Why would Red Sox pick up Felipe Lopez on September 25?

[SteveA]

Why pick up a guy who hit 30 and saw his OPS drop to 655 this year? Do they know somehting we don't know? Could he bounce back to the .800-ish numbers he put up in .2009? Do they actually consider him a potential replacement for Lowell?

Is he someone we should have looked at? (I tend to think not, just asking the question. He is free, and if there were any chance of him rebounding from this bad year and hitting like in 2009, he would be an extremely cheap solution to one of our corner infield positions).

[Crazysilver03]

The speculation is that they will offer him arbitration and because of his Type B status, if he signs elsewhere they will get a compensation pick. Of course, Lopez made $1M this season so an offer of arbitration might be the best he gets.

It is an odd move. He said he declined the waiver claim from San Diego because he wouldn't be part of the team even though it was a pennant race.

[twoBshorty]

Probably for the supplemental pick if he rejects arbitration and because Marco Scutaro has a rotator cuff tear and could fall apart at any moment. All they had to do to get him was shift Ellsbury to the 60-day DL, which was meaningless as they shut him down weeks ago.

Lopez was apparently an attitude problem in St. Louis. Isn't he also terrible defensively?

[Sports Guy]

Sounds like its just a cheap gamble and maybe they will be comfortable with him as a UTI guy if he accepts their arbitration offer.

They may also tell him they will cut him in March if he accepts, making it harder for him to find a job.

Its a no lose situation for them IMO and they may end up getting a supplemental pick, in a deep draft, because of it.

[Ommaculate]

Any chance Boston sneaks into the playoffs and knocks the Yankees out? That would be great. Boston is winning again tonight in the 7nth.

[JDubs]

Any chance Boston sneaks into the playoffs and knocks the Yankees out? That would be great. Boston is winning again tonight in the 7nth.

Yuck. Talk about picking your poison...

[Ommaculate]

Yuck. Talk about picking your poison...

AROD just got struck out again looking and the umps gave him 2 balls that should have been called strikes.

[jjb]

Looks like the gamble isn't going to have a payoff.

According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays are expected to sign Felipe Lopez to a minor league contract "in the next couple of days."

Very interesting. The Red Sox would have received a supplemental first-round pick had Lopez signed a major league deal, so this works out pretty well for the division-rival Rays. According to various reports, the Red Sox would not be entitled to a draft pick, even if Lopez makes the Rays' Opening Day roster