UnMatchedSox

You didn’t have to be a homer to want to know which members of the “local 9″ were named in the Mitchell Report. No, you just wanted to know if somebody you’ve been cheering for, pulling for, and quite possibly wearing on your back was a cheater. Before the report was released a purported leaked list of players included Jason Varitek, but the authenticity of the leaked list was quickly and forcibly denied by Major League Baseball. Once the dust cleared from Sen. George Mitchell’s press conference two “active” members of the 2007 World Series team were linked to performance-enhancing drugs. They were new bullpen acquisitions Eric Gagne and Brendan Donnelly.

Just before the release of the report, Donnelly wasn’t given a tender offer from the Sox, essentially making him a free agent for 2008, but the Sox state that they had no prior knowledge that his name was contained within the report. As for Gagne, it was common knowledge that he was a “rental”, acquired at the trade deadline for the stretch drive. From a fan perspective, the Sox couldn’t have escaped any less harmed short of having no names in the report. I don’t exactly have any merchandise sales figures, but I’d say its a good bet that there are virtually zero fans wishing they hadn’t gotten Gagne or Donnelly jerseys.

An interesting side note to this whole affair is that the Sox apparently had concerns about both guys prior to bringing them in. An interesting email exchange between Epstein and scout Mark Delpiano goes as follows:

Epstein: Have you done any digging on Gagne? I know the Dodgers think he was a steroid guy. Maybe so. What do you hear on his medical?
Delpiano: Some digging on Gagne and steroids IS the issue.

Delpiano went on to say the following:

“Has had a checkered medical past throughout career including minor leagues,” Delpiano wrote. “Lacks the poise and commitment to stay healthy, maintain body and re-invent self. What made him a tenacious closer was the max effort plus stuff. … Mentality without the plus weapons and without steroid help probably creates a large risk in bounce-back durability and ability to throw average while allowing the changeup to play as it once did. … Personally, durability (or lack of) will follow Gagne …”

With Donnelly there was a little less, but Kyle Evans in baseball operations had the following to say:

“I haven’t heard many good things about him,” Evans wrote, “[with] significant steroid rumors.”

In 1996, Dan Duquette let Roger Clemens leave Boston and even suggested that he had entered the “twilight of his career”. In his final four seasons with Boston, Roger’s record was a mediocre 40-39 and he’d lost some zip. After his departure, that twilight was looking more like dawning of another day. He posted two back-to-back 20-win seasons with Toronto, four more Cy Young Awards, and two World Series rings with the New York Yankees. He became the poster-child for longevity and Duquette the poster-child for bad talent-evaluation. With Roger’s name all over the Mitchell Report linking him to performance-enhancing drugs as early as 1998, you have to ask the question, “Did Duquette get it right?”

There is still some question as to the veracity of the allegations and testimony included in the Mitchell Report on Clemens, but it certainly does feel right. Of course, I still think Duquette was a terrible general manager, but I think he just might have made the right call.