By Ron Espinola Posted January 12, 2011
When the Yankees continued their free-spending ways in 2009 I said they should show some financial restraint.
Now it seems that the Red Sox are determined to follow the Yankees into spending oblivion.
In December the Sox signed Carl Crawford from the rival Rays for the paltry sum of $142 million over seven years. Of course, this doesn’t seem like a bad deal considering the Nationals signed Jason Werth for a similar amount. Most people would agree that Crawford is the better deal when you consider age and the market.
Crawford and Boston’s other new signee, Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres, should create one of the best offenses in the majors. They also raise Boston’s defense to an elite level.
As Kevin Youkilis will likely move to third and Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia return from injuries, the only holes in the Boston lineup could be Marco Scutaro and Jason Varitek.
However, Boston did forget a couple of small items; a catcher and a bullpen…unless you pin your hopes on Bobby Jenks. Can a 39-year-old Varitek handle an entire season behind the plate while opposing runners steal at will? Ask Jorge Posada. Can Jarrod Saltalamacchia figure out how to throw the ball back to the pitcher, let alone hit a curveball?
This is an offense that was second in all of baseball in runs, home runs, and slugging. This was largely accomplished with Big Papi going 0-for-April and Ellsbury, Youkilis, and Pedroia missing large portions of the season. So is the focus on giving out big contracts to an offense the right approach? Of course not. The Yankees have tried this and proved it does not translate into titles.
Last year Boston ranked 22nd in ERA in the majors and their bullpen gave up the 8th most runs per game at 4.59. Yes, they will score runs, but will it be enough? The Sox scored 818 runs and gave up 744. This is a difference of less than one-half a run per game. If they stay healthy this team could score close to 1000 runs with its combination of speed and power. And even if their pitching remains the same…mediocre at best, they will win a lot of games. With a lineup like this, I wouldn’t bet against them.
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Dustin Pedroia
1B Adrian Gonzalez
DH David Ortiz
3B Kevin Youkilis
LF Carl Crawford
RF J.D. Drew
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
SS Marco Scutaro
However, Gonzalez (31 HR/101 RBI) and Crawford (19 HR/90 RBI) essentially replace the departed Victor Martinez (20 HR/79 RBI) and Adrian Beltre (28 HR/102 RBI). So the net effect is somewhat negligible. Although they may be extremely successful in a full season and reel off 100 wins; the shortsightedness of their strategy will likely show up in a short series in the playoffs. But then again, the opposition would have to face Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, and John Lackey. Red Sox Nation better hope the last two are much better than last year and that Buchholz can reprise his success of 2010.
Maybe the Sox should learn from the mistakes of their hated rival..the original Evil Empire-after Vader’s of course. Pitching wins…just ask the Giants.
