Assessing the Sox, position by position
Could contracts limit Epstein's maneuverability this offseason?
BOSTON -- A few hours after the Angels had sent the Red Sox home for the winter on Sunday, Los Angeles shortstop Erick Aybar and third baseman Chone Figgins stopped into a steakhouse on Boylston Street to pick up some food for their five-hour flight home, one that would resemble a Mardi Gras party of sorts for the victorious Angels.
Aybar and Figgins, who waited next to several Bostonians wearing their Red Sox gear, picked up their food and headed toward the door. Suddenly, and without prompting, the Red Sox fans inside Morton's started clapping and chanting, "Beat the Yankees! Beat the Yankees!''
It was a classy tribute for a couple of players who had key roles in helping vanquish the Red Sox, and also represented the last time Sox fans would have the chance to cheer until next April.
The Red Sox had given their fans so much to hope for this October. There were serious dreams of a third championship within a six-year span, a feat that would put the Sox on even ground with the Patriots. It all seemed so possible at times this season and yet at other times it seemed far-fetched.
"We knew all season at times that when we were beat up, we took our lumps,'' manager Terry Francona said. "It's frustrating because none of us were ready to go home.''
Said general manager Theo Epstein: "We were outplayed in the series. We didn't expect this. We were relatively healthy and thought we were talented enough to make a run.''
At the beginning of every spring training camp, during his opening speech, Francona tells his players, "We're the Boston Red Sox. There's a lot of pressure that comes with that. But you guys get paid a lot of money to do your job.''
Boston's $144 million payroll was second in baseball only to the Yankees' $200 million. The Red Sox front office expected more than a quick first-round exit from the playoffs. But in the end, the only return on their investment was a single home playoff game. Sure, the regular-season home sellout streak now stands at 550 and money is no longer an overwhelming obstacle for this franchise.
But that doesn't help whitewash the disappointment of 2009.
"We all think of this year as a failure,'' Dustin Pedroia said.
Maybe the Red Sox picked the wrong time to slump. Maybe the Angels were the better club. Or maybe the Red Sox's flaws were all exposed during these fateful three games.
Boston's offense produced a meager .158 batting average during the three-game sweep. They scored one run in 18 innings played in Anaheim, and by the time they scored six runs at Fenway Park on Sunday, they had left themselves no wiggle room for a bad day. And that's exactly what they got when the normally reliable Jonathan Papelbon had what he described as his worst game ever.
"I think we all know when you're down 0-2, 0-3, if you make a mistake it can cost you,'' Epstein said. "And that's kind of what happened.''
The Sox fell behind in the series because they managed just four hits in each of the first two games. Some believe Boston was exposed as a one-dimensional club that simply couldn't produce on the road. The Red Sox batted .284 at Fenway Park and just .257 on the road. They had 326 extra-base hits at home and 246 away from Fenway.
"We didn't really hit on the road at all this year,'' Epstein said. "We'll take a look where we'll improve that a little bit.''
Here's a position-by-position breakdown of the Red Sox and what they might do for next season:
It's his job for the foreseeable future. Youkilis has reached elite status. The Sox know he's good for 60 extra-base hits and 100-plus RBIs and is one of the most underrated defensive players in the game, one who is equally adept at first or third base. His flexibility on defense makes him even more valuable.
The numbers don't lie. Pedroia had a drop-off from his MVP numbers of 2008. His power numbers didn't slip all that much as his home run total went from 17 to 15 and his RBI total from 83 to 72. But his average dropped 30 points to .296 and his slugging percentage nearly 50 points.
Epstein didn't mention Pedroia by name, but you wonder if he wasn't one of the players Epstein was talking about when he said, "There are certain players that don't have enough power to go out on a regular basis in some of the biggest ballparks on the road, that do have the ability to hit the ball off the wall at Fenway.''
Pedroia hit .318 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs at Fenway and .273 with five home runs and 26 RBIs on the road. He slugged .514 at home and .381 away.
Gonzalez, acquired from Cincinnati in mid-August, played some desperately needed steady defense and did more than the club expected offensively, hitting .284 in 44 games. But all along they were wondering when the bubble might burst. Gonzalez said he would be interested in returning; his contract has a mutual option for $6 million for next season. He may be a safety-net signing, perhaps at a lower rate, if the club doesn't believe Lowrie is ready to take over every day and decides against pursuing someone outside the organization.
He's under contract for one more season and unless the Sox sign or trade for a big-time first baseman and move Youkilis to third, Lowell's job seems safe, especially considering there are no Mark Teixeiras on the free-agent market.
Lowell has earned the front office's praise for his ability to play hurt. His ailing hip, which had a torn labrum last season and required surgery, was better, but Lowell's range defensively is nowhere near what it used to be. "We said from the beginning that it would be difficult for him,'' Francona said. "But he's a guy who will grind it out every day. We all feel -- Mike included -- that he'll be better situated next year."
Jason Bay is just weeks away from becoming a free agent. Whether he re-signs with the Red Sox is a question that could force the front office into a major free-agent signing, say Matt Holliday. Bay enjoyed career highs in home runs (36) and RBIs (119) and solidified the middle of the Sox lineup.
"I can't tell you what's going to happen because I don't know,'' Epstein said.
Before the season, the club was so confident that Ellsbury was ready to be an everyday player that they had few qualms in trading away Coco Crisp. Ellsbury didn't disappoint, taking yet another step toward possible star status. Epstein believes that with time, Ellsbury could hit upward of 30 home runs a year.
The nagging injuries were still there, but at the end of the season, Drew's numbers were what they always seem to be: around 20 home runs (24), 30 or so doubles (30 on the dot) and an on-base percentage in the .400 range (.392). He has two years left on his deal and is probably not going anywhere.
"We made a trade that should address that for next year,'' Epstein said of the deadline-day trade that landed Martinez from Cleveland. "Victor's going to catch a lot next year.''
That should answer whether the Sox will pick up the option year on Martinez's contract and whether Jason Varitek will be behind the plate much if he elects to exercise his $3 million player option for 2009. The question is whether Varitek is able to adjust to a reduced role in which he might catch about 30 or 40 games next year.
Ortiz turns 34 in November and is one of the few pure designated hitters left. The position seems to be transforming away from the no-glove, only-bat style in the name of roster flexibility.
Ortiz is down to the final year of his contract and Epstein's comment earlier this week could be one of those in which we look back a few months from now and realize how revealing it was.
"If he's going to be the designated hitter on this team he needs to be a force again,'' Epstein said.
If?
Epstein described this as an obvious strength, citing how Lester and Buchholz are in their pre-prime years and Beckett and Matsuzaka are in their primes. Tim Wakefield will have surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back and it looks like he will at least receive an invitation to make the club during spring training.
"He's somebody who's in our plans and we hope he can make starts for us next year,'' Epstein said.
Matsuzaka has been told, in no uncertain terms, to build up his body core and shoulder strength and to arrive at spring training prepared for the grind of a 162-game schedule. The team clearly was disappointed with his physical shape in 2009.
Buchholz is just 25, but the club believes he is on the precipice of becoming a pitcher who can be counted on to make 30-plus starts and win at least half of those.
Lester continued to mature into a top-of-the-rotation pitcher and there's no reason to believe the left-hander won't continue to flourish in 2010.
Beckett's option kicked in during the season and he is still viewed as the club's solid ace. Whether the front office wants him beyond next season remains a question. A season like 2007 (20-7, 3.27 ERA) could go a long way toward convincing the Red Sox Beckett is worth a long-term investment.
Bard and his 100 mph fastball were eye-popping at times and he showed on Sunday that a big-time playoff situation isn't enough to unnerve him as he induced a bases-loaded double play to help get out of a messy situation in the sixth and followed it up with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
Papelbon, the All-Star closer, of course did not fare as well on Sunday. But his season totals (38 saves, 1.85 ERA) were not a mirage. He still remains the best option for 2010. Beyond that? Who knows? Maybe Bard is the next closer.
Ramirez and Delcarmen were up and down most of the season. Delcarmen was probably going to be left off the playoff roster even before his car accident during the final weekend of the season. Ramirez showed flashes. Both, along with Okajima, are arbitration eligible.
Wagner has said he may retire, but earlier this season he indicated he wanted to close next year. The club holds a $6 million option on Saito.
Because of contracts that might be tough to move and the team will be reluctant to swallow, the Red Sox likely will be forced into one more season with its current core of players. Unless, of course, Epstein can work up a blockbuster trade, which is always a possibility.
"We could go in a number of directions,'' Epstein said. "We're always open to change. We need to change, it's a part of the natural cycle of baseball and of life. Perhaps it'll be the last year of this main group of players. One last chance for this group to go out and win one last time.''
Pedro Gomez is a reporter for ESPN.
