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Rather quickly, the Red Sox went from lots of problems to lots of pleasant problems.
On Tuesday at Fenway Park, Ben Cherington introduced two new free agent signings to Red Sox Nation. One of them really isn't new, as Hanley Ramirez was a Sox farmhand some ten years ago when the Sox sent him to Florida in a deal which brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston. Ramirez became a man-child in Miami before finding his way to the Dodgers. Ramirez, a shortstop, has already agreed to learn left field, behave himself and get along with everyone. At four years and $88 million, he had better do that and hit too.
The real splash of the day was the introduction of World Series hero Pablo Sandoval to the Boston media. Sandoval, who has been a lifer in San Francisco and has won three World Series with the Giants, becomes the new third baseman of the Red Sox, signing a 5-year, $95 million deal. Affectionately known as Kung Fu Panda, Sandoval gives the Sox stability at third base, another postseason stud on the roster, and someone who will make Mo Vaughn look like Don Knotts.
What the Red Sox are left with is a hellacious logjam in the outfield, a minor logjam in the infield, and a pitching staff in dire need of two starters and some setup men.
Cherington did put together a World Series champion in 2013. So Ben can sort this all out. With John Henry literally relegating the "we don't overpay for players over 30" dogma to "I said WHAT?!" status, the Red Sox are going to spend their way back to the top of the division, and most importantly, back to relevancy again.
But let's fantasize for a minute. Ben is good. But Bill is the best. Let's call on the late Rod Serling to work his Twilight Zone act on the Boston sports scene, and swap the front offices of the Red Sox and Patriots for just a few months. Let's see what Bill Belichick would do to make the Red Sox winners again, but this time consistent winners, not just one-year flukes.
 Bill Belichick is the unchallenged best architect of a winning pro sports team in the region. How would he rebuild the Red Sox if that were his job instead of the Patriots? (USA TODAY Images) |
First, some qualifiers. There is no salary cap in baseball. Like Henry, Bob Kraft has more money than Davy Crockett. No need for capologists or capology here.
Second, Max Scherzer is out of the question. Scott Boras is waiting for Jon Lester to set the market on starting pitching. Then the "bidding", so called, will open for Scherzer. When the "bidding" maxes out, the Yankees will get a phone call, exceed the highest bid by $10 million, and that will be that.
That said, here is arguably Belichick's goal of a 25-man roster for Opening Day 2015:
Position players: David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Rusney Castillo, Shane Victorino, Christian Vasquez, Brock Holt, Daniel Nava, Jackie Bradley Jr. (for late inning defense only, and zero meaningful at bats), David Ross, and one more utility player, probably an outfielder, yet to be acquired in a trade.
Pitchers: Two front line starters, Clay Buchholz, Edward Mujica, Koji Uehara, Andrew Miller, two more young starters and three more relievers from within or acquired by trade.
Players to be used as definite trading chips: Dustin Pedroia, Will Middlebrooks, Yoenis Cespedes, Allen Craig, and a ton of young farmhands, the list too long to name here. But the first four names are the key.
Now, let's explain what Belichick would be thinking here.
Here is where the Patriot Way is easy to figure out, but near impossible to extrapolate to Yawkey Way. You would be hard pressed to find many Red Sox fans willing to trade Pedroia, one of the most popular players in recent memory. Belichick would. He would insert Betts at second, which is his natural position, as the first solution in untangling the logjam in the outfield. Pedroia will then become the Logan Mankins of the Red Sox, an all-star and fan favorite who is being traded with his best days behind him. He hasn't been the same player since signing that huge contract a few years back, and Betts represents the all important word in Patriot Nation: value. Betts simply replaces Pedroia at second.
In any scenario, if he is healthy, Victorino must be the starting right fielder, not Cespedes, Craig, Castillo or anyone else. Victorino spent most of 2014 on the disabled list. In 2013 he was the cult favorite in Boston, providing clutch hit after clutch hit and making Bob Marley the next Neil Diamond. Victorino is just like Sandoval, a proven postseason clutch performer who will get you to the postseason over the summer, and then get you a ring when he gets there. It could be argued that Victorino's absence in 2014 was perhaps the biggest reason why the Sox offense suffered so much without Jacoby Ellsbury around any more. If you want a Patriot equivalent of Victorino, one might offer up Mike Vrabel, a veteran who made hay with another team (Pittsburgh), then came to New England and made even more hay as a steady veteran who was reliable and a proven winner.
As for Ramirez being a man-child, worry not. If Belichick could handle Corey Dillon and Randy Moss, he could handle Ramirez. Actually Terry Francona won two World Series with another man-child named Ramirez. It can work. Ortiz is a lot like Vince Wilfork from a leadership standpoint, and Ortiz will be charged with keeping Ramirez in line. Belichick would facilitate this, but John Farrell will work this issue just fine, too.
Kraft would allow Belichick whatever it took to resign Lester. So Belichick would get Lester back in the fold. Then Belichick would turn around and flip Cespedes, Pedroia, Middlebrooks and Craig (or a combination of two of the four) in a package that would bring either Cole Hamels or Johnny Cueto to Boston, with Philadelphia or Cincinnati sending maybe an outfielder and/or a blue chip setup man in return. It might not take all four of those veterans to pry Hamels or Cueto loose from their current teams, and the Phillies and Reds would perhaps prefer some of Boston's younger prospects instead of Craig or even Pedroia. The Red Sox could perhaps be aggressive to any team they seek starting pitching from if they offer Cespedes and Pedroia. Belichick would have that all worked out, and he would find the right package to get that second starter behind Lester.
Kraft would also let Belichick bring back Miller as a lefty setup. Pay him. No prob.
As for determining the fourth and fifth starters, Belichick would either find that out in training camp or get blown away with a great offer from some team that needs young pitching depth. Whoever pitches well gets the job. Those who don't head to Rhode Island. Belichick would also work the personnel lines and look for a David Patten or a Roman Phifer or a Wes Welker or a Vrabel who would fill out the rest of the roster. One man's trash is Belichick's treasure.
One last thing that Belichick would do is something that Larry Lucchino would also do, or rather tell Cherington to do. When the "bidding" for Scherzer opens up, the Red Sox should lay in wait for a while, then offer Scherzer Clayton Kershaw money with the understanding that the Yankees will outbid anyone and anything. Force the Yankees to pay through the roof for Scherzer since that is what is pre-ordained to happen. In this case, make the roof as high as the earth's atmosphere.
There. That's probably how Belichick would do it.
Cherington probably doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to trade Pedroia. One might remember that in 2004, Theo Epstein traded Nomar Garciaparra, replaced him with Orlando Cabrera, and got to ride in duck boats three months later. Henry might have a ceiling on the price of Lester that Kraft, absent of a salary cap, might not have. Cherington and Farrell would need to be on the same page as to who plays where, but Belichick would make those decisions himself.
When the dust clears, here is a possible 2015 Opening Day starting lineup: Betts 2B, Victorino RF, Sandoval 3B, Ortiz DH, Ramirez LF, Napoli 1B, Castillo CF, Bogaerts SS, Vasquez C. Lester would take the hill. Miller would handle the seventh, Junichi Tazawa the eighth and Uehara the ninth. Assuming all are healthy and Sandoval doesn't become the next Carl Crawford or the next Edgar Renteria, that's a good lineup that could get you back in the discussion of winning the AL pennant.
But this is Cherington's problem, not Belichick's. Bill needs to stick with Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and Clay Matthews for now.
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