Jonny Gomes to Red Sox - 2 years/$10 million

[reillymcshane]

Jonny Gomes gets $10 million over 2 years to go to Boston.

 

http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/8660831/jonny-gomes-boston-red-sox-agree-2-year-10-million-deal-source-says

 

I don't really think this is a big deal, other than the fact Jonny Gomes is getting paid $10 million. I thought that after a very good 2012 he'd get a couple of million. Not five.

 

The guy is a terrible fielder, and he can't hit righties. He has a .692 OPS against them over the past three years. But he does rake against lefties - .904 OPS over the last three years.

 

Yes, Gomes hit well in 2012. But he seems to bad as often as he is good. His fielding is bad. And the team can't DH him much, since Big Papi holds that slot.

 

I guess I still can't see it. He should do well at Fenway. So long as the Red Sox limit him to facing lefties. But the price seems high.

[monty57]

Gomes is the type guy who would be a perfect fit in Milwaukee, but if right-handed, platoon corner OFs / RH bats off the bench demand 2 year / $10MM deals, then I hope we stay out of the pool.

 

This is an example of how utilizing a player correctly can greatly increase his value. Sure, Gomes had a nice "slash line" of .262 avg / .377 OBP / .491 SLG / .868 OPS, but it's only in 279 AB because the A's wisely used him mainly against LHP (164 AB vs LHP .974 OPS, 115 AP vs RHP .715 OPS). The A's of course aren't getting compensated for this, but it's why I lobbied for the Brewers to trade Morgan after the 2011 season, and why Kam Loe could be valueable if used correctly.

 

That said, this is a big overpay, as he should only get 1/2 seasons worth of PAs. If he gets more than that it's because he's getting a lot of PAs against RHP, which will cause the Red Sox nation to scream.

[JohnBriggs12]

While I think the Brewers could use a veteran RH bat off the bench, with Roenicke's propensity to use catchers in that role, it lessens the need. Aoki is going to be the everyday RF. Maybe you want to rest him occasionally against a lefty but as a leadoff guy, he needs to be in there almost every day. There is still plenty of RH thunder up and down this lineup to make any lefty nervous.

 

The Brewers need to look in the bargain bin for a guy coming off an injury/down year. Matt Diaz has worn out lefties in his career, and is coming off a thumb injury that ended his 2012 season early. His last contract was 4.125 million over 2 years. I'm sure he could be had for considerably less than $2 million on a one year deal.