ShareThisAfter the Boston Red Sox announced they had acquired first baseman Adam LaRoche Wednesday from the Pittsburgh Pirates for two minor-league prospects, there seemed to be some confusion within their clubhouse as to how the newcomer will fit into the lineup.
LaRoche's presence will no doubt affect the playing time of third baseman Mike Lowell, first baseman Kevin Youkilis, utilityman Mark Kotsay and possibly backup outfielder Rocco Baldelli.
LaRoche will report to Boston in time for Friday's game with the Orioles at Fenway Park and having Thursday off will give management time "sort out our healthy bodies from the not-so-healthy ones," according to general manager Theo Epstein.
But the bigger question remains: When will LaRoche play, and who will sit when he does?
Lowell, who had hip surgery last November and recently spent time on the disabled list, has clearly lost a step but it hasn't affected his offense. Manager Terry Francona mentioned he wanted to give Lowell a few more days off in the second half because the amount of games he played in the first put a strain on his body.
Now that LaRoche is here, it will allow Kevin Youkilis to play third a little more when Lowell needs a day off.
Lowell said all the right things in the clubhouse Wednesday, but it was clear he was a little aggravated about something.
"We're tying to add some depth to the team, some power from the left side and I would assume some versatility," he said. "How it's going to affect me? We'll see. We're going to try to put the best team out there to win. I don't have a crystal ball, so I don't have any idea how it'll play out."
Francona and Epstein spoke with Lowell earlier about what to expect. Lowell said there were no problems.
"I spoke to Theo and he told me they are always doing what they can to upgrade the team," said Lowell. "I'd question him as a GM if he wasn't. That's his choice and we'll see how it'll play out. If I'm in the lineup and I'm hitting, I'm probably going to stay in the lineup and hit. It's not that big a deal to me."
From a physical standpoint, Lowell claims to be a B-plus and believes he'll only get better moving forward. In fact, he, Francona and Epstein all talked about how much better he will be next season, the final year of his contract.
"Mike has worked remarkably hard to put himself in a position to play major-league games and help the club. He is helping the club," said Epstein. "(But) I think it's clear to those who watch the games that he's not moving around as well as he would like. The prognosis is he'll get better.
"When he had the surgery the doctors told us, and told Mike, that he might not be 100 percent until 2010. It's clear he's really grinding and he's still able to put together good at-bats. But it's also clear he's more limited now running the bases than he will be when he recovers fully. When Mike gets a little bit of rest he benefits from it and we get a better player."
While Lowell agrees next season he should be in better shape and health, he's not ready to give up on this one.
"In the words of the doctors and the trainers, I'm going to love the offseason," said Lowell. "I'm not saying I'm looking forward to the year being over, I'm looking forward to the point where I think I can go into spring training and not feel like I'm under the gun ... ''
With LaRoche now in the mix, the extra days off will have a positive effect on Lowell and the rest of the club. In the meantime, Lowell plans on continuing to be productive at the plate.
"Performance on the field is going to determine the lineup," he said. "Whether you bring in the greatest hitter in the world or not, and that's how it should be. In that sense, I feel very confident in my ability. I feel like, especially with the days I've been off, I feel like I've swung the bat really well. I don't see any reason why that would change."
Once Kotsay, an outfielder who can also play first base, was informed of the transaction, he grabbed his cell phone and made many calls while sitting in the stands early Wednesday. He also had a conversation with Francona.
"We have to see how it plays out. I'm not really thinking about the future as to how this trade plays out for me and the circumstances of it all," Kotsay said.
The Sox have proven in the past that the good of the team takes precedence over the interests of any individual, and this trade is another example.
"If we win, nobody's mad," said Francona. "If we win and somebody's mad, we've got a problem because that means we have guys who are thinking about themselves. Those aren't the types of guys we have, so sometimes -- all the time -- you have to ask guys to put the team ahead of themselves and I'm confident we guys who will do that.
"That doesn't mean (Lowell) has to jump up and down with joy -- I wouldn't expect him to."
(Contact Joe McDonald at jmcdonal(at)projo.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit The Providence Journal
