redsoxfan3

Not sure if anyone posted this yet, but I ran across this on mlbtraderumors.com. I am not against signing Shoppach because he will be a veteran catcher with a good arm to throw out runners. The only problem I have is that this more than likely means Lavarnway is going to be in AAA next year, especially with us resigning Papi. It is unfortunate because I feel like Lavarnway is ready offensively at the big league level.

That's the the problem this team is facing. If we keep Bard in the pen, we need a starter, if we move Bard to the rotation, then we need a closer. Either way we need to fill gaps. You're questions are not answered as of now. That why Cafardo was saying we need to sign Madson or trade for Bailey, and Madson is the better out of the two, but will cost 11 million a year. I am more worried about a closer than a setup man at this point.

Bard and Aceves will be decent as starters. They won't provide much more than probably 160 innings each this year, but I still believe they will give us quality innings, even if the quantity is not there of say 190 to 200 innings that I am hoping Beckett, Lester, and Buchholz can accomplish. If this team stays healthy in the rotation, which has been problematic in the past, then that would be a huge factor to this team's success. I am down with Bard and Aceves in the pen. We better sign Madson or trade for Bailey. I would rather sign Madson, even if that means we go over the LT. Of course, I am not the one signing the pay checks, but it would probably be the best solution for this team.

There has been a lot of negative talk towards BC over the winter meetings. I know a lot of fans aren't happy because the best we could come up with is resigning Papi and Miller. Also, I'm sure a lot of people already know that BC is going to wait a little bit before he makes moves in the free agent market to see if he can get "bargains." That leaves me with a question for everyone. We are virtually the same team as last year, which at one point was the best team in baseball. We don't have Papelbon, Lackey, Wakefield, Bedard, and Varitek for next year. The only real loss there is Papelbon. My question to everyone is who were you guys expecting us to sign at the winter meetings? Both Bard and Aceves are going to prepare in Spring Training as starting pitchers. That right there completes our rotation. We have Lester, Beckett, Buchholz, Aceves, and Bard in the rotation. Andrew Miller will also be competing for a spot. If that is the so called rotation to expect for opening day, then we have Miller as an option to fill-in if we are plagued with injuries. Also, we signed one other guy to a minor league contract and an invite to Spring Training. I don't remember his name, but he pitched for the Blue Jays and say out last year if I remember right. That is 7 pitchers figthing for starting spots on this team. That leaves our only real spots to fill in the bullpen. We are still in talks with Ryan Madson. He is not off of the table. Also, for those who want a starting pitcher, Roy Oswalt is still available as an option for this team. I know that JH does not want to go over the luxury tax, but if it comes to it, we might. We have to get a closer, a set-up man, a 7th inning man, and maybe one or two more arms in the pen. We are in talks with the A's, Rangers, and White Sox about pitching in general. If we can pull the trigger with trading for Bailey or signing Madson, then the closer role is filled. We are still interested in Luis Ayala. He could be our 7th inning guy if we sign him. There are still trade options out there and there are still pitchers left in the market. If we get a closer and sign Ayala, that means we have to come up with a set-up man or another starting pitcher. If we get the set-up man, then Bard and Aceves stay in the rotation. If we get another starter, then we could put Aceves or Bard in the set-up role, probably Bard again. The scenario could work out for us. There are still options out there, so there is no need for fans to panic, because I can guarantee you that this team has some sort of plan. Like I said before, we still are basically the same team as last year, minus our great closer. We actually improve by losing Wakefield and Lackey for the year, except in terms of depth in the rotation. I know that no one wants Dice-K to return to this team, but he is expected to be ready to play some time this summer. That just adds more to our pitching depth. He might be able to fill-in like Wakefield did if we are plagued by injuries. Our offense is going to be good. I know that everyone wants a RH right fielder, but that is not an essential need, because we still have Reddick with Kalish hopefully going to return. We also lose Varitek, but we have Lavarnway as a backup, maybe even splitting time with Salty at catcher. We kind of improve at catcher, at least offensively. We will more than likely add a RH hitter in the outfield. I don't know who at this point, most likely someone cheap who can be a utility outfielder for us, getting most of the action in RF. That is the least of our worries. The offense will still be as good as last year. We need to focus on nothing but pitching going forward. We have flexibility in what we can do as well with both Bard and Aceves willing to move to the rotation. We may go over the luxury tax, we might not, if not we will still be a contender. Lowrie, Kalish, and Reddick are all trade bait for potential pitchers. Why keep Lowrie or Reddick? We have Aviles who is already a utility infielder. We have Kalish who is going to be a LH right fielder like Reddick. There is no point in keeping both. For me, I would love for us to sign Madson, Ayala, and Oswalt and keep Bard in the set-up role and move Aceves to the rotation. That might not be realistic, because that means we are going to be breaking the luxury tax, but it is very possible. I'm hoping that we can work out a deal with Papi for the next two years, instead of paying him $14 or $15 million this next year. We can probably reduce it down to $20 or $22 million for him over two years and free up $3 or $4 million per year over the next two years. That three million right there could go into signing Ayala, which would be a good move in my opinion. I think a lot of people forget that this team is really the same as last season. Papelbon earned $12 million last year. If they want to replace his salary with another closer, why not invest in Ryan Madson? He won't cost as much and would be reliable. Oswalt made $16 million in 2011. Oswalt is looking for a three year deal at probably $13 to $14 million per year. So, I don't know which route we will take. Madson is probably looking at a 4 year deal around $10 million per year. That would be $23 million for both, with another $10 to $15 with Papi. Miller cost us $1 million. So far we are probably looking at $16 million at the most that we have spent. That doesn't give us much room to work with in regards to the luxury tax. We will probably see a strong push in trading for a closer. At this point, there are a lot of questions to be answered. If we are willing to break the luxury tax, why not try to sign Oswalt, Madson, and Ayala. If we aren't willing to break the luxury tax, then sign Ayala, try to trade for Bailey, and try to trade for a starting pitcher or someone to fill the set-up role. We could also think about possibly taking a chance on Joel Zumaya as a set-up man. We supposedly are going to be at his workout that he is having soon. Imagin these two scenarios: Scenario 1 (breaking the luxury tax): Rotation- Lester Beckett Buchholz Oswalt Aceves 7th- Ayala Set-up- Bard Closer- Madson Scenario 2 (staying under the luxury tax, a risky decision): Rotation- Lester Beckett Buchholz Aceves Bard 7th- Ayala Set-up- Zumaya Closer- Bailey Obviously the first option is the better one, but the second one could work out. If Zumaya become reliable and we trade for Bailey, then a that could be a bonus for us. That is a big IF on Zumaya though. Don't forget we will be getting Jenks and Dice-K back at some point. IF we get some productivity out of Jenks, then both Jenks and Zumaya could be reliable late innning guys for us. I like Ayala in the 7th-inning role no matter what. I think he is worth $3 million a year. I want Aceves in the rotation no matter what, he deserves the shot. Miller will probably have to be in the pen and possibly be a spot starter on some occasions. Whatever route we choose to go, I feel we will be a competitor in 2012. Also, don't read too much into my scenarios. I am just throwing things out there. I would probably have someone else in that set-up role in scenario 2, but it might be worth a shot. There is a lot we could do this offseason and there is still a lot of time left. We aren't going to be sitting around doing nothing the entire offseason. Everyday the FO is working on possible moves. We will put together a solid team that will compete. Just hang in there and don't be too quick to judge the FO, especially BC.

If you would have read my entire post, you would have known I said that I would prefer to just go after Bailey. I was talking about what it would take to get Bailey, not both.

That would cost us an arm and a leg. I would prefer just to go after Bailey. They are asking for a good starting pitching prospect, an offensive first baseman or outfielder, and another decent starting pitching prospect. At least that was reported when the Jays were trying to trade for him. If that is the case, it would cost us probably two of three out of Weiliand/Wilson/Haeger. As well as, either Reddick or Kalish (I would prefer to keep Kalish). We could probably try to throw in Lars Anderson since they want a 1B, I'm hoping they won't ask for Miles Head. I also would prefer to keep Ranaudo and Barnes. I might be willing to give up Britton. We might be able to package Weiland, Wilson, Reddick, and Anderson for Bailey. I just don't want to give up guys like Head, Ranaudo, and Barnes. In any trade, I would say Middlebrooks, Lavarnway, Kalish, Ranaudo, Boegarts, Barnes, Brentz, and Swihart should be untouchable, at least in my opinion. If someone wants to talk Iglesias, Lowrie, Reddick, Anderson, Cecchini, Jacobs, or even Weiland, Wilson, or Haeger, I would be all for trade discussions. The asking price for Bailey is still really high, but for the right deal I would be all for it. Just don't take the previous guys I mentioned that I think should be untouchable, unless you are getting an actual ace.

Since I live in Fort Myers, I will obviously go to some Red Sox Spring Training games and I am going to try to make my way up to Tampa a couple of times when the Red Sox make the trip down south.

There are a lot of people stuck on Paps. He is out. The only thing is to get over it and realize he is gone. I will miss him, but we all knew he was asking too much. We can find another closer to replace. Yes, that closer might not be as good, but as long as we get someone who can finish out games for us. We are in talks with Madson and depending on what the FO wants to do, I won't mind if we go out and get him. We are probably going to get Papi again and I know a lot of people are against resigning him, especially to 14 million, but it is what it is. It is going to be hard for us to stay under the luxury tax. We are meeting with Oswalt's and Wilson's agent (the same agent) over the winter meetings. I am excited about that. If we can ink either of those two, then that will be great for our rotation. Especially since we have either Bard or Aceves in the rotation. That gives us 5 starters and potentially 6 if we need depth. Whether Aceves or Bard makes the rotation, the other will be the set-up guy and still could potentially fill a starting role if we are plagued with injuries throughout the year. If we sign either Wilson, Oswalt, or Darvish, then that is one solid starter that we need. Darvish will probably cost us a guaranteed 100 million when it is all said ad done, so I'm not sure if I would be all for acquiring him. We need one reliable starter regardless if we want to compete. Whether that is signing someone or by trading. Everyone is getting really anxious and the winter meetings haven't even started yet. Give it some time. If we get Papi, Madson (or another reliable closer), one of the previous starting pitchers mentioned above (or another starting pitcher through free agency or trade), and then a RH right fielder, then this team will be able to compete. Hypothetically speaking, say we resign Papi, sign Madson, sign Oswalt, and a RH outfielder, we are going to be over the luxury tax, and it is as simple as that. I know the FO and fans don't want that to happen, but it is very possible we do. Also, we are probably going to make a serious run after Luis Ayala. He is another pitcher like Aceves who could play a big role for this team in the pen. I could see us making a serious run after either Cespedes or Darvish. I don't think we will sit back and wait around after or during the winter meetings. There is a lot of work to be done. Look for us to resign Papi really soon and then go from there. Just be patient. Everything will work out. Offensively we are not going to be much different than last year. Our offense was really good last year. Hopefully Kalish can have a good spring and get a lot of action in RF for us this year. Odds are Crawford turns things around, he can't do much worse. Even if he has a similar year as last year our offense was still good. I want to see something reliable out of Jenks as well. That would be a bonus though, because I don't think anybody is expecting much from him. If Youk can stay healthy, there is another decent player offensivley and defensively we can rely on. Also, Lavarnway will be an upgrade as the backup catcher in terms of offense, so that will be something big for us. The rotation and the bullpen will come together as we start to make moves and signings we have to be patient though. We have three good starters already in the system, now we just need two more, with two in-house options potentially there. We get leadership out of Pedroia that is going to be extremely important. It wouldn't surprise me if he has an MVP type season. Offensively we are set. I am looking forward to this team. We relied on Lackey and Wake last year in the rotation, anyone is a step up from them and that improves our rotation. We downgrade at closer, but I can guarantee you we will have someone worth giving a shot. Let's see how the winter meetings go and see what happens from there. A start could be resigning Papi, signing Madson, and signing Ayala. I would be happy if we got all three moves done. Then we only have to worry about signing one SP, two more bullpen arms, and a RH outfielder. With the outfielder, why not even look for a cheap utility outfielder that is RH. We could have Crawford, Ellsbury, and Kalish/Reddick and then the utility outfielder getting some time at all three when someone needs a day off or even can platoon in RF if we can use Reddick for trade value. There are so many questions to be answered. Also, give Weiland another year to develop in AAA and he might be decent for 2013. He knows what to expect at the major league level, now he just needs to develop more to fulfill his potential. I am expecting Doubront to develop more as well. Both have pretty decent ceilings. After Papi is gone, we have Lavarnway ready to go, when Middlebrooks fulfills his potential, he is ready to go at 3B. I hope Crawford, Kalish, and Ells can be our outfielders for the next few years. There are a lot of people that are down on this team, stay optimistic. We have good players in our system. I'm excited about Blake Swihart as well and Xander Boegarts. Both could be in the majors within the next few years. In 2015, could you imagine Crawford in LF, Ells in CF, Kalish in RF, Middlebrooks at 3B, Boegarts at SS, Pedey at 2B, AGon at 1B, Swihart/Salty/Lavarnway at C, and Lavarnway/Youk at DH? Call me a wishful thinker, but the potential is there. Buchholz, Lester, Bard, Aceves are all hopefully going to be around. With others as well. We have talent, we have good prospects, we will continue to develop good prospects. This team will be competing for a while. Whatever way the FO decides to go, I will fully support. They know way more about what this team needs than any fan does, that is why they get paid as much as they do. We can choose to be optimistic or pessimistic about that, it's your choice. I'm choosing to be optimistic, it is less stress for me in an already stressful world. As fans it is not our job to fret the things that we cannot control. Whether that be if this team decides to stay under the luxury tax or go over it. For one, if we sign Papi I would not be surprised if we go over it. I'm excited about this team next year. We will be a contender either way. A lot of people forget that two of our starters sucked last year and was a reason why we didn't compete as well as we could have. That will be fixed. The management decisions were even questioned. Papi even was wondering why the hell Aceves wasn't given the ball every fifth day. We have a new fresh, experienced manager to get this team back on track with new management decisions and a new managing style. I support BC and Bobby V. They will be a great combo going forward. Let's go Sox! Let's get a World Series in 2012. f*** Papelbon and his greediness. We will survive without him. We will survive with Papi. At the end of the day, we are the same team as last year, with new management and new pitching let's go out, get this team in-shape, prevent injuries, and play some baseball!

Actually, Pedroia was a player that defended Tito. So, don't sit there and say that no one said a word about the firing of Francona, because that is untrue. Here is the article link for proof. http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7041452/shock-sadness-terry-francona-players There may have been players that had their 'differences' with Tito, but Pedroia fully defended Francona. There were actually probably more players that got along with Francona. It was time for him to leave, only because his authority was lost, but that was due to his managing style not being effective last year as it had in recent years. The players and the clubhouse needed new authority and change. Also, you are a little quick to throw Beckett out the door. Yes, he was part of the chicken and beer thing last year, but he is one of our best and most consistent pitchers. You aren't even going to give him a chance to change his ways? I am just glad you aren't the GM of the Red Sox. We would have no veteran players and our starting rotation would be horrible. I agree that it is time to part ways with Tek and Wake, only because they will not be able to significantly help this team in 2012 or in the future. Ortiz can help this team next year, so if they decide to stick with him, I won't be extremely pissed off. He will still be productive for us next year. I agree it is time to move on with all of the s*** that happened last season, but don't be so quick to jump the gun.

I have been reading a lot lately that Bard is a realistic option as a starter next year. Could that mean we have a rotation of Lester, Beckett, Buchholz, Aceves, and Bard? I know that Aceves needs to get a shot at the rotation this spring. Also, that means we have to do some serious work in the bullpen then. I know that there is some talk about signing Heath Bell as a closer. I know that some of you may not like that move. I don't mind the move if it is for two years with maybe a club option for a third. But, can we really move both Bard and Aceves to the rotation at this point? I know that they both potentially could be decent starters for us. I would not mind that rotation at all, only if we fill their roles in the pen this offseason. I know BC has been talking about going after low-risk, high reward players (not Wakefield). I wouldn't mind if we have Bard and Aceves fighting for spots in Spring Training with us signing a couple of cheap veteran pitchers potentially fighting for spots as well. At this point, it is hard to tell who BC has in mind. The positive is that we know Bard and Aceves are proven in the pen regardless, so worst case scenario they end up in the same role as last year. Bard obviously is the in-house option for closer if we don't go after anyone else. I would personally like to see us go after Bell for that role though. Does anyone else have some insight on this? I would love to hear some feedback from you guys. Starting Rotation: Lester Beckett Buchholz Aceves Bard Bullpen: 7th inning- ? Set-up- ? Closer- Bell? Who could potentially fill in the 7th inning and set-up role if this was the case? Are there any in-house options or would we have to go out and make some signings or trade(s)? I am just hoping we have some payroll to work with, it looks like we may not have a whole lot if Papi comes back (obviously). I would love for us to get that right-handed hitting right fielder, but that might not be possible with us going after Papi. I hope that Kalish has an amazing Spring Training and can potentially be in a platoon role with Reddick next year if that is the case. I would love for Kalish to take over that position as an everyday player (unfortunately his injury last year was a huge set back). Also, I am very intrigued by the new pitching coach. I have heard Dave Wallace as a candidate. How do you guys feel about him (there may be some mixed reviews)? I have heard David Cone as a potential candidate. I don't know how serious that is or if that was just a name being thrown out there by someone. Does anyone have any ideas as who potential candidates are?

I agree with Buehrle and Aceves, but personally I would love to see us sign Heath Bell. Bell has even been talking about potentially teaming up with Gonzalez again. I don't mind K-Rod at all, but I guess it just depends on their asking prices. I would also love to see us get Buehrle and then one other SP to add some depth. I would love for Aceves to be given the chance to start, but I would also like for us to sign one more or trade for one more SP to get some pitching depth. I really hope we don't sign Wake again, even though his agent is playing the guilt card with the Red Sox. This is a business, he should officially be done here. Also, if Aceves competes for the starting job and doesn't win it, the worst case scenario is that he ends up in the pen as one of our most reliable relievers.

It sucks about Papelbon. But, what can ya' do? We are supposedly going after Bell and Madson now. Also, we are going after Cuddyer and Sizemore, although I would prefer not go after Sizemore. This should be interesting, I am kind of shocked right now.

I see your point, and I also do agree with it. It comes down to this, what means more? Going to the World Series or going to the playoffs? Obviously you can't go to the World Series without making the playoffs, but the Yankees choked on the bigger stage.

The same can be said about us being Red Sox fans. There is bias going both ways. We probably have had the biggest regular season choke and the Yankees have had the biggest post season choke, being realistic. It is kind of hard to compare the two, but you are probably right, especially since the post season means more than the regular season. So, being a biased Red Sox fan, I am willing to agree with you in saying the Yankees have the biggest choke.

His WHIP was 1.32. But anyways, his WHIP was better than Lackey and Wakefield's WHIP. I would take Gonzalez over either of them. Not to mention I am not expecting Gonzalez to be the ace of this organization, just a good #4 starter. Lester's WHIP was 1.26 and Buchholz's WHIP was 1.29. Gonzalez's is really not much different. Also, who's to say it won't improve? I would not mind taking the chance on trading for Gonzalez. If he has a 3.12 ERA again and wins 20 games for us, I would be happy. It's an improvement over Lackey and Wakefield and that is what we need. I know anything is really an improvement over those two. If there are no other options, count me in for Gonzalez. He would improve this team.

I think the last time I really heard anything about him is when he was in Fort Myers throwing, which was sometime in October. He is recovering from his Tommy John surgery. I haven't heard much about him lately.

There is no difference in the value there, other than that we would benefit from losing Lackey.

That lineup would not make the playoffs next year, but how do you know it would not for 2013? If Crawford and Youk get back on track offensively, we have Ells, Pedey, Gonzalez, Youk, and Crawford all good offensively. That is five players that are all veterans in 2013 that can lead this team. Salty will be decent offensively, nothing great, but nothing horrendous. Then we have Middlebrooks, Lavarnway, Kalish, and possibly Iglesias. What I am saying about those guys is that they have the potential to start if they progress. Iglesias needs to improve offensively. Lavarnway needs to improve defensively. He is there offensively as a DH, but time will tell if he will be able to stay consistent offensively. Kalish will be fine if he recovers from his injury. Middlebrooks needs to have a solid year in the minors to even get a shot in 2013, we might see him in 2012 during September callups. This is a potential lineup. I am not sure if you understand what that means. But, I am not saying at all that this will be the lineup. Your logic does not make sense. It has the potential to be a good lineup in 2013. Go to dictionary.com and look up the word potential. That lineup does have the potential to make the playoffs in 2013, that does not mean it will be the lineup or does not mean that we will make the playoffs, but we could. In 2012 that will not be the lineup and that lineup would not make the playoffs. That is the difference. All of these players would have to reach their max potential to make that lineup happen, if not that lineup can be thrown out the door.

Did you not read my post at all? I said that could be the potential lineup for 2013. I am not saying that is our lineup for next year. Kalish, Iglesias, Middlebrooks, and Lavarnway are all not ready for next year at this point. Depending on how Kalish recovers we may see him in 2012. Lavarway will probably be in AAA to start the year, unless he has a ridiculous spring training. Also, Lavarnway kind of depends on if we resign Papi and if we sign a veteran catcher to backup Salty (whether that is Varitek or someone else). Lavarnway still has a lot to prove defensively as a catcher, he might be ready offensively at the big league level, but at this point not defensively. If Iglesias cannot improve offensively, we may not see him for a while, especially with Xander Bogaerts in the wings. We may get to see Middlebrooks during the Septemeber callups of next year. Again, that all depends on how he progresses. That is still a slim possibility. I was stating the possible lineup for 2013, that really depends on a lot of things. If you would have ready my post to its entirety, you would have known that. There are a lot of question marks. I was talking about the future more than I was next season. Next year we have Scuataro at SS, Youk at 3B, possibly Reddick or Kalish in RF (unless we sign a guy like Beltran), and DH is up in the air at this point with Papi being a free agent. Youk's contract runs through next season with a club option for 2013. That is why I was hypothetically saying that it depends if Youk is going to be around for 2013 when I was talking about the lineup for 2013. Once again, it is for the 2013 season that I said that it could be the potential lineup. I would have a heart attack if that was the opening day lineup for next year. I think getting Reyes is out of the picture. Scutaro is a decent SS and can fill the role temporarily. I would love to have Jose Reyes on this team, but I don't think the FO would invest in a big contract at SS right now, especially since we have Bogaerts and Iglesias in the minors. Scutaro is the temporary option. After next season, we will have a better idea as what we can expect in the future at SS. Anyways, I don't know why they picked Scutaro's option up if they would want to go after a guy like Reyes. That just doesn't make sense. Scutaro is cheap for his production. Nothing is impossible and maybe you will be right, but I just don't see it happening from a personal perspective. I really think the focus will be on getting a right handed RF (possibly pursuing Beltran). I could see us going after Wilson and Molina. Everything for this offseason is really just a bunch of question marks at this point.

Personally, with all of the speculation as to who the next manager is going to be, you can't really predict who it is going to be. Fans probably have a favorite pick as manager. We just need to trust the FO. Afterall, the FO is conducting the interviews. I just hope the right guy will be managing this team next year. We obviously need someone who will make this team reach their max potential. I personally would love to see a more agressive manager and a manager that is not afraid to set a player straight if need be. One of the biggest things for me, I want to see us steal more bases. I would love to see this team play more small ball. Get Crawford back on track, get him 30+ SB, as well as Ellsbury 30+ SB (assuming we do not trade him, which I don't want to do unless we can get another ace). I would even love to see Pedroia get 30+ SB. I know he will probably get at least 20+, but I personally think we have three guys that are capable of 30+ SB. Ryan Kalish is another guy with speed. Iglesias even has a little speed (I could see him a 20+ SB guy in the big leagues if he improves his average). Hoping that Iglesias improves his bat next year in AAA and Kalish can recover successfully from his injury, maybe in 2013 we will have 5 guys with good speed (Pedroia, Ellsbury, Crawford, Iglesias, and Kalish). Middlebrooks is another guy I am excited about, as well as Lavarnway. I might be going out on a limb here, but it would be AWESOME if all of these young guys reach their max potential and can be effective in 2013. Could you imagine an infield with Middlebrooks at 3B, Iglesias at SS, Pedroia at 2B, Gonzalez at 1B? Could you imagine an outfield with Crawford in LF, Ellsbury in CF, and Kalish in RF (with Reddick either being the 4th outfielder or having some sort of decent trade value)? Could you imagine Lavarway splitting time with Salty at C (and also splitting time at DH or being our full-time DH)? The DH situation is kind of complex. Will we sign Papi to a 2 or 3 year deal? Will we have Youk around in 2013 to potentially split time at 3B and DH? The questions are obviously unanswered, but I would love to have Youk around even if Middlebrooks is our starting 3B. He would be a veteran and could add a spark at DH with his bat or at 3B or 1B if need be (only if we don't get rid of him or if he is not plagued by injuries). I'm excited about this team in years to come. I know that all of these youngsters might not reach their potential, but if they do, that would be amazing for this team. I also want a consistent lineup next year. I preached this over the course of last season as well. I wanted a consistent lineup from day one, but players were always jumping around the batting order. But in 2013, our lineup could potentially consist of: Ellsbury - CF Crawford - LF Pedroia - 2B Gonzalez - 1B Lavarnway - DH Middlebrooks- 3B Kalish - RF Salty - C Iglesias - SS The batting order is obviously just a guess depending on how the players hit. We would have Youk and Reddick on the bench potentially (assuming we don't resign Papi). I am excited for this team, there is so much potential. This may just be a dream lineup, but we as fans still have a lot to look forward to. I don't even really want to get into all of the pitching. I just know Beckett needs to straighten out, because we cannot afford to lose him. I am comfortable that Lester will be fine. Buchholz needs to stay healthy. I want those three in the rotation for sure though. The other two spots are up for grabs. I want Aceves and Bard to stick around for long-term, whether we experiment with either in the starting rotation or whether we keep Aceves as the 7th inning man and Bard as the set-up man. We NEED to resign Papelbon. Yes, a lot of people can say that it was his fault we lost the last game of the season, which kept us out of the playoffs. Papelbon just means too much to this team to let him walk this offseason. I know I kind of went off on a tangent there, but I just want a manger that will maximize this team's potential. A manager that is going to be around for the next few years. A manager that is going to lead us to the playoffs. A manager that will get us a World Series. Whoever that may be, I put my trust in the FO. I like a lot of the potential candidates, but I am not going to pick my favorite. I will let the FO pick who they feel will be the best for this team. All I know is that the we learned a lot from the 2012 season and that we need to not let a collapse like this ever happen again. The Red Sox will be back in 2012 as a better team (especially without Lackey pitching). There are a lot of things that need to be covered going into this offseason and I am looking forward to everything. Let's go Red Sox! Let's start by picking the right manager!

I am not liking the articles I am reading about Lackey on redsox.com. It is saying Lackey needs to get back on track for 2012. How about we get his ass back on track by trading him, if we can. I am not comfortable at all with Lackey in this rotation. Also, redsox.com is saying Theo wants Papelbon and Ortiz back. I would not mind if either returned. I just would be pissed if it costs us an arm and a leg. Papelbon is an elite closer, he just had a couple mistakes down the stretch. I think it is a learning experience that he will overcome. The same goes for Bard. I also like Papi back for maybe a one year deal, with a team option for 2013. He is getting old and I don't want a big multiyear deal with him if he plays like s*** next year. I say give him a chance with how well he did this year. I think he still has some gas left in the tank.