John Lackey Signs With Boston
The Red Sox unloaded $85 million dollars today to secure the perceived best arm on the free agent market in John Lackey, signing him to a five-year contract. Lackey will join Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield to form the starting rotation.
Lackey, who turned 31 years old in October, has battled through injuries the last two seasons in Anaheim, limiting him to 24 and 27 starts respectively. His lack of durability has contributed to him only gaining 23 victories during the injury-riddled span. Lackey revitalized himself with a solid postseason performance with strong outings against the Yankees, making him a sought after commodity despite a body that appears to be physically breaking down.
With gaping holes at first base and and left field, the signing of Lackey brings questions to GM Theo Epstein’s strategy on righting his ballclub given his starting staff without Lackey was considered a strength of the team. The megadeal for Lackey all but assures that All-Star Jason Bay will not be returning and that Boston will look for a lower quality replacement such as Milwaukee’s Mike Cameron.
The Red Sox contract offer is intriguing for a player that is entering the backend of his prime and is on the decline. Lackey has seen his WHIP and BAA increased for two consecutive seasons, while his Ks per 9 innings has dropped five consecutive seasons from 8.56 to 7.10. These are not numbers for a $17M per year pitcher. His most valuable traits is his ability to pitch in big games, but he has to help get his team there first before he can pitch in those games.
Probably the most interesting part of this signing is Lackey’s fiery attitude and how it will fit in the Boston locker room. Criticized by many for his on-field behavior of berating teammates for errors, Lackey’s explosive behavior could be a challenge as he joins a team where he is not the star, or even the ace of the staff.
The leaders off the Red Sox are Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia. Rest assured, Youkilis will not take being chastised by anyone and if Lackey steps out of line, there could be trouble in Beantown. For Boston’s sake, Lackey better recognize that before he dons his new jersey.
Tags: Boston Red Sox, dustin pedroia, jason bay, john lackey, kevin youkilis
