Ben Cherington now has his chance @ The Fan Hub

by Sean Melia August 28th, 2012 12:54 PM

Photo courtesy of radioboston.wbur.org

When the Red Sox were at the peak of their powers as recently as 2007 many fans had a rallying cry whenever a personnel decision was made: In Theo we Trust. Remember that?

The young handsome architect of the World Series Champions had Boston in the palm of his hand. He was a god, bringing generations of Sox fans the one thing many thought they would never see: a World Series Championship, and then a second one in 2007.

Since that World Series win, the Sox have slowly spiraled back to earth. I'll spare you the details, as I'm sure you already know them; in short, they have not made the playoffs since 2009, when they were swept by the Angels in the first round.

Theo Epstein started his GM tenure with the Sox as the kid who wandered by the toy store, peered into the window at the nicest toys, yet had to settle for the cheaper ones. Those cheaper toys served Theo very well.

In many ways, Crawford embodied everything wrong with Boston’s philosophy over the past few years. Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

After a few years, Theo had the money to buy any toy on the market. Edgar Renteria, Julio Lugo, J.D. Drew, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez were all players that Theo coveted over the years, and he did everything he could to overpay them all. Each was a disappointment in his own special way.

Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lackey were brought in to bolster the starting line-up. Daisuke has won 50 of 111 starts over his six-year stint with the Sox, and will earn $50 million at the end of his current contract; add in the $50 million the Sox paid for negotiating rights, and each Daisuke win has cost $2 million dollars. Yikes.

Lackey, in his three years as a ~~leach~~ Red Sox pitcher, has won 26 of his 52 starts. He missed this entire 2012 season due to Tommy John surgery. He will have earned $49 million by the end of the 2012 season, putting his price per victory at a $1.88 million. Double yikes (especially considering he is locked up for three more years.

After signing Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the Sox were poised to be "The Best Team Ever." The problem was, that phrase left a lot to the imagination.

"The Best Team Ever … to miss the playoffs?"
"The Best Team Ever … to share three family value meals from Popeyes?"
"The Best Team Ever … to undermine a manager?"

Theo Epstein rode in on a white stallion in 2003, the golden boy from Brookline who grew up loving the Red Sox, who grew up having his heart broken by the Red Sox, and who grew up just like every fan before 2004: tortured, angry, and defeated by the Red Sox all at the same time. It was a confusing existence, but Theo found the missing pieces to put around Pedro and Manny — Bellhorn, Ortiz, Mueller, Foulke, Roberts, Millar, Cabrera — and all were huge parts of World Series wins.

After signing Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the Sox were poised to be "The Best Team Ever." The problem was, that phrase left a lot to the imagination.

We had a reason to trust in Theo; he did the right things a lot of the time. Then those other, more expensive toys became more attainable and affordable. After some time with the new toys, Theo decided to leave them behind for his little brother Ben to play with. It seemed like Ben didn't want the toys either; they weren't shiny anymore. They were broken. They didn't fit in with the toys he already had, or the toys he was saving up for. So what did Ben have to do? He had to get rid of those toys.

Luckily for Red Sox fans, new GM Ben Cherington finally managed to sell off some of Theo's expensive toys that didn't fit in. The hope is that Cherington is going to find toys that he wants, toys that might fit in better with Pedroia, Lester, and Buchholz.

The key to building a team is figuring out what you want to build around. The Bruins made a decision in 2005 that Joe Thornton, the uber-talented star, was not the centerpiece of a championship team. Instead, Patrice Bergeron was their guy. After six years the Bruins won the Stanley Cup (remember that? It only happened 14 months ago). Now the Sox have seemingly begun the same thought process — who can they build around?

I don't think the Sox will have to wait six years to reach the top like the Bruins. They have some talent on the roster; they might need to be creative in attaining some more pieces, like a first baseman and a left fielder. However, with Crawford, Beckett, and Gonzalez gone, maybe now Ben can start to create his own vision and his own team.

Theo came in with a core of players: Pedro, Varitek, Manny, and Nomar. He traded a cranky Nomar away at the trading deadline, and the team went on to win the World Series later on that fall. The key to that World Series was the staff role-players Theo had found.

Now we get to watch Ben build his new collection of toys. He has the money, it seems like he has the brains, and hopefully he'll get the city of Boston another ring. There is a light at the end of the tunnel (no, that light is not football season). This recent trade is not the solution, it’s just part of the process. Red Sox fans need to realize that first. Then secondly, they need to realize that Ben Cherington might know what he's doing. The key is for the ownership to put their trust into him. Then everyone else can too.