16 games in, but I think this team has shown some red flags that could potentially lead to disaster.
First off, the most glaring of late....defense from the catcher position. Varitek is not an everyday player anymore, and his AB's need to be limited (hes about where he should be for PT). He also has trouble throwing runners out, but at least he can handle the staff. Victor Martinez cannot continue to field the way he has. His offensive production, while great for a catcher, will not make up for what he loses in his defense, throwing ability, and his ability to handle the pitching staff. If Martinez continues to field the way he is now, a move HAS to be made, and Victor himself might need to be part of that deal since it appears that they are not going to re-sign him anyway. It was clear before we traded for him anyway that Cleveland was already transitioning him to 1B.
Next, there is the whole mess with Ortiz, Lowell, Beltre. If the sox have to trade for a catcher who can play everyday (Suzuki), they will need to make up for the offense lost (Martinez, if part of any deal). We have already seen that this team may have a hard time scoring runs, granted they have not been healthy. If Cameron and Ellsbury (broken rib) miss significant amounts of time, we are in trouble without acquiring a bat sooner than later. The bat we do acquire will have to be a 1B or DH, but if we do acquire a bat, then either that bat (Gonzalez?) or Youkilis will be removed from playing defense. This is another uncertainty. How do we know Gonzalez would be ok with it? How do we know Youkilis would be ok with it? We can sit here and say that Youkilis will play third, but how good of a 3B is Youkilis? He has also aged away from the position, how many years can he play 3B effectively if at all? If we acquire someone like Gonzalez....what do we do with Ortiz, Lowell and Beltre? They could acquire a bat for the OF to replace one of the injured OF, but if they acquire a star, does that mean Cameron is on the bench grossly overpaid for the next two years? If Cameron is on the bench, where does that leave Hermdia?
Another issue, Wakefield is going to the bullpen. Neither catcher can catch him, and the Rangers stole 10 bases on him the other night. What value does he have to the bullpen? If he has zero worth in the pen, and hes not good enough at this point for the rotation.....what is his role?
This is not a knee jerk reaction, since I am kind of sitting on the fence and just sort of throwing around some observations and scenarios that I have thought of in terms of moving forward the next few weeks.
What do you guys think?