Don't Mess with Theo (or Larry):



Last night, the Boston Red Sox traded first baseman/baseball souvenir collector Doug Mientkiewicz to the New York Mets for first base prospect Ian Bladergroen, who Baseball America ranks as the 4th best prospect in the Mets organization. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein was undoubtedly impressed by the 6-5, 210 pound Bladergroen, who projects as a power-hitting first baseman.



The trade shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Despite playing excellent defense, Mientkiewicz hit only .215 for the Sox last year, and was due to earn $3.75 million this season. Plus, the team already has the affable, if inconsistent Kevin Millar at first base, and both players have openly complained that they deserve to be full-time players. And the Mets needed a first baseman after Carlos Delgado signed with the Marlins, presumably to be closer to his home in the Dominican Republic (and I also suspect that he and his agent realized that his regrettable refusal to stand for God Bless America wouldn't have played too well at Shea Stadium, which isn't too far from Ground Zero).



Also playing a role in this deal was Mientkiewicz's well-discussed refusal to hand over the winning ball from the World Series. In fact, what had begun as an amusing story has become increasingly serious in recent days. Just this past weekend, an unnamed Senior Red Sox official stated, "I think the whole thing is disgusting." Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino has been in "negotiations" with Mientkiewicz to acquire the ball, but, to date, such negotiations have been fruitless. With Mientkiewicz dispatched to the Mets, it appears that the ball will go with him (or, more accurately, stay in the safety box near his Miami home).



Most legal scholars have sided with the Red Sox. For instance, Yale Law School Dean Harold Hongju Koh recently noted that Mientkiewicz has "the least rights to [the ball]", and the claims for the ball should be ranked as "the Cardinals, the Red Sox, Major League Baseball and then the guy who happened to hold it at the end of the game." Similarly, Northeastern University Law Professor (and former Dean) Roger Abrams noted, "It's not Doug's ball. It belongs to all of us." Likewise, Harvard Law School Professor Paul Weiler stated to the New York Times that "Mientkiewicz is being paid by the Red Sox. To be out on the field catching that ball and as an employee, even a unionized one, his rights likely are different."



Mientkiewicz's most vocal supporter appears to be now former teamate Doug Mirabelli. Mirabelli claims to have told Mientkiewicz that, "You are the dumbest guy in America if you give the ball back. If you can handle the pressure of the organization making you feel bad--I mean, can you imagine what that is worth?"

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