Lackey takes physical for Red Sox, may be close to signing
Dec 14, 2009, 1:11 PM EDT
This morning an unnamed source told Ed Price of Fanhouse that John Lackey would be taking a physical exam for the Red Sox and now FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal confirms that while offering further details:
Free-agent right-hander John Lackey underwent a physical Monday with the Red Sox, an indication that he is close to an agreement with the team, according to a major-league source. The deal is expected to be similar to the five-year, $82.5 million contract that the Yankees awarded free-agent right-hander A.J. Burnett last winter.
Rosenthal futher speculates that signing Lackey could lead the Red Sox to go with a Jeremy Hermida-Mike Cameron platoon to replace Jason Bay in the outfield, and the move could also potentially make them more likely to part with Clay Buchholz in a trade. Two months ago I compared Lackey to A.J. Burnett and concluded that he could end up with a very similar deal and that now sounds likely.
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- Nathan - Dec 14, 2009 at 1:35 PM
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Lackey fits the Red Sox M.O.: A white player that won’t upset the white fanbase…
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- Jeff - Dec 14, 2009 at 1:37 PM
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While that may be true, he also fits their MO in that he’s a hard-throwing pitcher that gets strikeouts and doesn’t walk a lot of guys. As a Yankee fan, I definitely have noticed their trend, but I sincerely doubt it’s intentional.
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- APBA Guy - Dec 14, 2009 at 1:39 PM
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Craig, you realize that having you at NBC has changed my baseball web behavior. I used to keep my browser default at the worldwide leader. No longer. Here it will remain, thanks.
Anyway, this would be amazing if true. I can see the Red Sox doing the Lackey deal as described, since Beckett renegotiates next off-season, and if his asking price is like Cliff Lee’s reported extension price, but his ERA remains like it’s been the past two years, then having Lackey becomes extra critical.
And for that very reason I wonder if the last thought that Rosenthal adds about making Buchholz more available in trade would be true.
With Buchholz and Lackey, for 2010 you have:
Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Dice-k, Buccholz and Wake.
With all the injuries pitchers sustain and given the competitive nature of the AL East, I’d rather have that than subtract any one of those, and face the likelihood of an injury and have to work with Bowden or Bard as my 5th starter.
What do the Red Sox fans think? That’s just my envious, Oakland A’s perspective.
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- Craig Calcaterra - Dec 14, 2009 at 1:42 PM
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Thanks, APBA, but this is Aaron’s post!
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- TK - Dec 14, 2009 at 1:51 PM
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You are so right – they need to “balance” out the non-whiteness of fan despised players such as Dice-K, Okajima,Manny Delcarmen, Victor Martinez, and the most hated of all the non-white players, David Ortiz. In fact, there are so many fans that wear shirts and jerseys with his number and the phrase “Big Papi” on it, one can only assume that it loosely translates into “go away you evil and hated nonwhite player”.
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- John Pileggi - Dec 14, 2009 at 1:54 PM
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So, does that mean Bay stakes are down to Mets and Mariners?
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- Gregg Rosenthal - Dec 14, 2009 at 1:59 PM
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APBA/Craig/Aaron
every commenter on PFT yells at Florio under my posts. ive decided to take that as a compliment to the site as a whole.
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- George - Dec 14, 2009 at 2:11 PM
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Your an idiot and a racist
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- JudyJ - Dec 14, 2009 at 2:12 PM
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Good for the Sawks! He is a perfect fit.
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- APBA Guy - Dec 14, 2009 at 2:39 PM
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Which I noticed AFTER I hit the submit button-and like jumping off the Golden Gate, there’s no going back at that point.
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- Netbob - Dec 14, 2009 at 2:41 PM
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Awesome for John. He’s a bull dog. I am going to miss him pitching for the Angels here in Socal. Sox fans will love his work ethic and his desire to win. I foresee a new leader in the Sox clubhouse.
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- BAM - Dec 14, 2009 at 2:42 PM
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APBA – I like your bullpen. As for Bay, good hitter, no personality, no loyalty. Martinez is super
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- James - Dec 14, 2009 at 2:57 PM
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I guess part of me is still just 12 years old. Part of me thought John Lackey would stay with the Angels even if it meant a little less money. Randy Wolf wanted to stay with the Dodgers and would have done so for less. Tim Salmon took less money to stay with the Angels his whole career. I thought Lackey was cut from the same cloth. Boy was I wrong.
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- Jeff - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:02 PM
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I don’t necessarily agree with Nathan, but I think you’re misunderstanding what he’s saying. In recent years that Red Sox roster has appeared to have gotten “whiter”. Some of that happens to be players that played well in their minor league system, but happen to be white (Pedroia, Youkilis, Lester, Papelbon, Lowrie, Ellsbury, Reddick), but others were acquired (Drew, Beckett, Bay, Kotchman, Kotsay). It really is just cyclical, there is no way a team run by people as smart as Epstein is focused on recruiting white players over other groups.
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- Jeff - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:08 PM
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Think of how badly rookies and young players get underpaid. For most baseball players, they get paid peanuts in the minor leagues for part-time work. If they manage to make it to the big leagues, they get paid drastically less than their counterparts for 6 years.
Tim Lincecum got paid $6.5M last year to be the best or one of the best pitchers in baseball. If he was getting paid fair market value, would he be making some $20M+?
Also, most baseball players do not go to college, or graduate with degrees. Their careers are over by the time they are in their mid-40s. At this point they have to try to figure out a 2nd career, for which they don’t always have the best training.
So when a player gets the opportunity for free-agency and they can make some extra money, it is almost moronic for them not to take it.
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- LT - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:14 PM
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Please…He fits the Red Sox mold because he’s a stud pitcher…black white or purple..the Red Sox fan base cares about one thing…winning..Your comment is insulting and immature..
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- Mike - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:25 PM
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Nathan
The Red Sox signed Marco Scutaro and Latin Player from Venezuela. How does that fit there MO?
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- Josh - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:31 PM
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Fits the Red Sox mold perfectly. Should fit right in there with JD Drew, David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
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- dcfan-1212450 - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:31 PM
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Nathan, last time i checked the Red Sox were assembled around Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Other players currently on the roster such as Dice K, Del Carmen, Victor Martinez, and even their american indian center fielder. And as any Red Sox fan will tell you, if the team wins, who cares if they are white, black, spanish, or morons. And the team is all of the above right now…
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- pj - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:33 PM
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The “face” of the Red Sox, David Ortiz, is a black/hispanic dude. They have Latin players…..get a life dude.
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- david - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:36 PM
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yes that 350k minimum wage in the majors is terrible
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- Aries - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:38 PM
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Not morons, “Idiots”
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- Adam - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:40 PM
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Saying there is a hint of racism in Boston (not management) is not a stretch. Care to name the team that was the last team to integrate? or how many year it took Boston after Robinson had been brought up.
Boston for the most part is still old school and with that mentality there still exists racism although not to the amount that in had endured through the late 60′s.
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- Aries - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:41 PM
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Having had a relative in the minors system (not for the Sox, but the much smaller marketed Royals), these men do not get paid very much to play at that level. If they are good and lucky enough, they start to make more money as they climb the ranks, but it’s still no where near as much as someone who works straight out of college, or high school for that matter. I’m just happy that my relative had it in his contract that the Royals would pay for his college eduction if certain things didn’t fall into place for him.
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- JMP_SYR - Dec 14, 2009 at 3:43 PM
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Nathan you are an idiot. This has nothing to do with the race of the team. Last time I checked they had players such as Ortiz, Martinez, Ellsbury, Matsuzaka, Delcarmen, Ramirez and Okajima on the roster. This has to do with assembling a team that will win.
