That's All Foulke

My first reaction was to be really surprised. Then, I got a little worried. Keith Foulke, in making his decision not to pick up his $3.75 million player option, signalled that this could be a very expensive offseason for the Red Sox. Unless he somehow felt that his tenure in Boston had become so unbearable that making millions and millions of dollars wouldn't salve it, chances are that he thought (or his agent thought) that he could get a better deal elsewhere. Someone (or many someones) out there might be willing to go north of $4 more per year for at least two years of Keith Foulke? Maybe I wasn't the only one charmed by his stellar eleven innings in September.

If that's true, that could be a minor harbinger of a market shift for relief pitching. Maybe I'm being overly dramatic, especially given the huge deal given to B.J. Ryan last year. It is certainly possible that somewhat proven commodities at the back end of the bullpen are going to be highly valued this winter. Unless the Sox can somehow steal Brad Lidge from the Astros, I can't see Theo overpaying for anyone that's available out there- it may be much more likely that we try to solve this bullpen thing from inside the organization. That makes me a little nervous.

Other surprising and potentially good news, though- J.D. Drew surprised both me and the Dodgers (and trust me, I'm much harder to surprise) by opting for free agency. This, for me, makes two free agent outfielders I'd love to see on the Sox next year. Soriano, of course, and now Drew. Personalities and work ethic aside, I think J.D. Drew pretty much represents the production that everyone wishes we got out of Trot Nixon. He's been injury-prone in the past, as well, but he's been clean and very productive the last few years, in the hitting-light environs of Chavez Ravine. He basically produces to your textbook .300/.400/.500 line, with two dozen homers and nearly a hundred RBI. That's a solid corner outfielder. I'll do some digging to see if he might be interested in the friendly confines of Fenway Park. This is getting interesting.