Nationals Sign Adam LaRoche

The Nationals have agreed to sign Adam LaRoche to a two-year (with a 3rd year option) deal worth $7MM in 2011 and $8MM in 2012 before the $10MM mutual option.

Good deal for the Nationals. LaRoche has hit at least 20 homers and posted an OPS of .775 or better for six consecutive seasons. He hit exactly 25 homers in each of the past three seasons and has a career .271/.339/.488 stat line. It sounds like they got him for the correct amount of money and Werth, LaRoche, Zimmerman, and Bryce Harper should give them something to build on for years to come.

Sox Trade LaRoche For Kotchman

"Yahoo! Sports's Gordon Edes reports that the Red Sox have dealt Adam LaRoche to the Braves for first baseman Casey Kotchman. Kotchman, 26, is batting .282 with six homers and 41 RBIs this season (Boston.com)."

LaRoche had to go since there was really no spot for him. I have actually always been a big Kotchman fan, but you would think he is going to have to go to the minors, because he really doesn't have a spot either. Anyways, been a good day for the Sox. V-Mart is going to be the balls!

The Sox also gave up about $1 million in this deal.

A's 3 Red Sox 8

The Red Sox finally put some runs up on the board, and the even better news is that they were able to do it throughout the game last night. Josh Beckett was his solid self going 7 innings letting up 3 runs on 8 hits with 10 Ks. The key to the game was Boston finally getting after a starting pitcher (Cahill), who they lit up for 6 runs over his 5 innings.

Pedroia started it off with a first innings solo HR (his 5th on the year). Every Red Sox hitter had a hit in this game, which I can't even remember the last time that happened. So far the Adam LaRoche experiment is going very well as he went 2-4 with a run and RBI. Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits for the Red Sox, who entered with just 25 runs and a .215 batting average in their nine games since the break.

The bad news is that the Yankees won again last night so Boston is 2 1/2 games back in the AL East, but the Sox are also 2 1/2 games up on Texas for the Wild Card. Hopefully this game will get the offense going heading into the final months of the season.

Red Sox Trade For Adam LaRoche (UPDATED)

Boston apparently has made a move....

"The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the Red Sox have acquired lefthanded-hitting first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The report, written by Dejan Kovacevic, does not indicate who the Red Sox are sending to Pittsburgh in return (Boston.com)."

Adam LaRoche is batting .247 with 12 HR and 40 RBI. This is a solid move, and I doubt the Sox gave up very much. This provides the option of having Ortiz/Lowell take nights off and keep them healthy while adding some pop to the lineup (he usually hits around 25 HRs a year). Solid move. We will have more when the details are released....

My question is what does this mean for Mark Kotsay? Is LaRoche that big of a difference?


***UPDATE***


The deal, first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, would send Portland shortstop Argenis Diaz and Greenville pitcher Hunter Strickland to Pittsburgh.