A couple of days ago, I took a look back at the Sox decision to sign Jermaine Dye as a free agent, and compared him to a few other options that were available to the Sox at that time. Today, I thought I would do the same thing with some of the middle infield candidates.
Here's a brief synopsis of each player and what I thought of them before the season.
- Edgar Renteria -- Too expensive for the Sox. Unlikely to match his middle of the line-up production of years past.
- Orlando Cabrera -- Overrated. Not worth the money that he got.
- Christian Guzman -- Oh God please no. Don't sign him Kenny.
- David Eckstien -- The best fit for the Sox. Cheap, probably can play both 2nd and SS. Scrappy.
- Omar Vizquel -- Solid, but old. Not worth the third year he got.
- Tadahito Iguchi -- Unknown. I was extremely wary about how he would adjust.
- Placido Polanco -- I campaigned hard for his signing before it became clear that Sox weren't interested.
- Alex Cora -- I called him Willie Harris with more power.
Now take a look at how they, along with current Sox shortstop Juan Uribe, have performed this season.
AVG OBP SLG EqA VORP Eckstien .317 .394 .374 .270 11.7 Vizquel .280 .358 .394 .279 10.2 Iguchi .313 .354 .400 .283 6.7 Uribe .289 .321 .454 .274 6.5 Cabrera .230 .304 .377 .248 4.7 Renteria .246 .303 .344 .229 2.7 Cora .239 .271 .313 .224 0.3 Polanco .242 .324 .297 .218 -0.6 Guzman .217 .258 .283 .202 -3.6
It's obviously too early to gloat and say I told you so about Cora and Guzman, especially since the guy who I campaigned hardest for is struggling early also. David Eckstein has roared out of the gate with some amazing numbers, but he's highly unlikely to keep up that pace. Vizquel is picking up right where he left off last season, and Cabrera is matching his career OBP.
Overall, considering the financial implications each player brought to the table, it looks like the Sox might have made the best decision for the organization.