Javier Lopez, Meet Javier Lopez

We did just like the message boards said we would, acquiring catcher Javy Lopez from Baltimore for a split of his remaining salary and a player to be named later (PTBNL). The question now is, does this make the Sox better for the time that they're going to be without Jason Varitek? Despite the defensive shortcomings of our new backstop, the answer is, "Yes."

It's really not necessary to look beyond more than the career lines for both Lopez and Doug Mirabelli, the man he will undoubtedly be platooning with. Lopez is a career .288 hitter, posting a .338 OBP and .494 SLG. Compare this with Mirabelli's .236/.313/.416 line, and you have a small offensive improvement over our backup. Lopez's offensive, unlike Mirabelli's, comes over more than 5000 career ABs, while Doug has only had 1268 career ABs, meaning that just on pure talent alone Lopez is a better player. Defensively, they're pretty much a wash for behind the plate. Neither player is renowned for their soft hands, and the fact that they're both getting up there in age doesn't help.

What we should be looking for is a catcher who can contribute at the plate and fill an offensive gap. He's no Barry Bonds, but he's not Kelly Shoppach, either. As the saying goes, when poorly timed injuries give you lemons...