Robbie Alomar to the Bosox?

[OaktownTribeFan]

Hal Lebovitz, who's been writing about the Indians since the '40s, thinks so. Here's his angle:

Hot rumor I just heard: The Red Sox and Mets are talking about trading second basemen, old friend Roberto Alomar to the Sox for Todd Walker. The Mets want to make it because they would get rid of Alomar's salary and he becomes a free agent at the end of the year. Walker is cheaper and more productive. Then why would the Red Sox consider it? In hopes, Fenway Park would give Robbie a booster shot.

(From today's column--he's not on the web; this was transcribed.)

[Craig S.]

I'd hate to pin my hopes on Alomar turning it around. If this is just a slump he's in, it's a long one. I'm not a Todd Walker fan, but I can't fault the job he's done so far this season. Alomar has upside if he can turn it around, but it's still a very expensive and risky deal.

[gyb13]

i don't see why boston would be interested

[Wolf Hopper]

Pedro says the trade would never happen because Robbie is Hispanic and baseball has a thing against Hispanics.

[sweaver]

:loud:

But do the Bosox? The way Alomar is playing, I don't see why Boston makes the deal, unless they think going to a contender will awaken Roberto's competitive fire.

[hmrsf]

Why on Earth would Boston do this? Walker is doing just fine where he is. Boston needs to absorb a salary dumb like a hole in the head. 2nd base is not the pressing problem.....pen issues, starting rotation are much more dire.........PITCHING!!!!!!



Other than that........things are just duckie:p !

[Fuzzy Bear]

Originally posted by hmrsf
Why on Earth would Boston do this? Walker is doing just fine where he is. Boston needs to absorb a salary dumb like a hole in the head. 2nd base is not the pressing problem.....pen issues, starting rotation are much more dire.........PITCHING!!!!!!

They would do such a thing because Red Sox management may think that Alomar is a better player than Walker, and an upgrade at 2B. (Tom Werner gave Alomar away to Toronto in a trade that, IMO, worked out badly for the Padres back when he was the Pad's owner, and his judgement may be clouded by that.)

Alomar is a better player than Todd Walker, in all liklihood, given the age differences of the two players and given recent performance. Alomar has declined, but he has declined FROM GREATNESS. Walker may be underrated and unfairly maligned, but Alomar has been a great player, and is only 35.

Alomar has his negatives, and I don't know if I would shake up the middle infield at this juncture of the season, especially when Walker is hitting .315. Perhaps Walker is perpetually underrated and unappreciated, since his days of disappointment in Minnesota. It does seem strange that no team that HAS Walker views him as especially valuble, despite his putting up some nice batting averages.

[gyb13]

Originally posted by Fuzzy Bear
Alomar has been a great player, and is only 35. ONLY 35?

[Wolf Hopper]

Originally posted by gyb13
ONLY 35?

It's very rare for a 2B to put up any numbers after age 35, BTW:


Most seasons with RCAA >= 20, 2B only


1 Eddie Collins 5
T2 Nap Lajoie 3
T2 Charlie Gehringer 3
4 Lou Whitaker 2
T5 Sam Wise 1
T5 Randy Velarde 1
T5 Joe Morgan 1
T5 Rogers Hornsby 1
T5 Toby Harrah 1
T5 Tom Daly 1

[TimmyB]

I would be shocked... SHOCKED... if Theo went for a deal like this.

Taking on a salary like that for a now marginal producer is just the kind of un-Beane-like thinking that Epstein is working to eradicate in Boston.

Ain't gonna happen.

[pathogan]

...i can actually see some upside from this for the Sox...I really think Alomar simply needs a change of scenery...and who cares about the money, the sox are loaded...and before Beane is canonized any further, his teams havent actually won anything yet,while the bloody Yankees have been a virtual dynasty with this kind of trading...

[TimmyB]

Originally posted by pathogan
...i can actually see some upside from this for the Sox...I really think Alomar simply needs a change of scenery...and who cares about the money, the sox are loaded...and before Beane is canonized any further, his teams havent actually won anything yet,while the bloody Yankees have been a virtual dynasty with this kind of trading...

The Yanks pay big money for medium-to-big production. I'm talking about paying big money for Mike Lansing-esque production. Those days are over in Boston (or, at least, that's whey they're telling us).

(I'm not looking to make this yet another Billy Beane thread -- maybe a better way of putting it would have been to refer to the $$$ vs. production concept.)

[pathogan]

Originally posted by TimmyB
The Yanks pay big money for medium-to-big production. I'm talking about paying big money for Mike Lansing-esque production. Those days are over in Boston (or, at least, that's whey they're telling us).

(I'm not looking to make this yet another Billy Beane thread -- maybe a better way of putting it would have been to refer to the $$$ vs. production concept.)

Point well taken, Tim

[rcartman28]

Originally posted by TimmyB
I would be shocked... SHOCKED... if Theo went for a deal like this.

Taking on a salary like that for a now marginal producer is just the kind of un-Beane-like thinking that Epstein is working to eradicate in Boston.

Ain't gonna happen.

I can't picture it, either.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Originally posted by Wolf Hopper
It's very rare for a 2B to put up any numbers after age 35, BTW:


Most seasons with RCAA >= 20, 2B only


1 Eddie Collins 5
T2 Nap Lajoie 3
T2 Charlie Gehringer 3
4 Lou Whitaker 2
T5 Sam Wise 1
T5 Randy Velarde 1
T5 Joe Morgan 1
T5 Rogers Hornsby 1
T5 Toby Harrah 1
T5 Tom Daly 1

It's rare, indeed. But Alomar is in the class of player that is likely to do it. Plus, players play longer today.

[Wolf Hopper]

Originally posted by Fuzzy Bear
It's rare, indeed. But Alomar is in the class of player that is likely to do it.

But, he's not doing it now - that's the point.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Originally posted by Wolf Hopper
But, he's not doing it now - that's the point.

There's a good argument to be made that Alomar needs a change of scenery, and that his career will revive with a trade to a winning team.

I will say, having thought about the issue a few days, that I now think that Alomar has regressed in ability, due to age. He may come back to being a .280 BA, 10 HR guy with good OBP but that's the top of the rebound, as far as I can see. Plus, the personality issues he brings to the clubhouse make him a guy I wouldn't particularly want.

[gyb13]

Originally posted by Fuzzy Bear
It's rare, indeed. But Alomar is in the class of player that is likely to do it. Plus, players play longer today. looking at the list, the only recent player there was Velarde....and alomar just had a change of scenery...

[OaktownTribeFan]

Now it turns out that Hal Lebovitz, the reporter whom I quoted to begin this thread, says that nobody wants Alomar:

And the Mets are finding almost no market for Robbie Alomar. They'd have to give him away virtually to get rid of his salary.

--From his 6/22/03 column in the News Herald--