Are the Red Sox planning a spending spree? That's Peter Abraham's question from the GM meetings.
I have no idea what the Red Sox are planning. But here are my thoughts, position by position.
Catcher - This looks pretty clear cut. Victor Martinez will be the No. 1 catcher, and if Jason Varitek wants to be the back-up, the option is out there. The question is why. Varitek really provides no true value at this point. His hitting is bad, and his defense has deteriorated a lot. The Sox need a young or veteran catcher who's great defensively, with a rocket arm.
First Base - Yooouuuuuuuk! Martinez will play here as well.
Second Base - Mighty Might
Third Base - Mike Lowell looks like the incumbent, but his defense is slipping badly. Worth keeping? Sure. But we need a good back-up plan. Youk will likely play here when Martinez is playing 1B.
Shortstop - This is the big hole. Last year we started with Lugo, Lowrie and Green as the back-up. Green, unfortunately, got most of the ABs. Now we have an oft-injured Lowrie as our best option. I was hopeful we'd deal for J.J. Hardy, but the Twins beat the Sox in that 'sweepstakes.' At this point I would go for defense first, even at the expense of offense.
LF - Matt Holliday is the answer. I like Jason Bay, and would be happy with his return. But his defense is not good, and he's a future DH. But Holliday is basically the same bat but with a glove. Will it break the bank? You bet. But the Sox do not have a good internal alternative, so it's Holliday, Bay or a trade. I pick Holliday.
CF - My wife's favorite player, Jacoby Ellsbury.
RF - J.D. Drew, who is totally underrated right now by Sox fans. Is he a great hitter? No, but he's a very good one, and his defense is good as well. I'm fine penciling in Drew everyday.
DH - Big Papi has had two non-Papi years in-a-row. In 2009, he was an average hitter, which is unacceptable at DH for a team with money. Could he bounce back to his decent 2008? Sure, but I think the Sox need a back-up plan in case Big Papi falters. Jeremy Hermida could be that. He could play LF and Bay (if he re-signs) could move to DH. Lars Anderson, if he starts well in 2010, could be the bat. The Sox need to be ready if Ortiz is not the old Papi.
Bench - Hermida was an interesting edition. As Theo said at the time, there is upside here. At age 23 in 2007, Hermida had a very good season. He's been a below average hitter since then, but he is a plus defender. If Lowrie isn't the starting SS, he'd be a pretty good back-up infielder (if he's healthy). He can play SS and 3B well, and I bet 2B or 1B wouldn't be beyond him. They need another power bat off the bench, a Matt Stairs-type who can hit for the SS or back-up catcher.
I don't like that Tek picked up the player option, but to say that he adds NO value probably isn't true (although I feel like saying that same thing sometimes). His handling of the pitching staff is a highly underrated and misunderstood asset.
ReplyDeleteAs for LF, I think Holliday would be a bust just like he was in Oakland.
Tek, at this point, would have to turn everyone into Cy Young in order to have value. Really, he's that bad at this point. It makes me sad to say that, but I don't see that his unquantifiable skills can overcome his lack of hitting and fielding.
ReplyDeleteHolliday was not a bust in Oakland. He had a a .378 OBP, just lacked his normal pop. But he was playing in a pitcher's park. The guy's a stud, and his fielding would be a plus.