With the postseason finally approaching, the Redsox have a tough first round against the the Angels. The Angels have the best record in the American league right now but I strongly beleive that the Bosox have what it takes to win four! Would love to see a Redsox vs Cubs final! I love the postseason, can't wait for the first of October! + Comment
Five Other Free Agents That Should Be On Our Wish List
Written by Matt Zhe
RELIEF PITCHING: With the exception of Jonathon Papelbon, this was the most inconsistent part of the club. By the end of the year, Terry Francona could also rely on Hideki Okajima and converted starter Justin Masterson. Manny Delcarmen got the job done at times, while much of the rest of the staff was ineffective.
POWER BAT: After the trade of Manny Ramirez, the lineup lacked some of the punch it had been known for. The biggest bopper, David Ortiz, suffered through a nagging wrist injury much of the year. Jason Bay, J.D. Drew and especially Kevin Youkilis did provide some pop, but none were able to fill the shoes of ManRam.
CATCHER/SHORTSTOP: The Red Sox got very little production from these two positions over the course of the year. Jason Varitek had the worst season of his career (.220/13/43) and Julio Lugo continued his career tailspin. After Lugo was lost for the year, Jed Lowrie was able to play some solid ball, but may not be the long term answer at short.
Some of these weaknesses will need to be addressed either internally or through a trade, but here are 5 guys (minus the Texeiras and Sabathias) who I think would be a big help to the Sox next year/
1. A.J. Burnett SP- Theo and the crew should pursue this guy based on his record against the Yankees alone (3-1, 1.64 ERA). Burnett will drive you crazy with his lack of command (think Dice-K going to 3-1 on every count) but his stuff is filthy. Add him to a rotation with Lester, Beckett and Daisuke and you have the top staff in baseball.
2. Jason Varitek C- Quite frankly, there isn’t much available to replace Tek and help from the farm is still a couple of years away. Recent rumors have the Sox going after Texas’ Jarrod Saltalamacchia who would be a nice addition. The best case scenario has the Sox re-signing the captain for one or two years, and either trading for or developing a young catcher to be his heir apparent.
3. David Eckstein SS- While it is not time to give up on Jed Lowrie (though it is time to cut ties with Julio Lugo), he seemed to hit a wall towards the end of the season. Lowrie’s development appears to have much more of a ceiling than other prospects like Jacoby Ellsbury or Michael Bowden. Eckstein would be a solid complement to Lowrie, and also give the Sox the shortest middle infield in baseball.
4. Jeremy Affeldt RP- The Sox have no need for a closer, so that takes them out of the running for K-Rod or Brian Fuentes. Middle relief is a tough area to forecast on the open market, but Affeldt is one of the better arms available. His stats appear pedestrian (1-1, 3.33 ERA) until you dig a little further. Take Affeldt out of the band box in Cincinnati and you have a dominant setup man. On the road, Affeldt sported a 1.77 ERA and struck out 34 batters in 35 innings. Affeldt could join the likes of Okajima, Delcarmen and Javy Lopez to help bridge the gap from the starters to Paps.
5. Kenshin Kawakami SP/RP- This is the wild card this off season. Kawakami is coming to MLB after 11 years with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan. Over the last 5 years, Kawakami is 66-35 and never had an ERA higher than 3.74. The Sox have expressed interest in his services, and have a good track record with scouting Japanese talent lately. Kawakami would be a solid 4th or 5thstarter or could provide middle relief out the pen.
The biggest thing missing from this list is the power bat the Sox need in the middle of the lineup. But frankly, with the exception of Texeira, that guy just is not out there. If desperate, they could always take a flyer on Jason Giambi or Pat Burrell. The other big problem is there just not a position for any of these players. Granted, should the Sox sign Texeira (I say it’s highly unlikely) they would shift the infield around. At this point, it’s looking like they will return the same middle of the order and work on shoring up their other weaknesses. Either way, it’s time to throw another log on the hot stove and enjoy the baseball off season.
