Red Sox Sign Beltre

The visions of Adrian Gonzalez playing firstbase in Fenway Park are fading away as the Red Sox are on the verge of signing free agent thirdbaseman Adrian Beltre. The deal is reportedly for $9-million in 2010 with a player option for 2011 for $5-million. With Beltre coming to the Red Sox, Kevin Youkilis will remain at first. Theo Epstein has built the 2010 Red Sox with an eye on defense and pitching. Beltre is the third big signing of the offseason for the Sox, joining John Lackey and Marco Scutaro. Epstein and the Sox are hoping that Beltre's offensive production bounces back from five tough years playing in Seattle's Safeco Field and returns to its 2004 form (.334 BA, 48 HR, 121 RBI). Now that Beltre is in the fold, here is what the 2010 Red Sox lineup should look like: 1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF/LF 2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B 3. Victor Martinez, C 4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B 5. David Ortiz, DH 6. Adrian Beltre, 3B 7. J.D. Drew, RF 8. Mike Cameron, LF/CF 9. Marco Scutaro, SS That is not a lineup that will score tons of runs but it does contain some solid bats and will feature three Gold Glove winners (Youkilis, Beltre, Cameron). Combining that lineup with a starting rotation that features Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Lackey makes the Red Sox a serious contender to win their third World Series in seven years.