Red Sox and Mike Cameron agree to two-year deal
Posted on December 15, 2009
Mike Cameron of the Milwaukee Brewers gets ready in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on July 19, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
When the Boston Red Sox take the field at Fenway Park on Opening Day in April of 2010 they will have a new left fielder wearing the red and white. Jason Bay is gone and Mike Cameron is his replacement. Yikes! I like the signing of pitcher John Lackey earlier today, but paying the 36-year-old Cameron $15.5 million for two years looks like a desperate move. Reminds me of a signing the Giants used to make!
Mike Cameron of the Seattle Mariners bats against the Cleveland Indians during a game at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington in 2001. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
Don’t get me wrong- Cameron is a cool dude with a great reputation in the clubhouse. He also has a great glove in the outfield, as he has spent most of his career in center field where he earned three Gold Glove Awards. Cameron will take Bay’s spot in left field for the Red Sox as they have Jacoby Ellsbury in center field.
Mike Cameron of the Seattle Mariners bats against the Toronto Blue Jays during a game at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington in 2001. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
Cameron has spent 15 seasons in the big leagues. His best years were with the Mariners (he came over from the Reds in the trade for Ken Griffey Jr.) from 2000-2003 (see above). When Cameron was with the Mariners the club put together some real nice seasons and I loved going up to Seattle to photograph his team (along with Ichiro and A-Rod) in that amazing Safeco Field light. It was during his stop in Seattle when Cameron had the biggest game in his career. On May 2, 2002 he blasted four home runs in one game against the White Sox in Chicago.
Mike Cameron of the Milwaukee Brewers makes a throw in the outfield during their spring training game against Australia at Maryvale Baseball Park in Maryvale, Arizona on March 5, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
Over the next several years Cameron bounced around from the Mets to the Padres to the Brewers, where he spent the past two seasons. Last year he hit .250 with 24 homers and 70 runs batted in in Milwaukee. That is about what you are gonna get with him- if you are lucky at his age. he will bring a great glove and a fine attitude to Boston, but he is no Jason Bay.
Mike Cameron of the Milwaukee Brewers bats against the San Francisco Giants during the game at AT&T Park on April 9, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
There is a ton of pressure on the Red Sox to try and keep up with the World Champion Yankees in the AL East. The Lackey move they pulled off this afternoon was a real nice one. However, their already ancient team (see David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and Marco Scutaro) just got much older with the addition of Cameron. I do not like this move (it would have been fine five years ago). Sounds like something the Giants would do.
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