How Marco Scutaro Ripped Off The Red Sox
One week ago, the Boston Red Sox made the first blunder of the 2009 off-season by signing 34-year old utility infielder Marco Scutaro to be their starting shortstop next season.
Scutaro batted .282 last season with 12 home runs, 60 RBI, 100 runs, and 14 steals. Because of Scutaro’s Type A free-agency status, the Red Sox had to give up a first-round pick to the Blue Jays. Word on the street is the team felt they were good on first rounders because they gained one when Billy Wagner signed with the Atlanta Braves.
While I do consider myself an expert in fantasy baseball drafts, I don’t claim to be an expert in MLB amateur drafts. That said, I hear first round picks are a good thing to have.
It seems to me that the first-year player draft is going to include international players very soon – if not next season. At the latest, I’m sure the draft will become international by 2011.
Anyway, my point with this statement is that the first year player draft is quickly going to become more important, and first round picks in Major League Baseball may actually matter again!
When the draft goes international, it won’t be long before teams like the Sox and Yanks lose out on the ability to just throw cash at the best international players and sign them without any competition from the little guys. Sooner rather than later, an ace-caliber pitcher like Yu Darvish or Aroldis Chapman could actually be picked up by teams like the Nats and Royals instead of simply filing for free agency and letting the bidding wars begin.
Was a 34-year old career utility infielder coming off his career year really worth $5-million for each of the next two seasons with the added cost of losing a first round draft pick?
If the draft really does go international, I would have to say no. There will be significant talent depth in the first year player draft, and first round draft picks could begin to have value in trade negotiations, like they do in the NFL and NBA.
Hopefully Red Sox Nation isn’t burnt too bad by overpaying for Scutaro. But I’m afraid the investment and the loss in exchange for his production simply won’t add up to success in 2010.
December 10th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
I’m not sure it’s that big an error. The focus here was the contract length: 2 years. They’ve got a stud in AA or AAA who’s a year or two away from coming up. This signing gave them the perfect stopgap, and a player who can fill in other places if need be.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Scutaro was signed primarily for his defense. While a first-rounder is a lot to surrender, it’s true, the Sox desperately needed to upgrade their defense and he was the best available option that had some semblance of offensive ability.
I have no idea where you were going with that whole international draft digression, it’s entirely irrelevant to the Scutaro signing. There will be no international draft in 2010.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:12 am
@Norcross – I’m cool with signing a stopgap, but at a pay increase of 500%? Scutaro will be useful, I just don’t know if they needed to spend so much for him AND lose the draft pick.
@Alpine – the draft digression has more to do with the first round draft pick loss than anything else. The international draft is coming and teams are going to need to value their picks more closely. It was more a cautionary tale / lesson than anything else.
December 15th, 2009 at 4:57 am
The draft doesn’t include international players now. Its kind of irrelevant that it might in the future.
The argument your making could apply to any team, that no one should sign Scutaro because of the cost of his first round pick. But in this case the Red Sox needed a good shortstop quite badly, look at what kind of offensive numbers the Red Sox shortstop put up last year.
Lastly, if the draft included international players the way your saying it should and will in the future it will drive up free agent signing not limit it. The ‘teams like the sox and yanks’ as you put it wont be getting a shot at Chapman, just like they didn’t get a shot at Strasburg this year. Their first round pick will still be worth so much less than other teams, because it will be at the end of the first round, that they will continue to sign big free agents.
December 28th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
I don’t get how the Red Sox GM makes brilliant moves and then stupid ones like this. I’m surprised the Giant’s GM didn’t rush to sign this cat. I would expect that from him, but not from the Sox.