Red Sox Over Mirabelli

There was a time when the Red Sox were so convinced of Doug Mirabelli's importance that just a few months after trading him to the Padres for Mark Loretta in 2006 they determined they just couldn't live without him and traded back for him. So important was he that they flew him out first class on the day the trade went through and rushed him to the stadium in a presidential-esque motorcade to insure that he got there in time to catch to catch Tim Wakefield's magical knuckeballs (apparently, no one else in the world can catch such pitches).

So back to his post as Wakefield's catcher he went, but after hitting less than .200 in his time back with the Sox they have finally realized a specialty catcher that can't hit aint worth a roster spot. Or $750K. He was released today, a move long overdue in my humble opinion. I have a hard time seeing the value in retaining a player with only one skill -- with the exception of a lefty specialist out of the 'pen perhaps -- and Dougie Fresh clearly wasn't contributing enough to the team.

It looks like the Red Sox are planning to use 30-year-old Kevin Cash in Mirabelli's place, which actually seems a tad more ridiculous, considering he is a career .167 hitter who has never played more than 60 games in a season. I know a backup catcher is somewhat hard to come by, but are their options really so limited that they are willing to essentially sacrifice a spot in the lineup every five games? Red Sox fans, help me here. What do you think? Good move?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-13-2008 @ 4:27PM

Ian said...

Economically the deal is a wash for the Red Sox. Of Mirabelli's $550K contract, only $150K was guaranteed. If the Sox do end up using Cash as the backup and Wake's catcher, he will probably make around $400K.

The biggest question to me is how Wake will react to having a new catcher for a full season. Cash was good for the short-term when he caught Wake last year but how will it affect him knowing that Dougie fresh is gone.

The Red Sox also have Dusty Brown who can catch knuckleballers since he's caught a few in the minors with the Sox.

Still a sad in RSN.

3-13-2008 @ 4:43PM

ogre said...

I Don't think Sox fans will miss him too much, but that is what everybody thought last time they parted ways. Yes it is painful seeing him in the lineup every 5 days, but it is also painful watching Wake's knuckleballs go past who ever is catching that day.

This is a tough one, but as long as Cash can catch and hit above .220 I think I will be happy.

Sad when comparing two hitters and they are both below .200

3-13-2008 @ 5:41PM

pitchcount said...

I rather enjoyed the fact that all the craziness surrounding Mirabelli's return happened to take place during Johnny Damon's first trip to Fenway as a Yankee, myself.

Honestly, if the Sox let Mirabelli go, then there must be a reason for it, and that reason is probably not Kevin Cash. It COULD be belief that Mirabelli has faded enough that he isn't an improvement over Cash anymore -- Cash is about 8 years younger and has knuckleball experience besides just filling in last season. But I'm guessing they probably have a better plan than that, it just isn't for public consumption yet.

3-13-2008 @ 6:44PM

wwc said...

why does fanhouse continue to bring in people who use BATTING AVERAGE as an indicator of someone's ability? please get rid of these schoolyard bloggers

3-13-2008 @ 8:38PM

tobrien28 said...

It isn't like Varitek lit it up last year either. He had one of his worst offensive years ever last year. As great as Boston's offense is, the catcher spot has become a weakness.

3-14-2008 @ 12:51AM

Jim Donzi said...

I believe that it is okay to use BATTING AVERAGE as an indicator of someone's ability in certain cases. For instance, when your BATTING AVERAGE is less than what Julio Lugo weighs, it is safe to say you do not have great baseball ability. Don't be a bitter stat nerd.