It was a move that seemed all but inevitable. The Boston Red Sox, last night, sent pitcher Alfredo Aceves to Triple-A Pawtucket following a disturbing performance the day before.
The decision shouldn’t come as a surprise. Aceves was really the only player who didn’t seem to fit the mold of the new-look Red Sox. General Manager Ben Cherington spent the offseason bringing in high-character guys to change the culture in the Red Sox clubhouse to something more resembling the 2004 World Series championship team than the disappointing 2012 squad.
Aceves was kept around because he still provided value to the team. He can start, pitch in long relief, and even close when needed. Having a pitcher like that can be a great asset to any club. But there comes a point at which the team has to question whether his flexibility outweighs his temperament. That time has come.
The last straw was his embarrassing outing in Tuesday’s 13-0 loss against the Oakland Athletics. He pitched 3.1 innings and gave up 8 runs. Every pitcher is entitled to a bad appearance every once in a while, but this one was more than just not having command of his pitches. He lacked effort and concern.
In the most dreadful third inning, Aceves balked, not once, but twice, and quite possibly could have been called for a third. He was late in covering first base on a play that could have ended the inning had he broken toward the bag when he should have. On that same play, he then threw the ball to the backstop when unwisely trying to throw out Brandon Moss at the plate. That allowed Josh Reddick to move to second.
Aceves didn’t make things any better after the game, either. Rather than saying what everyone knew, in that he didn’t perform well and didn’t seem to care about it, he passed on the blame. He made excuses about a small strike zone, the weather, and the Red Sox’ offense not scoring any runs. It was as if he has oblivious to the fact that he was terrible that night.
In an interview on Wednesday afternoon with Boston sports talk radio station WEEI, Manager John Farrell said he felt Aceves was unfocused the night before. And, when asked if he would be with the team even through the weekend, he only said it would be unfair to discuss it without first talking to him. It was hardly a defense of his pitcher and became clear the writing was on the wall.
This situation is very reminiscent to that of the relationship between the Red Sox and Manny Ramirez. He had a long history of being difficult to manage and then-Manager Terry Francona always seemed to be dealing with a situation involving the slugger. Eventually, it became too much to handle and he was traded at the 2008 deadline.
With Aceves, though, it’s unlikely there will be much of a trade market for a hot-headed pitcher whose recent performances have been spotty. Through the first four years of his career, he was 24-3 with a 2.93 ERA. Over the last two seasons, he is 3-11with a 5.93 ERA and had eight blown saves in 33 chances.
Players with these kinds of numbers have hard times keeping their spots on Major League rosters anyway. But mix it with his history and it’s nearly impossible. Last August, he was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team when he blew up at Manager Bobby Valentine. When Spring Training got underway this year, he simply went through the motions of a drill, much to the dissatisfaction of the coaching staff.  Then, in the following month’s World Baseball Classic, he put himself in the middle of a brawl and was punched in the head several times.
Chances are, it’s only a matter of time before he causes another scene like he has so many times in the last few months. The Red Sox know this and the diminishing talent he is bringing to the mound is making the decision about his future easier. Demoting him to AAA is the first step toward a permanent dissolving of the Red Sox-Alfredo Aceves relationship. It’s highly unlikely he ever pitches in a Boston uniform again.
