Sox Start Looking At 2007

My home computer picked a fine time to crash ... right when Varitek and Nixon went down along with the Red Sox' chances of winning the AL East. No need to rehash the last few weeks. They sucked. End of topic. The question is, where do the Red Sox go from here. The Wild Card isn't totally out of the question but I think in all honesty that the Sox are done for in '06; the White Sox should hold on and take the Wild Card and the Yankees should surely win the East, leaving the Sox on the outside looking in for the first time since 2002. But hope is not all lost for the immediate future. The 2007 Red Sox should be a very good team, right back in the thick of the playoff chase. Curt Schilling will be a year older but he should be able to close out his career on a high note, hopefully winning 12-15 games and leading a young pitching staff. Josh Beckett will also be back and while he has disappointed, remember that he's only 26 and with a full year in the AL under his belt, good things may be on the way. Tim Wakefield will add another veteran presence to the staff and Jon Lester should be able to learn from a tough rookie season and develop into the pitcher that Theo Epstein has decided he can be. The last spot in the rotation will either be Jonathan Papelbon or a free agent/trade acquisition (Barry Zito, Ted Lilly, Roy Oswalt???) if Epstein decides to keep Paps in the closer role. The bullpen will either have Papelbon or a free agent (Eric Gagne?) in the closer role. Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen will be a year older and should build on the learning experiences of '06. Theo will need to build from the outside to create the depth in the 'pen that the 2006 team never had. As for the lineup, Coco Crisp is reportedly a 50/50 shot to return in centerfield. I say give him another year, I'd hate to see him blossom somewhere else. Then again, if the Sox can get an Andruw Jones with Crisp in the package, see ya bye Coco. Kevin Youkilis will be back, as will Mike Lowell (unless they can dump that contract, possibly for bullpen help). Dustin Pedroia, now up with the big club, is in the '07 plans, so either Mark Loretta or Alex Gonzalez is a goner. If I had to bet today, I'd say Loretta stays and Pedroia is the Opening Day shortstop with Alex Cora behind both of them. Staying with the infield, recently acquired Eric Hinske should be in the Sox plans in my opinion, he adds depth at both first and third, can play the corner outfield spots in a pinch, and can hit. In leftfield Manny Ramirez probably isn't going anywhere. His money is just too much, plus his production won't be replaced in Boston. In rightfield, Trot Nixon is probably done in Boston so the Wily Mo Pena era is now most likely upon us. He has great potential at the plate but his defense is scary. Behind the plate, Varitek is the key (the Sox pitching staff has vomited on itself since he went down). Trying to find a young, reliable backup will be important for the Sox this winter as Dou Mirabelli just can't do it anymore. Keeping him on as Wake's personal caddie doesn't make sense any longer. Hey, 2006 isn't done yet -- the Sox ended their six game losing streak by beating the Angels tonight -- but looking ahead to 2007 right now is a lot more appealing than thinking about what went wrong in 2006.