Toni Graffanino Placed on Waivers

[FlashGordon]

You can read more at BostonGlobe.com. I can't explain it, but the feeling I have for this year's team as Spring Training draws to a close is about what I felt for last year's. Some key departures, more than a few question marks, but this time a definite sense that the party's over. Obviously the Sox are not coming off a World Series title, but whatever glow there was last year in the absence of a dominating presence like Pedro Martinez in the rotation, is really just a fond memory. I'm inclined to think that the Sox will once again be competing for the Wild Card slot and it is unlikely that we'll see any Cy Young buzz or any batting champions. Manny will probably contend for the HR title, but even his statement in today's Hartford Courant that he wants to win a Gold Glove before he retires, I'm expecting little change in Manny's approach to fielding.

One difference over some recent seasons, however, is the degree to which the Red Sox are gambling upon an array of unknowns to converge miraculously and create team chemistry; and given the pre-season lack of standout performances, they'll need chemistry to replace what is missing on the individual performance level. I'm hopeful, but not yet bullish on what I see coming together. Oh well, all teams are tied for first on opening day. :o

[RedSoxVT92]

There wasnt much room for graffinino here although it is too bad to see him go. This season has the a lot of "what ifs". If Mark Loretta, Mike Lowell, and even Alex Gonzalez can return to 2004 form we have a very good line up. How will youk do as a starter now and can he produce. Will Foulke and Schilling be able to come back from last year. How will the clubhouse do without Damon or Millar. Also will Nixon be able to stay healthy. So if everything goes right the Red Sox have a very good chance this season. If not then were in trouble. Only time will tell.

[Solair Wright]

Give him to the Mets. They could use a second baseman over there. They have switch hitting Kaz Matsui, but he hasn't been that great for them, and he hasn't posted his numbers as he did in Japan.

[efin98]

He didn't really do much of anything except play. No real big games, no outstanding plays, no game winning hits. Just played. He was simply taking a roster spot away from another guy who could be better used, like Adam Stern.

Sorry, but he's not worth keeping around. They are too deep in other positions for him to stay on the team. Let him play elsewhere where he can actually contribute to the team every game, he at least deserves that.

[Mariano_Rivera]

future

Boston's fate will be decided by both schilling and Foulke though I`m a Yankee Fan I want them to compete though I believe they will be third to Toronto :gt

[Mariano_Rivera]

my response

He didn't really do much of anything except play. No real big games, no outstanding plays, no game winning hits. Just played. He was simply taking a roster spot away from another guy who could be better used, like Adam Stern.

Sorry, but he's not worth keeping around. They are too deep in other positions for him to stay on the team. Let him play elsewhere where he can actually contribute to the team every game, he at least deserves that.

Na na na na, Na na, hey hey Goodbye thats the song grafinnino will soon be singing

[FlashGordon]

He didn't really do much of anything except play. No real big games, no outstanding plays, no game winning hits. Just played. He was simply taking a roster spot away from another guy who could be better used, like Adam Stern.

Sorry, but he's not worth keeping around. They are too deep in other positions for him to stay on the team. Let him play elsewhere where he can actually contribute to the team every game, he at least deserves that.

Basically I agree with you. My main concern is that the Sox seem to have gathered a number of FAs for spring training who do exactly that, just play. I hope that when the dust settles they've assembled a solid team, but they seem to be banking a lot on players who are invited in as steady players with great potential, only to dismiss them as average or slightly less. I'm just thinking that soon after all the hoopla each mediocre signing generates, the fans, media, and perhaps even the front office, seem to lose faith that all that "potential" will ever come to fruition. That, in my opinion, is what made Renteria just another casulty and could very well return us to the days when Boston was the first team in the no-trade clauses.

[Mariano_Rivera]

renteria

Basically I agree with you. My main concern is that the Sox seem to have gathered a number of FAs for spring training who do exactly that, just play. I hope that when the dust settles they've assembled a solid team, but they seem to be banking a lot on players who are invited in as steady players with great potential, only to dismiss them as average or slightly less. I'm just thinking that soon after all the hoopla each mediocre signing generates, the fans, media, and perhaps even the front office, seem to lose faith that all that "potential" will ever come to fruition. That, in my opinion, is what made Renteria just another casulty and could very well return us to the days when Boston was the first team in the no-trade clauses.

Actually Renteria was a very good player and offensively he was a great weapon whichn overshadows his weakness in the field which would have gotten better this year nnow that he has adjusted

[KCGHOST]

You would think the Sox could have at least got a bag of balls for him, rather than just cutting him loose.

[Mike D.]

Graffy was a good guy to have around, but has never proven he can stay healthy for a full season. With Loretta at 2b, Gonzo at SS, and Cora backing them both up, Graffy was the odd man out.

I'm hoping that someone claims him on waivers and the Sox are able to work a deal where they get something for him. I think that was their plan when they offered him arbitration, either that, or that he'd sign elsewhere and they'd get a compensation draft pick for him.

As far as concerns about the team...there's always question marks...especially when it comes to health. Last year it was Schillings health, the year before that, Pedro's health, the year before that, 2003, was similar to this year...how will the "new guys" do...Mueller, Millar, Ortiz, Giambi, Walker, etc.

[efin98]

Basically I agree with you. My main concern is that the Sox seem to have gathered a number of FAs for spring training who do exactly that, just play. I hope that when the dust settles they've assembled a solid team, but they seem to be banking a lot on players who are invited in as steady players with great potential, only to dismiss them as average or slightly less. I'm just thinking that soon after all the hoopla each mediocre signing generates, the fans, media, and perhaps even the front office, seem to lose faith that all that "potential" will ever come to fruition. That, in my opinion, is what made Renteria just another casulty and could very well return us to the days when Boston was the first team in the no-trade clauses.

The team fills each need as they arise, but when that need is no longer there and they have a person who can't fit in anywhere else, that player is gone.

If that person costs more than they are really worth, that player is gone.

If that person costs the team games rather than helping them win games that person is gone.

What you are left with is a solid group of players who can play well and win you games, that's all the GM has to do. Beyond that it's up to the players and coaches to get the job done.


With Graf there was as clear need last year. He could play the field 10x better than Bellhorn and offer them some flexibility in infield.

Then they got guys who can play other positions much better than Graf could so that took away his useful trait. Then when it was clear that he was not the great runner that Cora is or that everyone would be healthy and he wouldn't even be the top utility player on the team(Cora and Machado get that nod) he was expendable. So he went.

[SoxSon]

Graff's gone back to where he came from. K.C. has claimed him:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2387557

[Evangelion]

Graffanino hit 319. in 51 games for the Red Sox last season. He was actually pretty good last season with the bat.

Actually Renteria was a very good player and offensively he was a great weapon whichn overshadows his weakness in the field which would have gotten better this year nnow that he has adjusted

I doubt it. It did not seem Renteria was getting use to Boston media. He was not very good player. He was an overall solid player. He only had one very good offense in 2003. Outside of that, he's a typical 270.-280. hitter, who was suppose to play solid defense and did not.

He could play the field 10x better than Bellhorn and offer them some flexibility in infield.

Umm, no. Bellhorn was a solid 2B, but couldn't hit a ball and struke out a billion times. Tony was brought in to help the offense mostly and replace Bellhorn in the line-up. Bellhorn had 985. fielding percentage at 2B base before he was released by the Sox.

[FlashGordon]

In today's Hartford Courant, Tony Graffanino vents about the way he was treated this off-season by the Red Sox. The most telling part of the article was the following quote:

"I think they screwed me, basically," Graffanino said. "All bitterness aside, I guess they made a business decision. The only problem with business decisions is instead of dealing with things, you're dealing with people."

The problem I see, that many of the fantasy leaguers and armchair GMs don't, is that the way this team is handling personell is a little too much like a bunch of kids playing EA Sports leagues. In fantasy leagues and video games, you can swap players all you want because they're just programs, not people. Anyone who has ever had to manage a group of people, regardless of their salaries, knows that the more you treat people like Lego blocks to be snapped in and out of position, the more they avoid working with you, the less they give to you in return, and the less productive your work unit becomes.

There's a reason why the Red Sox went 86 years without a World Series title, and a lot of it came as a consequence of the buzz that Boston was a team you didn't want to have anything to do with. To this day Boston still struggles with the lingering effects of being the last team to integrate. If Theo and pals think they can just scour the discount bin and find lightening in a bottle every season, they will soon find that they've unwisely spent the "political capital" the 2004 season gave them. Today's heroes often become tomorrow's goats: just look at Roger Clemens.

[DoubleX]

Who takes Graffanino's place on the bench? Cora? Machado?

I think the Sox should have kept him as he's great for depth. He can play all IF positions, and his bat is steady enough that he can start for stretches if necessary. Cora, if that is who will actually get that backup IF job, does not give the team the flexibility that Graffanino does, and he's just not as good as Graffanino.