Red Sox - Acquired Stanton

Boston Red Sox - Acquired P Mike Stanton from the Washington Nationals for P Rhys Taylor and P Yader Peralta.

Should work this time.

Taylor and Peralta, suffice it to say, are very, very low-grade prospects.  Taylor’s a recent FA signee from Australia who had an OK debut down in in the GCL (and one who’s already had reconstructive arm surgery) while Peralta is most likely to be used as a lower-level organizational player unless he breaks through.

The problem with this acquisition has nothing to do with losing these two players but instead, what the Red Sox get in return.  Getting another arm for the crucial series isn’t a bad idea - getting Mike Stanton is.  We know by now the Red Sox don’t have much faith in Lenny Dinardo (or Abe Alvarez) for that matter but Mike Stanton pitching this weekend instead of Dinardo does nothing to help the Red Sox make the playoffs (and probably hurts).

Given the team’s behavior after having the championship in the bag as opposed to the behavior in the two years prior to breaking the curse, one has to start to wonder if the Red Sox will, in the future, find the future versions of David Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Bronson Arroyo, or Mark Bellhorn, contributors all in 2004.  Stanton has no large effect on the future, but when you start to see the dried-up husks of Mike Stanton and Mike Remlinger brought in or a hitter like Roberto Petagine relegated to oblivion because of being unable to overlook his weaknesses or Jeremi Gonzalez being dug up so that Abe Alvarez can’t get a real shot, one has to start to wonder if the Red Sox are slowly becoming their archnemesis.