Felger & Mazz: The Red Sox Should Never Be Sellers
BOSTON (CBS) - The 38-45 Red Sox show no signs of turning their season around and many around these parts are already chalking it up to a lost season, so now the topic of selling off assets has jumped to the forefront.
After a caller made the case that Jon Lester is overrated, Michael Felger thought it'd be worthwhile to share his stance on "buying" or "selling" in regards to Lester and others.
"I don't think the Red Sox should ever be sellers, especially when they're only five or six games out of the second wild card. I just think it's a bad look. The Red Sox, the Yankees, the Dodgers -- there are a handful of teams that should pretty much never be sellers," said Felger. "The 'seller' teams should be the ones where the Lester contract makes or breaks them, and they have to decide whether to give up the contract and get some prospects in return because they need the cost efficiency of young players. That's a move for a mid-market team. If you're the Red Sox I don't think you should ever sell."
Marc Bertrand disagrees to an extent and thinks there are certain occasions where you must sell, but acknowledges the Red Sox probably won't this year because "they don't have it in them." Beetle also would not consider Jon Lester as a trade candidate because he's been very vocal in bringing him back for next year and beyond on a long term deal.
But guys, what about 2012 in the dreaded Bobby Valentine year? They sold that year.
"The Sox did sell famously a couple years ago in Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. But that wasn't a trade deadline. That wasn't a waiver deadline deal. It was late in August. It was that second, non-waiver deadline or whatever it is. That was a late sell. They weren't shopping those players," said Felger.
"That thing fell into their laps from an ownership level three weeks after the trade deadline. That's a different circumstance. At the end of August that year with Bobby Valentine the team was way gone."
There's a line of thinking out there that if Jon Lester -- whose representatives recently resumed contract negotiations with the Red Sox -- can't come to an agreement with the team on a long term deal then you must part ways this summer to get something back in return.
But that's not entirely true. If Lester signs with another team in the winter then the Red Sox will be compensated with a draft pick. Felger and Bertrand don't think it'll get to that point because they believe something will get done.
"If I'm the Red Sox I never sell," Felger said in conclusion.
Beetle fired back, "What if it's Jake Peavy?"
"Okay. I'm never selling good players. Peavy? Fine. A.J. Pierzynski? Fine. But anybody I actually like? I'm not trading anybody I actually like, unless or until it's 2012 and it's Bobby Valentine and things are so off the rails it's beyond obvious. I'm not [selling] in June or July, and I don't think they will either," said Felger.
Listen below to the full discussion:
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