The Boston.com staff have posted some notes on WEEI's interview with Theo Epstein regarding the Arroyo trade. The only thing of any interest to me comes at the very end where the hosts asked Epstein about the contract which Arroyo signed in the off season. (To sum up: a below market deal at approximately $3m per year, with the express intent of it helping him stay in Boston, even though he didn't get a no-trade clause; Arroyo took the deal against his agent's advice, on the understanding that the Sox weren't actively trying to trade him.) Here's Epstein's paraphrased response:
I’ve seen it repeated about a ‘gentlemen’s agreement,’ ... I talked to Jed Hoyer about the contract. The topic came up, but we said we cannot guarantee you’ll not be traded. There was nothing hot. No imminent trade talks. But certainly things change over months. There was no gentleman’s agreement. No handshake. Obviously he wanted to stay in Boston. It’s tough to do to someone who’s been a loyal soldier, enjoys being in Boston. But have to do what’s best for the organization.
I can only imagine what the denizens of talk radio are saying (I'll soon find out as I'm heading home in 5 minutes). But it's left to Mike Wilbur at Boston.com to discuss the potential impact this has on the Sox. His lead says it all: "The moral? Don’t make any gentleman’s agreements with the Red Sox."
Regardless of whether there was a gentlemen's agreement or not, this isn't the first time the Sox have come out looking bad from what should be a routine transaction. They stepped on toes in acquiring Kevin Millar off waivers; they nixed the Lyle Overbee deal with Colorado; and now they trade away a player who had just signed for (a lot) less money than he could have in order to stay in Boston. I don't know if reputations mean anything at that level of baseball, or if money/talent is the deciding factor in all deals, but Theo has a long career ahead of him, and I can only hope he's protecting his reputation.
For what it's worth, sentiment is running about 60/40 on Boston.com that the Sox screwed Arroyo big-time. Of course, if the Sox win another World Series, nobody will care whether Pena turns out to be Phil Plantier or Jeff Bagwell, and whether Arroyo wins 2 or 20 games.
2 comments:
I guess my response to the Boston.com poll is to think that there was little chance of this ending happily. Bronson really wanted to stay in Boston, but the Sox have ~7 starting pitchers for 5 spots. Either he was walking as a free agent or resigning on the kind of favorable contract that made him likely to be traded. Either way he was likely to end up elsewhere.
(1) Leave it to sports radio to insist that there was a gentleman's agreement when Theo says there was no such agreement.
(2) Could one of you Insiders relay what Gammons thinks of the deal?
Post a Comment