After a fast-paced, rumor-filled few days of GM meetings this past week in Orlando, FL, the Red Sox front office is quiet. Coming into the GM meetings there were many question marks for the Sox and their priority list was long, including 2 starters from last year, Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez. The rumors were swirling about Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford and the need for the front office to bring in a top bat, likely to fill a hole in the outfield was talked about in the media. Unfortunately, Theo left Florida with more questions than answers. Justin Upton is now on everyones radar after the Arizona Diamondbacks GM said he would listen to offers for the outfielder and Theo’s #1 option for plan B at catcher (John Buck) was signed by the Florida Marlins. Now just a few days removed, the Sox are eerily quiet with no real movement on any player on their wish list.
Since the Sox have so many moving parts, the longer they wait to try and lock someone up, the harder it will be and the fewer alternatives will be available. For example, already this winter the Sox have lost their plan B if V-Mart doesn’t resign in Boston and if they wait much longer, their hand will be forced. Miguel Olivo is still available at catcher, but he will not last long on the market, making the Sox go after Jason Varitek as a backup with Jarrod Saltalamacchia as the starter. There have been rumors that the San Diego Padres may be interested in ‘Tek, so who knows if the Sox plan C, D, or even E will be around for the taking when the time comes. When you take the catching situation and apply it to an outfielder, 3rd baseman and relief pitching, it creates one huge uncertain mess for the Sox front office and one huge anxiety attack for yours truly.
We are certainly a ways away from needing to push the panic button and despite my anxiety, I still have faith in Theo. I have no reason to not trust his opinion, but know the players he is targeting are in high demand. The MLB winter meetings are December 6-9th and they will likely be the time all the big name free agents get serious offers from teams and even when those players make their final decisions. Between today and the 1st week in December, Theo and his team need to be aggressive in chatting with and visiting players in order to convince them that Boston is the place for them to be in 2011. The Sox need to develop a priority list and make serious strides to lock up a role-player or two before the meetings to give the impression that the club is improving and committed to winning. Players know that Boston will be competitive each year, but when it comes down to a free agent choosing between a few different winning teams, the indications a GM is committing dollars to bring in the pieces to win in 2011 can go a long way to woo a player.
Ultimately we will have to wait and see. Let’s put our trust in the front office crew of the Red Sox, because although not every move they have made has been incredible, the majority have been positive. Even in an off year filled with injuries, the team ultimately remained competitive throughout. It is calm now, but that only indicates a storm is brewing. Rest over Thanksgiving and be ready for a few weeks of intense negotiations immediately following, including a likely twist or two along the way. This is the beginning of the new-look Red Sox for 2011 and hopefully another World Series title.