One of the most anticipated food days of the year has come and gone and the turkey leftovers are still a plenty in the fridge. Now it is time to turn my attention back to the MLB off-season and the apparent silence surrounding the Red Sox. After watching Victor Martinez be announced as a member of the Detroit Tigers this past week, it brings up the issue once again of what direction Theo and his team are going to push the team for 2011. Between now and the winter meetings from December 6-9th, we are likely to see the rumors heat up and some of the bigger name stars pick a team for next season. The competition for Adrian Beltre, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth and Cliff Lee is going to be high and will produce at least 1 or 2 bidding wars between the Yankees and Red Sox. Given recent history, that concerns me greatly.
The history of bidding wars between the Yankees and Sox has not usually been friendly to the good ‘ole Fenway faithful. In recent history, the Sox have lost the Mark Teixeira, Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez sweepstakes to the boys in pinstripes and given the Yankees interest, may be on the losing end with Cliff Lee as well this off-season. To be fair, the Sox will likely only be in on the Lee bidding to inflate his worth, but when the Sox need to add a large piece or two, their inability to outbid or match Brian Cashman seems to be in full swing once again. Understanding the situation, I am not worried about Lee going to the Yankees, but rather Crawford and/or Werth also wearing pinstripes in 2011. This is the year for Theo to be more aggressive and end the trend of losing to the empire.
Theo knows as well as anybody that he has his limits. He knows how high he is willing to go to bring in a top caliber player and in the past, he has walked away when he hit that mark. With a talent like Carl Crawford, it is time to be more liberal with maximums and invest in the future of the club. Unless Theo changes his usual method of not paying big money for older players, Beltre may join V-Mart in the category of players with new employers, creating a massive void in the Sox lineup. In that scenario, Theo should throw money at 1 of the available outfielders and then look into the strong possibility of trading away a prospect or two for a top tier offensive threat. After the tough 2010 season with shrinking revenues and viewer-ship, another sub-standard season would damage the fan base greatly.
In Boston, a disappointing season is tolerated, but multiple disappointments in a row will go a long way to losing some fan support. With the Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins and New England Patriots all having success over the last few years, the Red Sox are no longer the only winning show in town. By having to share the spotlight, the demand for wins and success is even more critical and losing becomes even less of an option. The Sox will always have strong fan support, but any reduction in interest, results in less money and less invested dollars back into the team.
Maybe it’s just the turkey talking, but I have a bad feeling that this off-season is not going to go the way I had hoped. The next week or so will be crucial for setting the tone and bringing in the top talent.
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