Ken Rosenthal not-so-subtly digs on Jayson Stark’s analysis of a potential deadline Roger Clemens trade. Stark huffed and puffed about how Clemens deserved to be traded to the Red Sox at the deadline. Paraphrase:
Clemens is so wonderful he should go out in a playoff race. Why did the Astro’s brass do Clemens so very wrong?
(Keep in mind, growing up pitching in little league during the late 80’s and early 90’s, I’ve always been a fan of Clemens.)
Rosenthal:
The idea that the Astros should have traded Roger Clemens to the Red Sox ignores recent history and borders on the absurd. In 2004, the Astros were a .500 team on July 31, yet advanced to the National League Championship Series. In ‘05, they were 15 games under .500 in May, yet advanced to the World Series. In ‘06, they were six games out in the wild-card race at the deadline with a $106 million payroll. What, they were supposed to give up? The Astros wanted to trade for Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada at the deadline, not move Clemens. Only two months have passed since Clemens decided to rejoin the Astros. If he wanted to play for the Red Sox, he should have signed with the Red Sox.
