Keep Him or Trade Him?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about whether or not the Red Sox will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Personally, I think it’s way too early to discuss this since it’s only a month and a half into the season, and things will start to settle in another month or so. If the Red Sox continue to play like they did this weekend, they will be buyers. If they continue to play like they have the past week or so, they will be sellers.

But, in the spirit of debate, I thought I would make my own Keep Him or Trade Him post and give my reasoning behind my thoughts on each player. Feel free to chime in if you want because I do like a good debate.

Jon Lester (P)- Keep Him
Lester’s struggled this season (1-3, 4.29 ERA), but he is the Ace of the pitching staff. Even when he struggles, the fans love him (unlike Beckett). The Red Sox are behind him 100%, and he really seems to take responsibility when he doesn’t pitch well. He’s gotten better the deeper into the season, which is what he typically does. The Sox will definitely keep Lester.

Josh Beckett (P)- Keep Him
Honestly, I don’t know how the Red Sox can trade Beckett; he has 10/5 rights, which means he can veto any trade. He’s signed through 2014 as well, and his contract is too much for most of the teams (signed a 4yr/$68 million contract in 2010). Unless the Red Sox eat most/all the contract, there’s no way their moving him. Besides, Beckett can be effective when his mind is in the game, which is what the Red Sox need at the moment.

Clay Buchholz (P)- Trade Him
I don’t know how much Buchholz is worth on the market, but I think the Red Sox need to trade him. The team has Matsuzaka coming in the next week or so, which means they’ll either need to get rid of a starter, move a starter, or go with a six-man rotation. Surprisingly, Buchholz leads the team with wins (4), but he has a grotesque 8.31 ERA. He hasn’t looked sharp in any of his starts thus far. Buchholz needs to be moved either to the bullpen, Triple-A, or to another team.

Felix Doubront (P)- Keep Him
The Red Sox will keep Doubront because he’s effective and cheap ($484K this year). He’s only 24, and if he keeps pitching like he did on Saturday, he’ll become an important member of the Red Sox pitching staff for years to come. He’s a lefty with a 3-1 record and a 4.46 ERA thus far. Sure, he’ll be worth a lot on the open market, but I think the Sox need to keep him.

Daniel Bard (P)- Keep Him
Bard is becoming one of the efficient pitchers on the Red Sox staff. He’s pitched well as a converted reliever (3-4, 4.30 ERA), and he’s filled in as a reliever once this year. He’s too valuable as a starter and a reliever for the Red Sox to get rid of him. He stays.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (P)- Keep Him
Matsuzaka has not pitched in the Majors this year, though he should be coming to the rotation in the next week or two. He’s on the final year of a 6 year contract. At the moment, he doesn’t have much trade value, and he hasn’t really been that great over the years. Matsuzaka could fill in nicely as a #5 starter for the rest of the season (moving Doubront and Bard up a notch, not that it matters). Besides, he’s owed $10 million this year, which is huge.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C)- Keep Him
I’m saying keep Salty simply because Varitek pretty much groomed him last year. The pitching staff is obviously suffering without having Tek behind the plate, but Tek taught Salty. They need to keep Salty. Offensively, Saltalamacchia is hitting .250 with 7 doubles, 5 home runs, and 15 RBIs.

Kelly Shoppach (C)- Trade Him
I’m only thinking that the Red Sox should trade Shoppach so Lavarnway can come up. I’ve enjoyed watching Shoppach play this season, and I think he’s done a great job behind the plate. But, Lavarnway is the future, and it might be time for the future to happen. We’ve already seen a resurgence at third base with Middlebroooks, so maybe it’s time for the catcher position.

Adrian Gonzalez (1B), Dustin Pedroia (2B), David Ortiz (DH)- Keep Him
I combined Gonzalez, Pedroia, and Ortiz because I don’t see even trade talks happening about these three players. Gonzalez is in the first year of his contract, Pedroia is the de facto captain, and Ortiz wants to finish his career with the Red Sox. Besides, these are arguably the three most valuable players on the team. Not happening.

Mike Aviles (SS)- Keep Him
I admit, I was a bit wary after the Sox traded Marco Scutaro in the offseason. I wasn’t ready for Iglesias to take over short (and he’s obviously not ready), and I wasn’t sure what Aviles was capable of. Well, Aviles has filled in nicely at shortstop and taken over lead-off for the majority of the season. He’s currently hitting .261 with five home runs. Iglesias is not ready for the Majors, so the Red Sox need to keep Aviles.

Kevin Youkilis (3B)- Trade Him
It hurts me to put that into words, but it may be time for the Red Sox to depart with Youkilis. Middlebrooks has filled in wonderfully for Youkilis in the past week and a half; and though it’s still early, I can’t see how the Red Sox could put Youkilis back in the line-up with Middlebrooks in the Majors. Youkilis stock is obviously down, but in a package with Buchholz possibly, he would be one of the most obvious trade chips.

Ryan Sweeney (OF)- Keep Him
Sweeney has been one of the great surprises on this Red Sox team so far. He’s hitting .333 with 13 doubles, 1 triple, and 11 RBIs. He’s being paid $1.75 million this year, which is very affordable. I think the Sox need to keep Sweeney around until they either have a legitimate right-fielder (when Kalish re-emerges possibly) or see how he does full-time. He’s only 27, and he’s done pretty well leading off lately too.

Jacoby Ellsbury (OF)- Keep Him
If I had my way, I would try and sign Ellsbury long-term before he becomes a free agent in 2014 (though his agent is Scott Boras, so not sure how that will happen). He’s not a viable trade chip right now because of the injuries. When he’s on the field, Ellsbury is one of the most exciting players on the Red Sox team. He’s not good for a quote (like Pedroia), but after last season, his record-breaking steals season, and the steal of home against the Yankees a few years ago, Ellsbury is that piece of the puzzle that the Red Sox can’t afford to lose.

Carl Crawford (OF)- Keep Him
Crawford won’t be trade for a few reason: he’s on the DL, he had a bad year last year, and he’s owed too much on his contract.

Marlon Byrd (OF)- Trade Him
Byrd’s done well since coming over from the Cubs. He’s hitting .281 with the Red Sox and has been a good defender. However, once Ellsbury and/or Crawford come back, he’s expendable. The Sox will need to make room for the outfielders they have, and Byrd seems to be the odd-man-out.

Cody Ross (OF)- Keep Him
Ross seems to be that spark this season. When he hits a home run, he crushes it (over the Green Monster on a few occasions). He has five home runs this season and 23 RBIs. He has a great personality, and the Red Sox got him fairly cheap (1 yr/ $3 million). Again, once Ellsbury and/or Crawford return, Ross and Sweeney platooning at right, like what was supposed to happen, will make his numbers go up even more. Keep him.

Darnell McDonald (OF)- Trade Him
Darnell McDonald is one of my favorite players to follow on Twitter. He has a great and positive personality. McDonald plays Again, once Ellsbury and/or Crawford return, people need to move. Unfortunately, it may be time to see goodbye to McDonald.

Nick Punto (IF)- Trade Him
Punto is a utility player, but he hasn’t done much. He was something like 0-22 before getting a hit this weekend. He’s hitting .147. I’m not sure how much the Red Sox could get for him, but hopefully an effective arm in the bullpen would be sufficient.

Will Middlebrooks (3B)- Keep Him
The Red Sox will be keeping Will Middlebrooks unless they get desperate. The Red Sox need to get younger as a team, and this is the way they do it. Middlebrooks has been a spark on an otherwise dull team this year, and he seems to carry the team at times. The Red Sox will keep him.

Those are the major players in the Keep Him or Trade Him category, plus a few prospects and relief help. My list would be a little too long and meaningless if I went into all those players, since any of the prospects and relief help would be trade bait. We’ll have to wait and see what Cherington decides to do.