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Papi 54 · 03-03-2008, 08:18 PM

As the new general manager of the Boston Red Sox, I am under a ton of pressure. However, despite this, I must step in and do my job the best way I can. Not only do I plan to do so, I plan to do so my way. What does that mean? It means that yes, Theo Epstein did a pretty good job stocking the Red Sox with talent that won two World Series Championships in four years, but I will change the team as I see fit to my plans.

The first step towards doing this evaluating who is already in the system and what needs fixing.

Our starting rotation seems to be set as Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Curt Schilling, Julian Tavarez, and Tim Wakefield. On the outside looking in are Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, and Michael Tejera. Despite their positions on the fourty-man roster, David Pauley, Michael Bowden, and Jason Stanford are long shots to make it into the rotation this season. Although our depth is decent, after Beckett, Dice-K, and a healthy (hopefully) Schilling, there is not a ton of top-notch pitching. Buchholz and Lester are not there yet, while Tavarez, Wakefield, Tejera are more suited to start here-and-there. A deal might have to be struck to bolster this area.

In the bullpen, we are very, very strong at both the closer and setup position. Jonathan Papelbon is one of the best closers in the league, as he has proved the past two seasons (35 saves in '06, 37 in '07). Our setup men are lefty Hideki Okajima and righty Manny Delcarmen. Both of these guys hovered around a 2.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP last season. Beyond these three guys, we expect righty Danny Aardsma and lefties Javier Lopez and Jon Switzer to make the team. Right on the edge of knocking one of those two lefties out is right-hander Lee Gronkiewicz. Right-handers Dan Kolb and Bryan Corey are long-shots to make the team to start the season. We may want to add a mop-up guy or two, but a lot of our borderline starters may help out there.

The infield is relatively set for this season, or at least is at the moment. At first we have Kevin Youkilis, a defensive star who can swing the bat decently enough. He can also play third, which is important to our depth. At second we have AL Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia. If Dustin repeats his performance from last season, we are all set there. If not, lets just hope he performs enough to get by. At shortstop we have the much maligned Julio Lugo. Despite people's cries, he performed well at the end of last season and we hope to see him continue his improvement. At third we have World Series MVP Mike Lowell, a fan favorite. He got a slightly over-priced contract this past off-season. I really hope he can perform as well as he did last season, if not we may have to make a move for a corner infielder. As far as depth goes, we don't have much. Rookie middle infielder Jed Lowrie may make the team. Keith Ginter is favored to win a spot as well, mainly do to his versatility as a first, second, and third baseman. First baseman Lars Anderson could crack the roster with a strong showing this spring, but he can only play first and we may want to develop him more. First baseman Luis Jimenez and middle infielder Joe Thurston are long shots. At catcher we have mainstay Jason Varitek with his backup being Doug Mirabelli. The age factor scares me here, but luckily we have decent prospect George Kottaras who could step in if needed. We may need to make a move for some depth in our infield or our future at catcher.

The outfield is a bit of a mess at the moment, but three things are for sure as of right now. Manny Ramirez in left, Jacoby Ellsbury in center, and J.D. Drew in right. None of these players are sure-things for the full season. Manny had a down year last year, Jacoby will be playing his first full season, and J.D. didn't exactly turn heads last year. Coco Crisp is a lock for the roster if he remains with the team as a fourth outfielder. Beyond that is minor-league mainstay Brandon Moss, speedy Jonathan Van Every, and all-around decent Jay Johnson. If Crisp is dealt, a fourth outfielder may become an issue. Also, the future at the corners will have to be decided soon, specifically with an aging Manny Ramirez. Who knows, trade rumors may even arise soon regarding the Man-Ram. At designated hitter, we have "Big Papi" David Ortiz who, barring injury, is the surest of sure things.

We may listen to offers for: Manny Ramirez, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie, Jon Lester, J.D. Drew, various borderline players

We probably will not listen about: Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia

The rest is up in the air depending. I'm sure the rumors will start flying soon, but as we all know, smoke does not always mean fire.

03-03-2008, 08:18 PM	#3
Papi 54 Bat Boy Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 14	As the new general manager of the Boston Red Sox, I am under a ton of pressure. However, despite this, I must step in and do my job the best way I can. Not only do I plan to do so, I plan to do so my way. What does that mean? It means that yes, Theo Epstein did a pretty good job stocking the Red Sox with talent that won two World Series Championships in four years, but I will change the team as I see fit to my plans. The first step towards doing this evaluating who is already in the system and what needs fixing. Our starting rotation seems to be set as Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Curt Schilling, Julian Tavarez, and Tim Wakefield. On the outside looking in are Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, and Michael Tejera. Despite their positions on the fourty-man roster, David Pauley, Michael Bowden, and Jason Stanford are long shots to make it into the rotation this season. Although our depth is decent, after Beckett, Dice-K, and a healthy (hopefully) Schilling, there is not a ton of top-notch pitching. Buchholz and Lester are not there yet, while Tavarez, Wakefield, Tejera are more suited to start here-and-there. A deal might have to be struck to bolster this area. In the bullpen, we are very, very strong at both the closer and setup position. Jonathan Papelbon is one of the best closers in the league, as he has proved the past two seasons (35 saves in '06, 37 in '07). Our setup men are lefty Hideki Okajima and righty Manny Delcarmen. Both of these guys hovered around a 2.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP last season. Beyond these three guys, we expect righty Danny Aardsma and lefties Javier Lopez and Jon Switzer to make the team. Right on the edge of knocking one of those two lefties out is right-hander Lee Gronkiewicz. Right-handers Dan Kolb and Bryan Corey are long-shots to make the team to start the season. We may want to add a mop-up guy or two, but a lot of our borderline starters may help out there. The infield is relatively set for this season, or at least is at the moment. At first we have Kevin Youkilis, a defensive star who can swing the bat decently enough. He can also play third, which is important to our depth. At second we have AL Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia. If Dustin repeats his performance from last season, we are all set there. If not, lets just hope he performs enough to get by. At shortstop we have the much maligned Julio Lugo. Despite people's cries, he performed well at the end of last season and we hope to see him continue his improvement. At third we have World Series MVP Mike Lowell, a fan favorite. He got a slightly over-priced contract this past off-season. I really hope he can perform as well as he did last season, if not we may have to make a move for a corner infielder. As far as depth goes, we don't have much. Rookie middle infielder Jed Lowrie may make the team. Keith Ginter is favored to win a spot as well, mainly do to his versatility as a first, second, and third baseman. First baseman Lars Anderson could crack the roster with a strong showing this spring, but he can only play first and we may want to develop him more. First baseman Luis Jimenez and middle infielder Joe Thurston are long shots. At catcher we have mainstay Jason Varitek with his backup being Doug Mirabelli. The age factor scares me here, but luckily we have decent prospect George Kottaras who could step in if needed. We may need to make a move for some depth in our infield or our future at catcher. The outfield is a bit of a mess at the moment, but three things are for sure as of right now. Manny Ramirez in left, Jacoby Ellsbury in center, and J.D. Drew in right. None of these players are sure-things for the full season. Manny had a down year last year, Jacoby will be playing his first full season, and J.D. didn't exactly turn heads last year. Coco Crisp is a lock for the roster if he remains with the team as a fourth outfielder. Beyond that is minor-league mainstay Brandon Moss, speedy Jonathan Van Every, and all-around decent Jay Johnson. If Crisp is dealt, a fourth outfielder may become an issue. Also, the future at the corners will have to be decided soon, specifically with an aging Manny Ramirez. Who knows, trade rumors may even arise soon regarding the Man-Ram. At designated hitter, we have "Big Papi" David Ortiz who, barring injury, is the surest of sure things. We may listen to offers for: Manny Ramirez, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie, Jon Lester, J.D. Drew, various borderline players We probably will not listen about: Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia The rest is up in the air depending. I'm sure the rumors will start flying soon, but as we all know, smoke does not always mean fire.