If Jed is doing well in AAA come, say, mid-May to Early-June and Julio is not doing so hot, what should we do?

It's unlikely we can just cut bait, but perhaps a little competition will light a fire under Julio's ass? Maybe some team desperate for a SS will come-a-knockin'?

If you were the GM of a team desperate for a SS would you call Theo asking about Lugo or Lowrie? We're stuck with Lugo the same way we are stuck with Crisp. Nobody else is stupid enough to take them.

This team's dumbass manaement will never WIN ANYTHING!!!

Oh wait...

Unless we pay their salaries.

I'm not ready to give up on Lugo, though.

Still, how many teams want a SS with a .586 OPS for free? Most teams could get better production from their minors than that.

I don't think this discussion is worth it in April. Nobody knows how Lugo or Lowrie will look in June. If Lowrie is hitting well and Lugo still can't have an OPS above .600, then it might be worth it to look at then

I didn't go there. I'm not blaming management at all. I'll be the first to admit that at the time both Lugo and Crisp were signed that I really liked both signings. It is what it is. Neither Crisp or Lugo have lived up to our expectations and there is no market for either one right now so the thoughts of trading them for anything of value seems foolish. That's the only point I was making.

Agreed, but Lugo's going to be over .730 or better.

Its too early to do anything right now. We need to take a few deep breaths and lets things play out a little longer.

If down the road, Lugo is still struggling at the plate and Lowrie is raking and playing passable defense in AAA, then I think the easiest solution will be to trade Cora, and move Lugo into a super utility role, he is athletic enough and has played both multiple IF and OF positions in the past.

Given the salary involved with Lugo I think it would be pretty difficult to move him in season, whereas you could trade Cora pretty easily (though you wouldn't get much in return).

There is no shortstop "situation".

I sincerely hope that the Sox farm the shortstop position out to some overweight stoner with a pieced lip...that would be BODACIOUS!

See game titled "Boston at Toronto: Sunday April 6th". Lugo committed three errors. There definitely can be something about this situation. Hopefully, there is someone on the PawSox that can hit as well as fill in the hole. If worse comes to worse, move Pedroia over to SS and let the rookie play 2B.

If I remember correctly, our other choice is everyone's "favorite", Alex Cora. Didnt we fuss about Lugo last year and then realize there was nothing that could really be done? This time, its only Game 7 and we already want him out of town? I dont get it.

Maybe we can trade Lugo for one of the shortstops who has a lower OPS right now, like Jeter (.566), Tulowitzki (.408) or Peralta (.333)? Or maybe we can just pick up one of those guys on waivers after their clubs dump them.

With the difference being those guys didn't have replacement-level seasons last year, and the latter two don't have prohibitive contracts. The comparison doesn't hold any water.

I'm a proponent of being patient with Lugo, despite his horrible 2007, but let's not compare him to far superior players that also had a bad week.

Oh no, 3 errors in one game, DFA him now!!!!

And who is this rookie 2B you speak of? If it is Lowrie, do you realize that he has only played 9 games at that position in the minors? He is primarily a SS.

Or do you mean Joe Thurston who is nothing more than a 4A player?

Lugo isn't going anywhere. The $27M he is owed over the next 3 seasons (with a vesting option for 11 at $9M) makes it cost prohibitive to trade him or dump him. He's not worth the contract he got (I was against the signing) but is still solid defensively and if he can get his OBP back to the .340-.360 range, I'll be happy.

Overreact much?

Lugo will start... Lugo will be fine. Stop already... There absolutely is no "situation."

I've never been a huge fan of the lugo signing. He just isn't a useful hitter even if he is pretty good with the glove.

You could let Cora soak up some at-bats against tough right-handers while he's slumping. And if Lowrie hits his way onto the team, then he hits his way on to the team.

However, I don't think this is any sort of new "situation." This has been exactly the "situation" at SS for the Sox for over a year, and the team has muddled through.

Yeah, except, he won't "be fine". He's not a good player with the Red Sox. Maybe it's a Renteria thing where he just can't play in Boston, who knows.

But, there is a situation. He had a .643 OPS last year. He is not performing. He didn't last year and, while early, he looks like poop. I don't mind having a shitty bat in the lineup; but his defense is degrading...rapidly, it looks like. In the playoffs last year, in the spring, now into the season.

Here's the 2007 list o' SS by OPS. His salary is prohibitive. His value to this team is nearly non-existant at this point. He is on the fast-track to becoming the positional Matt Clement. Both in on-the-field suckitude and blind optimism off.

Edit:

This, despite apperences, is not a reactionary thread. I've hated on Lugo for some time now. I did not advocate signing him, previously made a thread mocking his awfulness (Which MALC trashed), and I berated him at the Outings (After which MALC defended him with the "Mother's Day Miracle" crap, when a bad throw made him the hero)

I just don't understand why the Red Sox can't have an All-Star at every position? If they would spend more time playing MLB; The Show on PS3 he would realize this is possible.

Dammit Theo, the season is freaking slippin away.

DO SOMETHING.

NOW.

We are Red Sox fans and we deserve a team that wins like 200 games a season. If he can't trade Lugo and 16 low level minor league prospects for Jimmy Rollins then let's get someone who can!!!!

I don't know what is worse, this reactionary thread or the lame hyperbole in the previous post.

In any event, it is seven games into the season, if this is still happening in June, then you worry. Seeing how the Pedroia situation played out last year, I think you give a guy time to sort things out. Lugo was, afterall, one of the few guys that was actually hitting, coming into this series.

Lugo put up a .586 OPS last year, over all 162 games. Comparing that to 7 games in 2008 is very relevant [/sacrasm]

^^^ Yes, lets wait and give Lugo 40 to 50 games then come back to this thread... I am surpised to see Hanley Ramariez has OPS of 940+ tho and I don't think hes making 8+ M

Honestly, do you people even watch baseball? Had you even heard of Julio Lugo before he came to the Sox?

Here is Julio Lugo's OPS by season:

2003: .743
2004: .734
2005: .765
2006: .762
2007: .643

Anybody see an outlier there?

Lugo will be fine. He is good defensively, regardless of what happened in one game in the first week of the season. There is no situation. Julio Lugo is our starting SS, as he should be.

Lugo's OPS last year was .643, which is why I assumed the .586 you listed was for the first 7 games this year.

And yes, .643 is poor. I fully realize that.

Ok, my bad, I saw .586 and though that was this year apparently. My point still stands at how many teams couldn't get comparable production to Lugo from their minor leagues.

its too early to talk about trading Lugo.....and we aren't "stuck" with Lugo the way we are with Crisp. Coco, at worst, just needs to be traded. Lugo? Not so much. Yeah, he may have had a slow start (and committed three errors in last night's game) but so what? Everyone's having a slow first week or so bc of the Japan trip (thats probably the case).



Its too early for this bs....stop being over reactionary and just let things play out folks

I still say he will be fine.

He's not exactly a fun player to watch but he does enough to keep your team winning, and if his bat returns to pre-Red Sox and Dodgers level we have a pretty good SS there.

There are plenty of teams with worse options at SS.

Sure, but most of those teams play in the New York-Penn League.

Rom, it would be a year old, actually.

Bingo! Why are some saying he was .586 last year; he's at .586 this year, and will end up over .730- I'll bet a box of doughnuts on it.

I just might take that bet...he's not a young guy.

I'll bet you a brass flag pin against a dozen doughnuts.

Isn't Lugo what we all expected in 2008?

Could someone please help me out and explain Julio Lugo as an asset to this team? Please help me understand why he is there and what he brings to the field. I've been a Red Sox for since 2002 and DIE HARD since the 2004 season. Help me out here. I really want to know. It dosent really seem fair that he is going to get a ring tomorrow. What does he contribute? If that seems harsh then please give me some valid points as to why I should change my mind. Thanks.

Matt

It's not about getting all-stars at every position, but rather, actual production. If Lugo is struggling towards the ASB, than he needs to be placed on the bench for good. Granted, you don't want to bench a player who was given 4/36, but they are going to pay Lugo in full because no team will let the Sox unload him. The Red Sox already have a better option in Jed Lowrie. If the time arises, they should upgrade to Lowrie and increase their win total. Lowrie would be making the league minimal and is a superior bat. His range isn't the greatest, but if Lugo makes 30 errors than it's a wash. Lugo is a sunk cost, much like Carl Pavano or Matt Clement. The Red Sox were able to trade Renteria because of his past performance.Personally, I like Troy Tulowitzki He has/d great range in the field (but makes a ton of errors). Before 2007 he had a decent OBP and SLG for a SS and could steal a bag. He was also the best the Sox could get in a thin FA market and at the time Lowrie looked awful.

People are making too big of a deal about the three errors he made yesterday. If I recall correctly, Lowell made three errors in an early game last season, and his defense the rest of the year wasn't terrible.

Unless he has another game like that, I'm blaming it on fatigue.

Additionally, I think he will most certainly be better this year than he was last year, albeit not worth the amount of money he is getting paid. Let's not get excited about the "situation" just yet, and give him something more than the small sample size he has so far this season.

Too bad we had to get that Beckett guy...

And you would know lame when you see it so I guess your assessment is to be taken seriously.

I'm more amused that someone responded to that post in a serious manner.

Was the post not oozing with sarcasm? Really?

I'd take that bet, since he hasn't been above that since 2004 and even then, he was just a shade over .730. And I know Bartolo would take your bet.

Lugo's been a bad BB player for nearly two years now. I'm not bullish on predicting a turnaround.

ignorant post, judging by the play he played last year there is a situation..and how he starting this year3 errors in a game is a big deal because he is terrible in generalexactly, I'm sure the Yankees would trade Jeter to us

His English not so good either.

"exactly, I'm sure the Yankees would trade Jeter to us"



He was being sarcastic. Look at the man's forum status. He wouldn't say something like that. Read slower next time.

Huh?

2005: .765
2006: .762

This is a really premature thread.

Ya, this should be locked up. Bring it up in June the earliest.

I guess the key here is patience. You have to wait for Jed Lowrie to have a AAA year like Pedroia before he gets rushed up to the majors. Then they will have to get creative to lose Lugo. With the Pedroia situation we were lucky Mark Loretta only had a one year contract, and at the time at lot of us didn't think they should let him go. After the Toronto series I am more worried about Delcarmen than Lugo.

reading slower wouldn't help pick up on someones sarcastic remark.

sorry if I didn't jerk it to his "status"

No, but common sense would. Or did you think he was really waiting for Jeter, Peralta or Tulo to get waived?

Edit- You should probably read first, post second, and try not to get into conflicts over little things. You don't seem so quick on the uptake.

Do we honestly have to have a reactionary thread for XXXX players after one week during the regular season?

Ortiz is hitting .115 and looks fat.
Lowell is hitting .214 (and worse with runners on) and making Theo look like an idiot for extending him.
Jacoby is hitting around the Mendoza line. We should have dealt him when we could have.

Lugo hit .280 the second half of last season. Don't give me this "he's been awful since April 1st, 2007 garbage." Wake me up in two months if he's mired in some epic 1 for 31 slide. Until then, lock this and the Jed Lowrie wet dreams down for a little while.

Along with Caspir's wisdom, you ought to take a look at how the long-time posters capitalize and use punctuation.

The "ee cummings" style will only win here after you've shown that you read and respond with some degree of perception and proper response.