Transcript Of Edgar Renteria's Press Conference
MLB.com
December 17, 2004
Theo Epstein's opening remarks:
"It's my pleasure today to make it official that Edgar Renteria is the new shortstop for the Boston Red Sox. He's somebody that we couldn't be happier to welcome to the organization. He's a terrific all-around player, and as good as he is on the field, he's an even better person. He's a solid clubhouse presence, a leader -- quiet, strong leader. We think he will have a big impact here in the clubhouse and on the field and will be part of the next championship Boston Red Sox club. I would like to welcome you officially to the Boston Red Sox organization, Edgar Renteria."
What did it come down to in your decision to leave St. Louis and come to Boston?
Renteria: "It was the Red Sox. They tried to get me and I thought it was a great opportunity. Sorry about my English. But it's a great opportunity to be here and try to win another championship."
Talk more about being a clubhouse leader.
Renteria: "I think I respect everybody and that's what I expect back. When you respect everybody, to me, that's a really good leader because, to me, I don't care if it's a rookie or a first-round guy, I have the same respect for everybody and get along with everybody. That's why they think I'm a good leader."
How do you think playing in St. Louis prepared you for playing in Boston?
Renteria: "I think my game is played in the field. I just try to take care of everything on the field. And to you guys, I will tell you what I have to say and look at it in the morning. I think I will be all right."
Does it feel strange taking over for your countryman Orlando Cabrera?
Renteria: "It's a business. I love to be here and I feel sorry for Orlando, but I think he's a good player and he will be on another team."
How did you settle on Renteria?
Epstein: "Edgar's one of the most complete and dynamic players in the game. He does everything well and that's hard to find, especially at the shortstop position. Offensively, he's a very solid hitter, a tough out. You ask any pitcher, he's just not an easy guy to pitch to. That fits with what we're trying to do in our lineup. We want to try to build, one through nine, a relentless lineup full of good hitters like Edgar. He's not a prolific power hitter but he's got plenty of pop and I think especially in this ballpark. He hits a lot of doubles, which should play well in this ballpark as well. Defensively, we have him as one of the best guys in all of baseball. Very sure-handed, consistent with good range. He's fun to watch play shortstop. He'll make us a lot better defensively up the middle of the field, which is important. He's a fantastic baserunner with speed and base-stealing ability. Great instincts. He has a dignified way that he goes about the game. He'll help make us better both on the field and in the clubhouse. He's a real rock. That's how we look at him. He's dependable. Plays everyday. His performance is consistent. He's not coming off one of his better years, but even what he did last year helped his team win and get to the brink of the World Championship. If you look what he did in 2003, that was one of the best seasons a shortstop has put up in a long, long time. We think that's more indicative of what we can expect from him in Fenway Park. He's just a consistent guy who goes out there and helps you win in a lot of different ways. You put enough of those types of players in your clubhouse, you're going to find a way to win."
Your thoughts on the irony of making the last out in the World Series and then coming to Boston?
Epstein: "It was all part of the deal." (Laughs)
Renteria: "It's unbelievable. It's amazing when you see that, to be the last out for the Red Sox championship. So now that I play for the Red Sox, I hope I make the last out this year to win the championship."
Are you looking forward to playing in the American League?
Renteria: "People tell me it's different, but I don't really know because it's my first year playing here. I think baseball is adjustments and I think if I make adjustments, I think I will be alright."
Why did you make the decision to come to this town?
Renteria: "Because the Red Sox really tried to get me and to play with the Red Sox is nice. I think it's nice. I know everybody wants to play here in the stadium with the fans. To me, it's like a dream come true."
Have you talked to Terry about where Renteria will bat in the batting order?
Epstein: "I talked briefly to Terry about that. He's going wait to see how our club comes together before making any determination. I know Terry and Edgar spoke briefly also, but that probably will be something that doesn't emerge until spring training. He's the type of hitter that's very versatile. He has more than enough bat control to hit second. He's got a really good opposite-field approach, which fits very well for the number two slot. But he also can drive in runs and has very, very good at-bats with runners in scoring position in crucial moments of the game, so you are comfortable batting him fifth, sixth in the order, as well. There are a lot of different options where he can fit into the lineup."
Did you get a chance to talk to Orlando about what it was like to play in Boston?
Renteria: "No, I haven't had a chance to talk to Orlando. We talked during the World Series, but we talked about the game because it was fun. Now I will have time to talk to him when I get back to Colombia."
What do you like about hitting in Fenway?
Renteria: "The stadium is nice to play, it's nice to hit. I don't know. Maybe it's because I get excited. When you see a lot of fans, you get excited. When you see a full stadium like here or Chicago, it's nice to play. So maybe because of that."
What similarities are there between Edgar and Orlando?
Epstein: "They both help us win. I haven't had a chance to talk to Orlando, but I told his agents to tell him, even at the beginning of the offseason when we knew we there was a chance that we'd go our separate ways, 'Thanks. Thanks for everything.' He came here at just the right time to give us a boost and was a perfect fit for the 2004 Red Sox down the last two months of the season and into the playoffs and World Series. He did everything we asked of him and I hope it was a mutually beneficial relationship while it lasted. He certainly helped us get into the postseason and win the World Series and I think we helped him, getting him out of Montreal and into a situation where he could thrive and show the world what he can do. Change is part of baseball these days and we would have been very happy with Orlando and we're very, very happy with Edgar. I know Orlando's going to land in a great spot and help another team win. I think that's what both these guys do best, what they have in common, not only being countrymen from Colombia, but also being winning ballplayers."
We heard you made a donation to Edgar's foundation.
Epstein: "Yeah, we made a significant donation from the Boston Red Sox Foundation to Team Renteria and the Renteria Academy in Colombia. As soon as we started talking to Jeff and to Barry Meister, they told us more and more about Edgar and his brother's commitment to Colombia and to promoting baseball in Colombia. It's a country that's been through a lot, but there are terrific ballplayers there that don't necessarily get the same exposure that players from the Dominican Republic and other countries get. He's got a foundation and you can actually check it out online at teamrenteria.com and learn more about it. We think it's a very worthwhile cause and separate from the contract, but just something to welcome Edgar and his brother and his family to Boston, we think it's appropriate to make a donation to Team Renteria. We look forward to, sometime soon, getting down to Colombia and looking at it firsthand."
How does it feel to have a shortstop wrapped up for 4 years?
Epstein: "It's great. Normally when you make a four-year commitment to somebody as a general manager, you don't sleep that night or say, 'what did we just do? I hope this guy shows up and plays well.' But this guy is so reliable, so dependable, that I slept very well that night after we gave it to him because he brings so much to the team. As I said earlier, he does everything well, he shows up to play every day. He's a guy that makes his teammates better. We have several guys like that on our club already, the guys that you think 'I want all our players to be like that.' He's one of those guys. You can ask his teammates, ask his manager. He's a manager's dream to play for. He's someone who's going to show up and make us better just by being a part of this club, and I can't wait to see him go play."
How does your pursuit of a shortstop this offseason compare to the pursuit of a shortstop last offseason with A-Rod?
Epstein: "Yeah, it's different. Every offseason has it's own unique dynamic. I think bringing in an elite shortstop this offseason was not something we had to do. We weren't desperate for a shortstop. I think there were other solutions that certainly could have gotten us through the season. But this was a rare opportunity to bring in a player the caliber of Edgar Renteria, a person the caliber of Edgar Renteria, someone who wanted to come to Boston. When you have those opportunities, it's something you should make work. It just so happens, we did have an opening at that position. He fits our lineup, he fits our batting order, he fits our defensive plan very well and he's going to be one of the rocks we build the next great Red Sox teams on.
What was the difference between St. Louis and Boston?
Renteria's agent, Jeff Lane: "It really came down to a situation where Edgar was very comfortable in St. Louis and, if I had to say it, was looking to stay in St. Louis. But two or three times we talked with the Cardinals, and the Cardinals really have budget issues. Because of the way the World Series went, I believe, they started making a commitment that they were going to get a number one, or possibly two number one pitchers. So that situation played out and then, in my opinion, it was more of a line was drawn in the sand. I was working more with the Cardinals and Barry Meister, who helped with this deal, was working with Theo. So as we went along, it became clear to me that if Edgar was going to stay in St. Louis, he was going to have to make some concessions. One big concession that Edgar did make, he offered to play this season coming for $5 million a year in St. Louis. There has been talk that Edgar wouldn't take the discount, Edgar wouldn't do this or that. But obviously if you discount that first year, something has to happen in the later years. And really they never came up until at the end when I think it became apparent that Edgar was willing to become a Boston Red Sox. So that's really the dynamics of how it happened. Barry Meister and Theo were working along. Like Theo said, I never felt like it was life or death for the Red Sox to get Edgar. But I did feel that Theo did what he said he was going to do. He returned calls to Barry, we moved along, and as it came along, it just became obvious that it was a possibility, and then I started thinking that it was going to happen and then it did happen, obviously."
Talk about being the third Colombian player to play for the Red Sox.
Renteria: "To me, I think the Red Sox like shortstops from Colombia (laughter). To me, that's great. I hope there are more Colombians that come to Boston in the organization and play too."
What will playing against St. Louis be like this season?
Renteria: "I'm not thinking about it. I think it will be another game. We're going to try to win."
What were your thoughts about the Red Sox when you played against them in the World Series?
Renteria: "We knew the Red Sox had a great team. But we didn't know they were going to beat us four games quick. The next day I woke up and the World Series was over. But I know they had really good players who know how to play the game and know how to win. That's why they played better and that's why they won."
What options did you have if you didn't get Edgar?
Epstein: "We'll end up with a utility guy who can play short on the roster. But I think your question may have been indirectly about Hanley Ramirez. Hanley's a big part of our future. We think the world of Hanley Ramirez and he's got a bright, bright future ahead of him. People asked us in the aftermath of the signing whether that spelled the end for Hanley Ramirez with the Boston Red Sox. Nothing could be further from the truth. In a way, we made this signing so we could get the most out of Hanley Ramirez. Now we don't have to rush him, he can develop on his own schedule. He's going to start the year either at Double-A or Triple-A and continue playing shortstop. There may be a time in the future when he's ready for the big leagues with Edgar on the roster still at shortstop that we introduce other positions to Hanley. But Hanley's every bit the big part of our future that he was a week ago. Now we're just strong at shortstop in the major leagues and in the minor leagues, where we actually have four or five shortstop prospects coming up through the system."
By the time Hanley comes to the big leagues, he could be at a different position?
Epstein: "It's always possible that any of our prospects could be at other positions. When a minor league player completes his development and is ready for big-league play, sometimes he has to make adjustments to fit onto the big-league roster. But that's the great thing about having four or five shortstop prospects in the system as we do. Those guys can go to other positions. When you have a lot of corner prospects, they really can't go anywhere. They have to stay at first base or stay in left field. When you have great athletes at the shortstop position, great baseball players, they can make adjustments. But Hanley is a big part of our future and we are very focused on continuing his development this year."
Do you have a favorite player on the Red Sox that you are most looking forward to playing with?
Renteria: "Yeah, Manny. Manny is one of the great hitters in baseball. I think I am going to learn a lot about hitting from Manny. So I hope he can teach me how to hit."
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