Offensive Moves

How you feel about the Red Sox these days probably will determine how you read the title of this post. If you read the first word to indicate the upgrades the Sox just made to their lineup's production, you probably like the signings of J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo. If you believed that these moves offended the sensibilities of Red Sox fans, well, there you go. I provide cryptic and multifaceted blog entries so that everyone can enjoy them. A bit of gestalt to start your day.

In a flurry of activity, the Sox signed J.D. Drew to the anticipated five year, $70 million deal. Julio Lugo got four years and $36 million. Those are big dollar figures. They are both rather longer than the Sox probably wanted them to be. I would argue, however, that they are both better deals than the market was offering this year. J.D. Drew got fewer years and less money per year than Carlos Lee. Aside from some home run numbers, I don't think that there's much argument that J.D. Drew is a better player, a more productive player than Lee, and he's also younger and likely to be better throughout the length of the contract. Oh, yeah, and he's not a huge albatross defensively. Add to this that we're substantially upgrading right field (sorry Trot, we still love you) and providing an opportunity to spell Coco occasionally in center (as well as giving him less real estate to worry about on normal days), and I think J.D. is a good signing.

There are many in Boston who worry that signing J.D. Drew is setting him up for failure, because there's no way that he could replace Manny's bat, and he's too laid back for the Boston media. Well, if all indications from the Winter Meetings are right, he's NOT going to replace Manny's bat. Manny's bat may be right where it was last fall. Fourth in the order, right behind David Ortiz. If Manny doesn't completely tank it on purpose, the Sox would have a lineup of:

Youkilis
Lugo
Ortiz
Ramirez
Drew
Varitek
Lowell
Crisp
Pedroia

That's a pretty formidable group. You've got speed at the top and bottom of the order, major power in the middle, and on-base skills all throughout. That's the sort of roster construction the Sox had in 2003 and 2004.

The Lugo signing is a bit riskier, in my mind. I'll try not to focus too much on Lugo's very forgettable time in Los Angeles this year, and look more closely at what he'd done in Tampa for the year and a half prior to that. The thing I worry about is that this will turn into another Edgar Renteria. The one benefit is that Lugo has demonstrated he's ok with the American League, and the AL East at that. Ironically, the personal difficulties he's had in the past may actually have toughened him enough to handle this market. Let's call me guardedly optimistic about that.

So what's left for the Sox? Assuming Manny's staying (maybe a 70% chance of that now), the Sox still need relief help, particularly a closer, and a backup catcher. Is that all? Let me think some more about that.