final piece to the Sox'
bullpen puzzle. Scott Williamson would give the Sox a power set-up arm,
with the ability to close games when Kim wasn't available.
Instead, Williamson has been a massive disappointment. While he's had a
few outings in which he looked like the dominant, late-inning reliever
the Sox thought they were trading for, too often he's struggled, never
more so than when he came into a game in the middle of an inning.
Tendinitis in his shoulder has reduced his velocity some, and some
off-field concerns with a sickly newborn haven't helped. But to date,
regardless of what the prospects later do for the Reds, this swap has
been a huge short-term disappointment for the Sox.
The lone saving grace is that the Sox believe the Reds greatly
over-valued Phil Dumatrait, one of the players sent to Cincinnati. It
was the Sox' good timing to have Reds' scouts in attendance for the
lefty's best start of his young pro career. It's doubtful he'll ever be
more than an extra-man on a major league pitching staff.
GRADE: D
Freddy Sanchez for Jeff Suppan, Scott Sauerbeck
This deal was complicated and controversial. You needed a
scorecard to keep track as it unwound over 10 days.
It began with the Sox sending Brandon Lyon and Anastacio Martinez for
Sauerbeck and Mike Gonzalez. But when Lyon's elbow sparked some concerns
on the part of the Pirates, the deal was later rescinded, then expanded
to include Suppan and Sanchez.
At the time, it looked like a steal for the Sox, who were getting both a
lefty specialist and a dependable starter. But the reality has been far
different.
Suppan has been inconsistent in his two months. For every outing in
which he looked brilliant (keeping the Yankees scoreless for the first
six innings on Sept. 7 at Yankee Stadium), there have been others in
which he's been hit hard and chased by the middle innings.
He's been more trustworthy of late, winning two of his last three
starts. But he's unlikely to get a postseason start. No one expected
Suppan to be a front-of-the-line starter when he was acquired, but he
certainly was supposed to be more of a factor than he's been.
If Suppan has been a disappointment, Sauerbeck has been an unmitigated
disaster. Far too many times, he's put lefties on base rather than
retire them. Worse, he's averaging nearly three baserunners per inning,
which is almost unthinkable.
Some teammates -- Jason Varitek included -- believe that Sauerbeck can
still get straightened out, and if he can command his curveball for
strikes, could be the Sox' secret weapon in the postseason.
For now, that looks like wishful thinking.
GRADE: D plus.
