Best Trade-Deadline Pickup Ever?

Tonight, the Red Sox will showcase an addition to their lineup, acquired just before the trade deadline and just in time for the three-way AL East pennant race involving them, the Yankees and the Rays. Here are his year-by-year home runs, RBI and OPS+ since 2003:

• 2003: 31, 101, 144
• 2004: 41, 139, 145
• 2005: 47, 148, 158
• 2006: 54, 137, 161
• 2007: 35, 117, 171
• 2008: 13, 43, 118

His numbers are off a bit in 2008, thanks to a miserable April, but he put up a 176 OPS+ in May. Of course, he's coming off an injury that torpedoed his June and first half of July, but his cost is low, so consider him a low-risk, high-reward pickup. I think we can all safely be excited about what this acquisition could mean for a lineup that already leads the AL in batting and on-base percentage.

Comments

[Nick-YF]

The Sox performed very well with Ortiz out. Theo should be credited for building a very deep team that could withstand such a loss.

The Yanks have also done very well considering their injuries. Unfortunately, unless they sign Bonds, no one quite like David Ortiz is coming on board for them.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

did anybody else see this post about manny over at deadspin?

http://tinyurl.com/56pmqm

amazing.

[A YF]

Hmmmm, will he beat?:

.305 .391 .585 - 20 HR 60 RBIs in 78 games

Any one want to "Name that acquisition."?

[Atheose]

Holy shit YFiB! That's gotta be the strangest story I've ever read.

[Paul SF]

They have done very well, surprisingly so. The Globe today notes the Sox actually improved their offensive output across the board with Ortiz out.

Of course, J.D. Drew had a lot to do with that, as has Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, but the Globe also fails to mention that a team's offense should be increasing as the weather gets warmer.

Leaguewide OPS by month and the differential to the Sox':

April: .731 (Sox: +.044)
May: .719 (+.092)
June: .779 (+.052)
July: .752 (+.029)

Note that when Papi had his monster month of May, the Sox' offense performed the best relative to the league. Despite having a number of streaking players right now, the Sox are actually having their worst offensive month of the season when you account for what the league is doing, something the Globe doesn't figure.

At any rate, it'll be nice to get Papi back.

[Atheose]

Speaking of getting people back, did anyone see Curt's recent post on www.38pitches.com? He has some fantastic pictures of his operation and a hell of a lot of description. Whether you love or hate Curt, you really have to appreciate that kind of information. The picture of the tear in his bicep is amazing.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

i know, atheose. if i were sitting anywhere near LF tonight I'd bring as many cheap hand towels as i could sneak in and a bottle of hershey's syrup, handing them out to anyone wearing any yankees paraphernalia. too wonderful an opportunity to pass up. supposedly there will be madonna masks at fenway tonight, i think this would be a fine retort.

[A YF]

"cheap hand towels as i could sneak in and a bottle of hershey's syrup"

Problem is, Manny would start eating them.

Reminds me of Bill Murray in the pool of Caddyshack...

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

i was trying to come up with a catchy name for these (a la "homer hankies"), but everything i came up with was more gross than clever. i really hope someone starts this up.

[DuffsWhole30Challenge]

re: story about Manny's wipe habits

It's on the internet, it MUST be true!

[A YF]

Crappy Nappy's?

[LocklandSF]

Mandi Wipes

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

whatever they're called, their slogan can be:
To help you "do your job."

duff- obviously everything on the internet is true. everybody knows that.

[A YF]

"obviously everything on the internet is true. everybody knows that."

Deadspin most especially.

[yankees76]

"Mandi Wipes" is pretty good, Lockland.