Fresh off a week that saw 3 "walk-off" victories and a series win against the Yankees all is copasetic in the Hub. There are however some points of interest that I have noticed going into the post season:
Who is the Shortstop?
The Red Sox trade for Mike Aviles but is he a starting shortstop for a World Series winning team? Most likely not, he's a depth move. Lowrie has just come back from his Oregon Trail-esque bout of Dysentery and Marco Scutaro's carcass has been manning down the six since Lowrie left. While most of the year I have been pining for Scutaro to essentially be left behind on a road trip somewhere, it may be in the Red Sox best interest to platoon them. If however, the Sox think they can keep Lowrie healthy by platooning him with Aviles the rest of the season it would not surprise me to see Scutaro put on trade waivers and dealt to someone in need of a body at SS (Diamondbacks?). The skill sets are too similar to be carrying all three of them on the roster before they expand on September 1.
Who is the number 3 starter in the Playoffs?
I'm in the camp that thinks the day the Red Sox acquired Erik Bedard the Sox Brass called John Lackey into the office and said, "We're wiping the slate clean, from this day forward you are in a direct heat with Erik Bedard for Game 3. Whomever pitches better wins. Good Luck." John Lackey while not being dominant has done what he needed to do to keep the Red Sox in games since the All-Star Break. Over his last 8 starts he has only walked 6 men total. This means he is attacking in the strike zone, making the opposition earn their baserunners and not being afraid to challenge hitters.
Erik Bedard is in the unique position where he will finally get run support for the first time in his career and if he stays healthy he could be a big acquisition at the deadline. However, unless he goes the rest of the way with an ERA of less than 2, I'd say the 3rd spot is Lackey's to lose unless he completely pisses down his leg.
Who is the AL MVP?
Adrian Gonzalez has had a great first season in Boston but his recent power outage may be costing him some hardware, despite leading the league in hitting. Jose Bautista hits anything within both batters' boxes but he is on a losing team and there aren't many MVPs from teams not in the playoffs. Jacoby Ellsbury is having a breakout season but he may not even be the best centerfielder in the division this year, Curtis Granderson is on pace to score 144 runs and hit over 30 homeruns. I think you will see the plaque delivered to the diminutive, Dustin Pedroia. He has impacted the game in every facet day in and day out for the last 2 months, he was the best player in baseball in July, and I don't think Roberto Alomar in his prime could play as good a second base as he has played this entire year with a screw in his foot and a balky knee. He has cemented himself as the best 2nd basemen in baseball and it's not as close as all the Yankees fans seem to think it is. His OBP and SLG are both higher than they were the year he won his first award and he has the second highest WAR in the league behind Jose Bautista and the second highest Fielding metrics behind Brett Gardner. For all the RBI lovers out there, it's a meaningless stat unless the guys in front of them get on base, and with Pedroia getting on base at more than a .400 clip he is providing at least half of Gonzalez's RBI.
Saltalamacchia mea culpa
Get ready, wait for it, here it comes, I was wrong.
Don't get used to that, in part because it doesn't happen often and the other part because I don't like to say it. Saltalamacchia has proven me wrong. At first I thought he'd be serviceable, then jumped to a conclusion far too quickly that he wasn't going to cut it. Given who were the AL catchers this year on the All-Star Team he could have and probably should have made the team just due to numbers at that time. He has also made strides leaps and bounds throwing the ball to the bases. The heat-seekers from behind the dish have been a sight to behold and the last month specifically he has turned the catching position from a non-weakness, to a strength. Well done, Salt, well done.
Papelbon on a mission
Jonathan Papelbon has reverted back to his dominant self. His last ten appearances go as follows: 10IP, 2H, 0R, 12K, 0BB. His inflated ERA from a few non-save situations may make some people shy away from anointing him one of the Top 3 in baseball this year but he has earned it and may have priced himself back into a contract for a few years in Boston.
Ortiz situation
Look, I understand that baseball is a business, but I hate when players gripe about a contract. When players have earned the right to test free agency some of them do it. When a player is in the final year of his contract and is performing well, he asks for security. If a player underperforms in the first couple years of a contract can the ownership ask for the money back? Obviously not. If Ortiz was hitting .240 would he still be saying this. No he wouldn't. Just as players can dunk their toes in the free agency waters, front office guys are allowed to wait until the end of contracts before deciding what to do with their players. It's called honoring a contract. That being said Ortiz, if producing is still a cog in the lineup. He is said to want 2 years. Why not something like this.
1 Guaranteed year 10 million
2 Vesting options, 10 million per. The option vests on each different year if Ortiz hits 28+ HRs and/or 100 RBI but the options void if he hits under .250. If he hits under .250 then his options then become a player option for 5 million with a 3 million buyout clause.
If Ortiz believes in his abilities, and continues to produce this could potentially be 30 million more in his pocket. This also gives the Sox flexibility if he doesn't produce.
That's about all I can muster for you all, feel free to leave it in the comments.
Stay Tuned
Norton
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