Don't expect the A-Rod effect to play out in Boston. Unlike the Texas Rangers, who significantly improved when they dealt their superstar shortstop, the Red Sox traded away their shot at post-season success when the team sent away all-star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs for Doug Mientkiewicz and Orlando Cabrera. Yes, Cabrera and Mientkiewicz are Gold Glovers. Yes, Nomar is struggling with a nagging injury and yes, Nomar probably felt uncomfortable in Boston after the Sox's desperate attempts to trade him for Alex Rodriguez this past off-season.
However, Nomar, Red Sox's GM Theo Epstein seems to forget, is a rare player, probably one of the top few shortstops of all time.
Nomar is a proven leader and, more importantly, a clutch playoff performer. In three career postseasons and nearly 100 at-bats, Nomar has a .323 average with a .391 on base percentage.
Mientkiewicz and Cabrera cannot match that experience. Cabrera, former Montreal Expo, has never been to the post-season in his eight-year career. Mientkiewicz has made it twice as a member of the Minnesota Twins -- where he has flopped to a .200 batting average.
Cabrera and Mientkiewicz's defense may in fact help improve the Sox's performance over longer periods of time. Their reliable gloves may pace the Red Sox's efforts in the challenging wild card race.
More likely, however, they will flounder because they are small players. Most recently, Detroit Tigers star Jeff Weaver hit the fan when he came to the Yankees. Gold-glove caliber centerfielder Mike Cameron, formerly of the Seattle Mariners, became less spectacular in the field when confronted with the pressures of playing in large market for the Mets. Expect Cabrera and Mientkiewicz to do the same when they face real fan pressure to win for the first time in their careers.
Last season, the Red Sox proved that with a cast of Nomar and Co., the team was only a few at bats away from breaking the curse and heading to the World Series. Should the Sox end up in a similar situation this season, they will gravely regret trading away Garciaparra's ability to make spectacular game breaking plays. In Game 7, with the game on the line, there is a very short list of batters I'd prefer to Garciaparra to bat for my team. Cabrera and Mientkiewicz, for certain, aren't on it.
