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Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Red Sox.
Major League Signings
- John Lackey, SP: five years, $82.5MM. Also gave #29 pick to Angels.
- Mike Cameron, CF: two years, $15.5MM.
- Marco Scutaro, SS: two years, $12.5MM. Includes $6MM club option/$3MM player option for '12 with a $1.5MM buyout. Also gave #78 pick to Blue Jays.
- Adrian Beltre, 3B: one year, $10MM. Includes $5MM player option for '11 that can become $10MM with 640 PAs.
- Victor Martinez, C: one year, $7.7MM. Exercised club option.
- Tim Wakefield, P: two years, $5MM.
- Jason Varitek, C: one year, $3MM. Exercised player option.
- Scott Atchison, RP: one year, $430K. Club options at near league minimum for '11 and '12.
- Fabio Castro, P: one year, $400K (estimate).
- Total spend: $137.03MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Joe Nelson, Brian Shouse, Jorge Sosa, Fernando Cabrera, Edwin Moreno, Gustavo Molina, Angel Sanchez, Gil Velazquez, Darnell McDonald
Trades and Claims
- Acquired OF Jeremy Hermida from Marlins for Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez
- Acquired IF/OF Bill Hall, PTBNL, and $7.15MM from Mariners for Casey Kotchman
- Acquired P Boof Bonser from Twins for Chris Province
- Claimed P Ramon A. Ramirez off waivers from Rays
- Claimed P Gaby Hernandez off waivers from Mariners
Notable Losses
- Jason Bay, Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, Casey Kotchman, Nick Green, Rocco Baldelli, Alex Gonzalez, George Kottaras, Jeff Bailey, Brian Anderson, Joey Gathright, Chris Woodward, Paul Byrd, Javier Lopez
Summary
The Red Sox did most of their tinkering in free agency, bringing in an ace starter, a center fielder, and a new left side of the infield. The defensive improvements could add eight or nine wins, theorizes John Dewan. Last year I liked the additions of Brad Penny and John Smoltz, but the pair contributed a 6.24 ERA in 171.6 innings for more than $10MM. This time around Lackey projects at a 3.97 ERA, while #4-5 starters Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka project in the low 4.00s.
Worried about the offense? Don't be, as CHONE projects the Sox will very nearly match last year's 5.38 runs per game. That's optimistic, since the starting nine won't play every single game, but it still looks like a deep crew. The revamped Red Sox remain one of the best teams in the AL.
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