TJ Surgery for Lackey
Brand new Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington just now confirmed a rumor that had been floating around this morning: troubled pitcher John Lackey will indeed undergo Tommy John surgery. Recovery is typically 12-16 months, which means he will miss the entire 2012 season.
From looking at his track record over the course of the last several years, it’s pretty clear that his durability and effectiveness have both been steadily deteriorating, at a relatively young age. He has had bouts of elbow discomfort in the past, so the TJS news isn’t exactly a bombshell.
I’m not happy with his 2011 performance, but I’m also not very comfortable with the way he’s treated here. From Bob Stanley, to Jose Offerman, to Julio Lugo, and now Lackey…the angry mob mentality displayed by most of the fan base just isn’t my cup of tea.
Here’s hoping for a year of tranquility.
Wow! Wonder what this means for next season…who else do you think they will get for starting pitching? Do you think Dice K is comin back?
There’s three rotation spots set in stone, barring a trade (unlikely, since they’d be selling low).
Beyond that, here’s a my quick take: I think they’ll try to retain Bedard’s services. I also think they head to Ft. Myers with Aceves initially penciled into the rotation.
Also, Matsuzaka is theoretically supposed to return around mid-season, but he’s completely unpredictable. Wakefield’s gone.
The back end of the rotation will probably be a weakness for the 2012 Red Sox.
“I’m not happy with his 2011 performance, but I’m also not very comfortable with the way he’s treated here.”
How exactly should he be treated?
- He had the worst year (statistically) for a Boston Red Sox starting pitcher ever.
- He constantly threw his teammates under the bus with his childish antics on the field.
- He did the same for the manager who deflected criticism from the media.
- His general dickishness to the press and the fans.
- The widespread rumors of him cheating on his cancer-ridden wife.
- He was part of the los pollos tres.
The last three things, in and of themselves aren’t the biggest deals in the world, especially the personal stuff. But when combine them with the turd he left on the filed it adds a bit more to the shit stew.
This isn’t JD Drew being unfairly maligned by “Sawx Fans” because he’s not a dirt dog. Lackey is a terrible signing of a guy who wasn’t going to fit in here. And he’s making north of $17M a year to do it.
Being a contrarian is part-and-parcel of the internet, I get that, but to insinuate that the “angry mob mentality” of the fans is wrong is just incorrect.
All good points. I acknowledge that I’m in the vast minority here, and I’m not trying to frame it as a right/wrong issue. It’s all, like…my opinion, man.
Generally, when a guy is signed for an outrageous contract and he doesn’t perform, there’s an extra bit of resentment aimed at the player that should really be directed at the front office. In the case of Drew, it was worse, since he was actually a good player here, while Lackey was horrific this year. However, Lackey was decent in 2010 (3.85 FIP), he was treated poorly even then, and much of it had to do with his contract.
I don’t think that he is the sharpest tool in the shed, and that certainly comes out in his interviews and his overall demeanor. He’ll say things that a more savvy interviewee would keep a lid on. His facial expressions on the mound are much more demonstrative when a play isn’t made, while a smart pitcher will just bite his lip and prepare for the next batter. This certainly isn’t a good trait for a member of the Red Sox, but again, shouldn’t management take some of the heat for not vetting him?
With the wife and the cancer, my theory is that the situation is a bit more complicated than the Inside Track narrative, and I think a lot of unfair assumptions have been made. You mentioned that it’s not the biggest deal, but a lot of media/fans have certainly used it as ammunition.
Again, this is all my own warped view. Fundamentally, I’ve never been much of a boo-bird. Sometimes that comes off as elitism, but that’s never my intention.