Red Sox Sending Message To Yankees, Fans

I guess we should have believed Theo Epstein and the Red Sox management when said that 2010 was going to be a "bridge year" from the championship years of 2004 and 2007 to a future of yearly contention. Just a few days after trading for All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the Red Sox announced late last night that they had agreed to a 7-year/$142-million contract with All-Star leftfielder Carl Crawford. In landing two of baseball's premiere players, the Red Sox have sent a message that they expect to return to the World Series in 2011. Crawford and Gonzalez will cost the Red Sox nearly $300-million between 2011 and 2016 but that is the price of young talent that can make the difference between a third-place finish in the A.L. East and a trip deep into October. While Epstein still has some pressing matters to address before Spring Training, like building a bullpen and shoring up the bench, on paper the Red Sox look to be one of the (very) early favorites to contend for the 2011 World Series. They have a potent lineup that should produce a lot of runs and a deep starting rotation. The key to the success of the 2011 Red Sox will be the starting rotation. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz were Cy Young candidates in 2010 but for the '11 Red Sox to win a championship, $17-million "aces" Josh Beckett and John Lackey need to bounce back from below average seasons. Improvement from the bullpen will also be critical if the Red Sox are to be playing in late October. For now, Epstein has put together the cornerstones of a team that (again, on paper) looks to be the best in the American League. The lineup might have too many left-handed hitters and there are serious doubts about the depth of the pitching staff but they are issues that can be dealt with between now and February. Terry Francona has to be excited to run this lineup out on the field everyday. 1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B (RH) 2. Carl Crawford, LF (LH) 3. Kevin Youkilis, 3B (RH) 4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B (LH) 5. David Ortiz, DH (LH) 6. Jed Lowrie, SS (S) 7. J.D. Drew, RF (LH) 8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C (S) 9. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF (LH) Bench: Jason Varitek, C (S); Mike Cameron, OF (RH); Marco Scutaro, INF (RH) Starting Rotation: Lester, Buchholz, Beckett, Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka Bullpen: Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard Epstein does have some holes to fill on the bench and in the bullpen but as of December 9, that is a very good looking team. Looking at the lineup, having a dynamic force like Ellsbury in the nine-hole means that he will be setting the table for the Pedroia-Crawford-Youkilis-Gonzalez-Ortiz combination by his first at-bat. I would like to see the team commit to deals with their November bullpen acquisitions that they non-tendered - Taylor Buchholz and Andrew Miller - as well as free agent Scott Downs. Bringing back lefty specialist Rich Hill also seems to be in their plans. Michael Bowden and/or Felix Doubront could also play important roles in the 'pen. For the bench, Darnell McDonald or Ryan Kalish would be nice options as fifth outfielders. McDonald would initially provide some right-handed pop off the bench, which would allow Kalish to develop more at Triple-A Pawtucket. Free agent catcher Russell Martin would also be a nice acquisition, which would take some pressure off Saltalamacchia and Varitek behind the plate.