5 Burning Questions: Boston Red Sox
1: How will the addition of RHP John Lackey affect Boston? The Red Sox went out and signed the premier free agent pitcher in RHP John Lackey (11-8, 3.83 ERA). Lackey, the former Angels ace, joins an already solid rotation led by LHP Jon Lester (15-8, 3.41 ERA), RHP Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86 ERA), and RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (4-6, 5.76 ERA), who is returning from hip injury that kept him on the DL for much of the 2009 season. Lackey, who was leaned on heavily in Anaheim, struggled with arm issues in 2008 and 2009, pitching just 163.1 and 176.1 innings respectively. The move to Boston could help him stay healthy throughout the season, as he is now the #3 or #4 starter and opposed to being the bell cow leading the rotation. Also, because he is farther down in the rotation, he won't be facing the other team's ace constantly, possibly leading to a jump in statistics. While some may consider giving a pitcher with arm troubles an $82.5 million contract, anytime you can take an ex-ace with as much playoff experience as Lackey and put him in the middle of your rotation, it's a very good thing, especially if the team you signed him from swept you out of the playoffs the previous year.
2: Will Big Papi return to being Big Papi? In short, probably not. However, that doesn't mean he can't be a productive hitter in the middle of the Red Sox lineup. David Ortiz from 2004-2007 was a superhuman figure. He protected Manny Ramirez in the lineup and acted as a interpreter between the world of “Manny Being Manny” and the rest of us. Most importantly, if the Red Sox needed a clutch hit, Big Papi delivered. During that time period, he averaged 44 HRs and 135 RBIs and cemented himself as a mythical figure in baseball lore. Since then, he's dealt with injuries, steroid allegations and an overall decline in production. Papi came to camp slimmed down and more focused this year, but years of not having the best conditioning and battling back, knee and wrist injuries recently have diminished his power. Expect Ortiz to perform as he did he the second half of 2009, when he batted .258 with 16 HRs after the All-Star break.
3: How will the changes in the lineup affect Boston? If there are any questions with this team, this is where they're at. The Boston lineup has changed considerably over the past two seasons. Gone are LF Manny Ramirez and his replacement Jason Bay. To the bench go 3B Mike Lowell and SS Jed Lowrie. In are C Victor Martinez, CF Mike Cameron, 3B Adrian Beltre, and SS Marco Scutaro. Martinez is a solid pickup but questions surround Cameron and Beltre. Can Cameron, who's signing forced Ellsbury to move from CF to LF, match the RBI output of Bay? Can Beltre, who underachieved after Seattle gave him a big contract, handle playing in Boston? Despite these questions this lineup still has two of the toughest outs in baseball in 2B Dustin Pedroia and 1B Kevin Youkilis, and main scoring threat LF Jacoby Ellsbury.
4: How will the bullpen perform in 2010? Amongst the best bullpens in the league in 2009, Boston lost Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito in the offseason. However, there are still plenty of solid arms for Terry Francona to call on. Jonathan Papelbon suffered a collapse in the postseason last year, but it still one of the most dominant closers in the game today.
5: Where will the Red Sox finish the season? The AL East has been the most talented division in baseball over the past few years. There are three teams that have a legitimate shot at the division crown in New York, Boston, and Tampa Bay. The two teams that miss out on the division title will almost surely be in the race for the Wild Card. While there seems to be more questions surrounding the Red Sox this year than any year in the past, they are very capable of surpassing 90 wins and finding themselves in the postseason again. You can find the Red Sox to win the American League at +375 and the World Series at +740 over at 5Dimes.
