posted on Sunday, March 30, 2008 1:05 AM
by
Jim
Let the Snack Times roll
This is why you never make too much of what Ozzie Guillen says, at least when it has no immediate implications. Compare what
he told Mark Gonzalez a week and a half ago:
"It's going to be better off for us to start the right way and make a
point right away," Guillen said. "We play the first two weeks of the
season against our own [division]. It's not going to decide it, but
it's going to [tell] how we're going to play."
Versus
what he said to Phil Rogers regarding his decision to keep Nick Masset instead of Ehren Wassermann:
Guillen said that the Sox were afraid Masset, who is out of options, would be claimed on waivers if he was sent to Charlotte.
"We're looking at what's best for 162 games, not 30 games," he said.
I'm not sure whether to be disappointed that Masset made the cut, or somewhat glad my skepticism wasn't in vain.
Here's the thing about keeping a guy like Masset over a guy like Wassermann when the first couple weeks of the season are so crucial. Look at the results from the season series against Detroit, Cleveland and Minnesota last year:
- vs. Detroit: 11-7, 85 runs scored, 89 runs allowed.
- vs. Cleveland: 7-11, 81 runs scored, 96 runs allowed.
- vs. Minnesota: 9-9, 88 runs scored, 111 runs allowed
As the run differential indicates, the success the Sox enjoyed inside the division didn't come easily. Twelve of the 18 games against Detroit were decided by one or two runs, as were half the games against Cleveland last year. Only again Minnesota were there very few close games (five), but the
Doubleheader of Doom is pretty much the cause of the whacked-out run total.
(Interestingly enough -- to me, at least -- is that only three of 19 games between the Twins and Sox were decided by one or two runs in 2006, despite a near-even record (advantage Twins, 10-9) and run differential (advantage Sox, 93-92).)
The Sox have four off days built into April, but probably will be getting a ton more if
the weather is as wet as the forecast calls for. April's probably the best month to carry a specialist -- with the awful weather and the cold's propensity to help pitchers, overuse of relievers is hardly a concern.
Alas, Wassermann will join Josh Fields as an undeserving member of the Charlotte Knights, while Masset is essentially the designated pinata -- all because the Sox fear losing him. I'm not going to rehash
the entire list again, but it still strikes me strangely that the Sox are willing to foresake an edge for a much-needed hot start for a guy who turns 26 next month and has about 70 enviable career innings under his belt.
Or 48, if you don't count the Mexican League. Maybe somebody should tell Guillen and Kenny Williams that if Masset goes to another team, then the Sox actually stand to benefit from his mediocrity.
At least we can take solace in the fact that none of the Sox's AL Central rivals have added
any big right-
handed bats.