Friday, December 30, 2011

'Should-Be' Fascination With Andre Ethier

Barring the return of J.D. Drew to Fenway's right field, the Carmine Hose have a problem. I'm sorry, but a McDonald/Sweeney/Aviles platoon doesn't cut it. In addition to the several options out there (Carlos Quentin being the best one), there's another intriguing possibility that might be just as good.

The Muddy Chicken's best buddy—Andre Ethier (see photo)—is stuck in L.A.'s "People's McCourt". He's arbitration-eligible (Super 2) for 2012. Surely, the Red Sox can come up with some sort of prospect/player package that will be cost-effective for the nearly bankrupt Dodgers and bring Ethier to Boston. He still has enough up-side (I know, I know, I hate that term, too) to re-invigorate his career in Beantown. His average year (over six seasons) is .291 with 21 HRs and 85 RBIs—kind of what we thought we had with Drew. He has a career on-base percentage of .364 and he's still only 29. Plus, now that Tito is gone, Pedey needs a new pinochle partner.