David Riske, we hardly knew ye

For the second time in a month and a half, the Red Sox have made a trade to cover up how bad the Coco Crisp trade was, sending David Riske to the White Sox for minor league lefty Javier Lopez. Lopez' major league numbers have been pretty bad, but this year he's got a 0.55 ERA and 12 saves in 33 innings at triple-A Charlotte. He's only allowed one home run and six walks, but we'll see how he does against major leaguers as soon as tonight, as he's been added to the 25-man roster.

I never really had a chance to get a read on Riske because of his injuries, but I think inconsistent is the best word for him. He'd throw junk for a week, and then come out and mow down the side with filthy stuff in his next outing, inevitably getting my hopes up before the next disaster. The good news is that he wasn't as bad as Rudy Seanez, the bad news is that the Red Sox couldn't convince Chicago to take Seanez instead.

So the Red Sox have now traded Andy Marte, Guillermo Mota, Kelly Shoppach (.310/.385/.569 at AAA), and Cla Merideth for Coco Crisp, Doug Mirabelli (.164/.250./262 in the majors), and Javier Lopez. I suppose if you put Loretta in there instead of Mirabelli it looks better, but still. I guess that's what happens when you have no GM for an entire off-season: you have no plan.

I'll give Lopez a chance because the Red Sox do need a lefty in the bullpen, but the greater problem of the lost off-season still eats at me.