Kuzul

Marco Scutaro was the “highlight” signing of 2009’s offseason. For those who are true fans and/or have played the game, you know that he was not the big solution. In fact, he should never have been signed in the first place. He is simply overpaid and overrated. If the Red Sox did want to sign him it should have been at a much cheaper annual salary. 

Fans were becoming increasingly frustrated with the product being put on the field. No disrespect to Boston‘s finest, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkillis, Jon Lester and Dustin Pedroia but the fans simply did not feel that the overall product being presented to them correlated to the ticket prices they had to pay (the highest in all of baseball). 

2010’s offseason was different. This offseason the Boston Red Sox were very busy and rightfully so. It is thought across the MLB that the Red Sox and the Phillies were the two teams that improved their teams the most this offseason. The Red Sox signed All-Star veterans Adrian Gonzalez (formerly of the San Diego Padres) and Carl Crawford (formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays). The Phils bolstered their starting pitching by signing Roy Halladay (formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays) and Cliff Lee (formerly of the Texas Rangers).

My question to you is…which player is better out of those the Red Sox signed and why? Is it the new Boston Left Fielder, speedy Carl Crawford or is it the always reliable, defensive machine Adrian Gonzalez?

Carl Crawford has tremendous speed, solid outfield play, a great bat and it seems like the only thing he can’t do is fly. Adrian Gonzalez is not quite as mobile but has more pop with his bat and is probably an even better defender at his position (1B) than Crawford is at his (LF). Gonzalez does not have much speed but he has a detailed goatee which gives him extra brownie points.

Gonzalez’s goatee aside and being completely serious, Carl Crawford seems to be the better overall player. It will be interesting to see them play on the same team as they should fuel one another’s game and they will likely have career years in 2011.

It’s an exciting time to be a Boston Red Sox fan.

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Before I get started, a tip of the cap from all of us in Red Sox nation to Theo Epstein, our maverick genius, our watchful protector, our Dark Kni-…never mind. But I stand in awe of what the 37 year old son of Brookline, MA has accomplished.

For the services of Adrian Gonzalez, he still managed to keep Jose Iglesias and our draft picks. Under the cover of darkness, he locked up one of the most complete outfielders in the game and disrupted the Yankee-Lee negotiations with his free hand.

For his next trick, he avoided any long, bloated contracts for relievers and secured the services of two solid bullpen arms, one from a division rival. Bruce Wayne he is not, but it wouldn’t surprise me to find a cape and mask in his secret lair.

Lost in the frenzy over the immediate impact the new additions will make, I’m equally amazed at how well Epstein & Co. has set up the Red Sox to remain successful over the next several seasons. As much excitement as the 2011 campaign holds, I am equally looking forward to the team’s potential 2, 3, and as much as 5 years down the line. Here are a few reasons why…

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The Red Sox have one of the most solid rotations in baseball, both in terms of on-field quality and stability.  They have six major league-ready starters and, barring injury, not many of their prospects will see a start. 

Jon Lester is one of my favorite pitchers in baseball.  I’ve loved him since 2008, when I stupidly refused to trade Shawn Marcum for him, and made sure I drafted him in 2009 and 2010.  

I mean, what’s not to like? 

He’s improved every year, he strikes out a ton of hitters (more than a strikeout per inning in both 2009 and 2010), he wins (16, 15 and 19 wins over the past three years, he doesn’t get hurt (33, 32 and 32 starts the past three years) and he keeps his ERA and WHIP manageable and his BAA even better.  

He’s one of the first pitchers I’m taking this year—right in the same class as Halladay, Lee, Sabathia, etc.

John Lackey used to be one of my favorite pitchers in baseball.  I owned him for what felt like 10 straight years, including last year.  

But I can’t help but wonder if his best days are behind him.  

Yes, he pitching for the Red Sox probably means five extra wins per year, but considering he only won 14 last year, those wins are not enough to offset the fact that his ERA, WHIP, BAA and K/IP have all worsened since 2008.  

For a guy with a history of arm troubles and an age on the wrong side of 30 by a couple years, I say buyer beware.

Josh Beckett…

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Jon Lester is a name known throughout Major League Baseball as much for his battle with cancer as his pitching ability.

Lester had solid 2008 and 2009 seasons for the Red Sox before a serious coming out party in 2010. With a 19-9 record and a 3.25 ERA, Lester attended his first All Star Game and finished fourth in Cy Young voting.

All signs point to Lester, 27, continuing to improve in 2011. With a revamped roster and loftier expectations he is due for a stellar season.

Here are ten reasons that Jon Lester will add some hardware to his name as the 2011 American League Cy Young Award Winner.

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1. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies

2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

3. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

4. Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies

5. Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies

6. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

7. Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins

8. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

9. Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

10. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

11. C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees

12. Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels

13. Roy Oswalt, Philadelphia Phillies

14. Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants

15. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

16. Johan Santana, New York Mets

17. Mat Latos, San Diego Padres

18. Stephen Strasburg*, Washington Nationals

19. C.J. Wilson, Texas Rangers

20. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals

21. Dan Haren, Los Angeles Angels

22. Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics

23. Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies

24. Zach Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers

25. Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves

26. Jonathan Sanchez, San Francisco Giants

27. Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves

28. Ervin Santana, Los Angeles Angels

29. Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox

30. Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers

31. Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins

32. Brett Myers, Houston Astros

33. James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays

34. Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians

35. Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays

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With a large part of the 2011 offseason over, teams’ rosters are becoming more and more clear.

Which starting rotations are the best in baseball for the 2011 season?

In this article, I will list the top 10 starting rotations in Major League Baseball.

Let me know if you agree/disagree with any of my picks in the comments section.

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Cliff Lee just shocked the baseball world by going back to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Texas Rangers and New York Yankees were widely thought to have been the front-runners for his services, but they’re now left in the dark after his signing.

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The MLB Winter Meetings take place next Monday through Thursday and with a new regime in place, you’d figure a big trade will be made or at least attempted. After all, it’s long overdue that the Mets part ways with a member or two of their “core.” Why it’s called that is confusing since the Mets have never won a pennant with those players.

Two guys come to mind when thinking of core members to trade and they are Jose Reyes and David Wright. If neither of them are dealt, this would be their seventh full season together. So, which one should the Mets think of dealing?

Jose Reyes doesn’t seem to be a Sandy Alderson type of guy and David Wright rebounded to a have a solid season in his second at Citi Field.

If only one were to go, it’ll come down to who fits the new system more. Playing at a spacious ballpark such as Citi Field, the team should be built around three things: pitching, defense, and speed. Concerning Reyes and Wright, they both fall into the categories of defense and speed.

Reyes when healthy is obviously one of the quickest runners in the game and when his head is into it, he can play solid defense. The admitted lapses, though, is a huge problem. Reyes said during the season that he can’t concentrate through the course of a game with the pitcher throwing 100 pitches. Is that the type of guy Alderson and the Mets want to bring back when trying to start new?

Plus, the nagging and recurring hamstring and leg injuries are of major concern. Will those problems all hurt the Mets and his trade value? It’s very possible if the Mets are looking for some nice starting pitching in return.

The ideal team to make a trade for Reyes with is the Red Sox. They’ve been starving for a shortstop since dealing Hanley Ramirez away to the Marlins for Josh Beckett and they have the starting pitchers the Mets would want.

They can trade guys like Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester which would help the Mets in the rotation and finally give the Red Sox a premiere shortstop. Plus, the Red Sox have asked the Mets about Reyes in the past.

When it comes to Wright, he’s more of a dynamic player than Reyes at this stage of their careers. He almost never gets injured as he’s been on the disabled list once in his career and that was for a concussion.

He’s entering his prime as he’ll turn 28 in December and after an awful statistical 2009 season, he hit 29 home runs and drove in over 100 runs this past season. He can also play defense as he could’ve won the Gold Glove this season—he’s won two in his career—and he can also steal bases better than a lot of third baseman.

Other than a high number of strikeouts, he brings more potential to the table than the man to his left on the infield.

The Red Sox can also use a third baseman with Adrian Beltre most likely not returning and they were rumored to have offered Jacoby Ellsbury for Wright around the trade deadline. The Mets have no need for Ellsbury unless they trade Carlos Beltran but perhaps one of those Red Sox starting pitchers can be dealt in return.

If you’re looking for pure speed and warning track power, you’d want to keep Reyes. If you’re looking for some speed along with power and overall smart baseball, you’d want to keep Wright.

It’s an interesting debate and one should be traded, but the Mets must have a replacement for either position which is hard to find.

If the Mets enter 2011 with both Reyes and Wright on the roster, they’ll be looking at another season of the same old team. Something must change for the sake of a new feel and look.

The Mets have stated they’d be willing to speak to teams about Reyes. When it comes to Wright, the Mets already called him a day after the season ended to tell him he’s staying aboard. Stay tuned.

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Three weeks ago, Bleacher Report’s Featured Columnists began to unveil the results of our end-of-season wards poll. We’ve looked at Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, Comeback Players of the Year, Relief Men of the Year, Rookies of the Year, and Managers of the year.

Now, in our last week, we get to the good part: Cy Youngs and MVPs.

Today, as the BBWAA announces its choices for Rookies of the Year (too bad we already beat them to it!), we turn our attention to the American League Cy Young race.

As always the top five vote-getters are featured here, with commentary from the writers who chose them. The full list of results is at the end.

So read on, see how we did, and be sure to tell us what we got wrong!

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Distressing as it may be for the Red Sox Nation, the 2010 campaign died months before the season itself concluded. With heavy hearts, skeptical brows and gnawed fingertips, the Nation did its best to stomach a Sox-less October and look toward the 2011 season with growing optimism.

Shaking off the nasty sense of déjà vu 2010 has cast on Beantown will require some serious action at both the personal and franchise levels. Who would have thought the Red Sox could experience more horrific, season-derailing injuries than in 2006?

At least—most sports commentators contend—this should be a busy winter for general manager Theo Epstein as he looks to retool his Red Sox for a more successful “next year.” But will it indeed be a busy off-season brimming with possible mega deals and spotted with excellent free-agent signings?

This writer isn’t so sure.

While the major media outlets will surely keep the Faithful on their hopeful toes with heart-thumping “trade rumors,” a more pragmatic analysis of the Red Sox roster indicates that less flamboyant signings will figure prominently in Boston’s unfortunately long winter.

For what it’s worth, here then are one writer’s views and predictions for the upcoming Red Sox off-season.

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