Evaluating the Red Sox Off-season thus far...

In order to truly capitulate the "Et Cetera" portion of the "Royals Et Cetera" blog, this post focuses on analyzing the Red Sox' off-season thus far. Like the Royals' off-season, the Red Sox have not made any blockbuster moves. Actually, aside from the New York Yankees, very few teams have done much revamping in preparation for April. After failing to sign top echelon free agent pitchers C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, two of whom signed with the Yankees, the Red Sox were outbid for arguably the top free agent position player on the market, Mark Texiera, who also now sports pinstripes. Clearly, general manager Theo Epstein could not go an off-season without any significant changes, especially since the Red Sox lost in game 7 of the ALCS to the division rival Devil Rays, who, by the way, brought a payroll nearly $100 million dollars less than the Red Sox to the World Series. With both the Yankees' endless supply of dough, and the Devil Rays' seemingly endless supply of young, cheap farm talent, the Red Sox need to do something. 

What did we do? We acquired some of the most broken and beat up talent the remaining free agent pool had to offer. 

Biggest off-season acquisition: John Smoltz. Arguably of the of the greatest right-handed pitchers ever. Granted, Smoltz only threw 28 innings last year due to a nagging shoulder injury, but in that span only allowed 8 earned runs, for a not-to-shabby ERA of 2.57. In fact, despite his age, Smoltz, who turns 42 in May, has yet to experience a drop in effectiveness. With Red Sox physicians rating Smoltz' arm as healthy, and with a base contract of only $5 million, the Red Sox have made a gamble here which could very well pay huge dividends this season.

Yet another ace fallen from the stars: Brad Penny. Another victim of a tender shoulder, last season Penny was limited to 17 starts while posting a not too attractive ERA of 6.27. Penny is a two-time all-star who has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career. With a base contract of $5 million, Penny is basically an insurance policy for the struggles of Clay Buchholz, another injury to Josh Bechett, or the advancing age of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. If he regains his stuff, Penny is a dangerous addition to the Sox pitching staff, and could even be used devastatingly in relief as a bridge to closer Jonathan Papelbon. 

The ultimate fourth outfielder: Rocco Baldelli. In the past a franchise staple for the Devil Rays, and seen by many as one of baseball's rising stars, Baldelli  was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder last March, but that diagnosis was more recently changed to channelopathy, a different cellular disorder that is less severe and responds better to treatment. Though his playing time has been limited over the last few years, he was a strong contributer to the Devil Rays at the end of last season and into the playoffs. And with a base contract of only $500 thousand, Baldelli is a low risk player with high rewards. He could spell J.D. Drew and David Ortiz against lefties, offer speed and stellar defense off the bench, and, hopefully, regain his confidence and become the player everyone thought he could be early in his career. 

The Red Sox have made a few other minor roster moves involving broke and battered players. including Josh Bard, a back-up catcher from the San Diego Padres who suffered both ankle and triceps injuries last year, as well as Takashi Saito, a closer from the Los Angeles Dodgers who missed significant time last season due to an elbow injury.

The one remaining gap for the '09 season remains the catcher position. Jason Varitek is still unsigned, as both sides have yet to make an agreement. However, there have been signs that Varitek will end up with the Red Sox with a significantly reduced salary. Despite his age and decrease in offensive performance, Varitek's presence is a important in guiding Boston's pitching staff.

Clearly, the Red Sox medical staff is going to be busy this season season. And those Sox fans hoping for a big blockbuster move to compete with the Yankees have surely been disappointed. But the Red Sox have taken a more conservative approach from years past. If just one or two of Boston's off-season acquisitions pans out according to plan, Boston will have significantly improved its team from last year, and will be in prime position to compete in the ultra-competitive American League East.