Red Sox Get What They Pay For Shopping From Baseball Clearance Racks

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox employed drastically different methods this offseason while shopping for the latest in fashions for their World Series wardrobe.

While Yankee GM Brian Cashman was being fitted for a double breasted Armani from Bergdorf Goodman, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein was hurriedly scouring Filene’s Bargain Basement in hopes of sweeping up a dickey that had fallen behind the clearance table the season before.

Cashman left Yankee Stadium with Hal Steinbrenners platinum card last December and returned home after spending more on high priced free agents than Jennifer Anniston spends on lingerie.

Epstein, on the other hand, did his shopping at Consignment Emporium after fishing John Henry’s overstuffed Lazy Boy for loose nickels and food stamps to fund his offseason shopping spree.

Cashman’s Fillet Mignon palate landed him tasty morsels including CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Mark Teixeira and has Yankee fans salivating for another championship.

Epstein opted to fill the Red Sox shopping cart with slightly dented cans from the rear of the neighborhood Piggly Wiggly and may just leave Red Sox fans in the Express Checkout this postseason.

While it is not a given that high price shopping equates to an automatic championship, Epstein’s decision to fill 20 percent of the team’s roster with recently injured retreads has left the Red Sox with some glaring holes as they enter the final weeks of the season.

In a span of seven days last January, Epstein announced the signings of what were referred to as “low risk, high return” free agents as a clever way to counter Cashman’s careless spending.

Rocco Baldelli was signed as the team’s fourth outfielder despite being plagued with mitochondrial myopathy a rare neuromuscular disease. The disease leaves him unable to play back to back games and has robbed him of the skills and he showed as a promising young player in his first several seasons with the Rays.

Baldelli, who is currently on the DL for the second time this season for unrelated injuries is batting .261 in 111 AB this season and has truly performed adequately for the Sox when called upon.

The Sox then signed, former Marlin and Dodger ace, Brad Penny to a one-year, incentive laden contract. Penny was limited to 17 starts due to a shoulder injury last season en-route to a 6-9 record and a 6.27 ERA.

The burly righthander has been just north of mediocre as Boston’s fifth starter. The former NL All-star has a 7-6 record and a 5.20 ERA. He has pitched into the beyond inning in only four of 21 starts and has not made it out of the seventh this season.

With Boston starters Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka spending substantial time on the disabled list, Penny has essentially become the team’s number three option, a role that he simply has not adequately filled.

The team continued their spree by signing former Dodger closer Takashi Saito. Saito, who missed the end of last season with a sore right elbow, has been solid for the Sox out of the bullpen, but hardly the pitcher that saved 81 games in 91 attempts over three seasons with the Dodgers.

He is currently 2-3 with a 3.15 ERA as a set up man for the Sox.

Perhaps the biggest Sox gamble of the offseason had potentially the biggest upside, when the Sox signed 42-year-old future Hall of Famer John Smoltz.

Smotlz was coming off of right shoulder surgery last June and was viewed as a mid season boost to the Red Sox rotation. With the injuries to Wakefield and Matsuzaka, Smoltz was quickly elevated to the role of savior rather than a reinforcement.

After struggling to a painful to watch 2-5 win-loss record with an 8.33 ERA, Smoltz was designated for assignment.

With the Yankees lead now up to five and a half games and the Rays nipping at Theo’s flip flops, Epstein’s coupon cutting has the Red Sox faithful lining up at the Wal-mart return counter.

As the Cashman led Yankees laugh all the way to the bank dressed in Yves St. Laurent, Epstein’s Salvation Army Moo Moo continues to fray at the hem.

Perhaps it is time for Epstein and the Sox to skip the Blue Light Special at K-Mart and realize that you get what you pay for.

Todd Civin is a freelance writer for the Bleacher Report and Seamheads. He can be reached at toddcivin1@aim.com for comment or hire. He is also a supporter of A Glove of Their Own, the award winning children’s story that is capturing the heart of the nation by teaching sharing through baseball.

AGOTO has recently been adopted by Dick Drago, Luis Tiant, Phil Niekro, Ed Herrmann and The Joe Niekro Foundation as part of their fund rasing campaigns. Visit agloveoftheirown.com to offer your support.