Welcome back to the AL East Erik Bedard.
A day after a deal for Oakland’s Rich Harden had fallen apart Theo was in search of starting rotation help. Harden for Lars Anderson seemed a slam dunk but the Sox were scared away by Harden’s medical records.
You must be convinced at this point that Clay Buchholz won’t be back anytime soon since Theo’s attention was focused at the deadline for another starter.
We’d heard different names such as Harden and Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez (who was dealt to Cleveland) and as the trade deadline got closer and closer we started hearing Bedard’s name. A far cry from Felix Hernandez who’s the #1 in the Seattle rotation but still…if Bedard can return to his top form when he was with the Orioles, this will be a steal for the Sox.
Here’s how the trade breaks down (thanks to our friends at ESPN.com):
In the trade, Bedard and fellow Mariners pitcher Josh Fields are headed to Boston; Dodgers outfield prospect Trayvon Robinson is going to Seattle; Red Sox prospects Tim Federowicz, Juan Rodriguez and Stephen Fife are headed to the Dodgers; and Boston prospect Chih Hsien Chiang is headed for Seattle.
Bedard is coming back from the DL so it was a bit of a risk. He was very comfy in the small markets like Baltimore and Seattle so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to the Boston media.
It’ll be an interesting ride, it always is. The team is 2 games up on the Yankees, they have the best record in the American League, and even if New York overtakes them, the East has a clear line on the Wild Card this year.
And if all that fails, we have the Patriots.
