The Front Office

Thanks to Wookie for posing the question "what would you ask the FO in regard to Damon, Arroyo, and now Graffinino?", and thanks to Dover over at Surviving Grady for, coincidentally, posting the below quote around the same time.

"Scott [Boras] called me on the last night and said, ‘We have something coming over the transim, and we need you to make the deal’. The last one I had heard was for 7 years and 100 million or something like that and asked what the new deal was. He said, ‘5 years for 13 million a year’ and I told him we’ve never done 5 years and we’re not going to. You can imagine my surprise when he signed for 4. People say we didn’t respect him by not budging, but we never got a chance. We were lied to." – John W. Henry

This was aired on a local television show tonight.  And it tells me all I need to know (and already knew) about Scott Boras and, in turn, Johnny Damon.

And, wookie, I have no need to question them about it anyway.  Almost no one in Red Sox Nation, as I’ve written here numerous times, thought Johnny was worth five years or the money the Yankees gave him.  That has never been the issue with Damon.  The issue is the team he decided to go to.

Arroyo?  Well, my issue with the Arroyo trade is 1) I didn’t see the need for ANY trade for an outfielder right now and 2) they had other pitchers (David Wells I’m looking at you) they could have traded.  As much as I love Bronson…they made a trade that they thought would improve the team (and it probably has).  As a fan of Bronson’s, that doesn’t make me feel any better, but as Bronson knows too – business is business.  I don’t like what they did to Bronson, but it really isn’t a matter of taking them to task for it. 

And Graffanino?  He’s another one who is a fan favorite, a good guy and someone who didn’t want to leave.  They put him on waivers because we have a glut of infielders and he doesn’t fit into the plans of the team.  Again, I might personally not like it, but it isn’t as if the team is running this team poorly.  They’re making moves they think are best for the team.

So I’m curious as to why I would have to ‘ask’ the FO anything.  Do people wonder why the Yankees picked up another centerfielder when they still have Bernie Williams on the team?  Or why they let Tino Martinez go and signed Jason Giambi?  Apparently the double-standard is that the Yankees can do whatever  they want but any move the Red Sox make should get the FO crucified.

Just because I don’t love all the moves the team makes, doesn’t mean all the moves are necessarily bad.