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October 26, 2008

Every Given Sunday

Wish Lists and Intentions

by John Perrotto

The Red Sox looked like a beaten-down and broken-down team as they walked through the tunnel way of Tropicana Field to the team bus last Sunday night. The Red Sox had lost Game Seven of the ALCS about an hour earlier to the Rays, their chance to stake a claim as the team of the decade with a third World Series title in five years delayed, missing their opportunity to become baseball's first repeat champions since the Yankees won three World Series in a row from 1998-2000. "Our guys gave everything they could possible give," exhausted Red Sox manager Terry Francona said as the last of his players filed out of the visiting clubhouse. "I really don't think they had anything else left in the tank. I'm as proud of this team as any of the five teams I've managed since coming to the Red Sox, and that includes two teams that won World Series. These last couple of months was the most fun I've ever had here. It was tremendous."

Francona did not specifically say why the latter portion of this season had been such a joy, but then he didn't have to. Francona's life became much easier once left fielder Manny Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers in a three-way deal that netted the Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay from the Pirates. The merits of swapping Ramirez for Bay can be discussed into infinity, and the numbers will say that the Dodgers came out ahead every time. Ramirez hit .396/.489/.743 with a .404 EqA and 47.6 VORP after the trade, while Bay batted .293/.370/.527 with a .302 EqA and 15.2 VORP. Those numbers aside, and though no one on the Red Sox was willing to say so publicly, it was very clear that their clubhouse became a happier place once Ramirez left, despite his status as a lock for the Hall of Fame and one of the most dangerous hitters of his generation. There was talk that Ramirez had threatened to sit out the rest of the season with a purported knee injury if he wasn't traded; there was certainly no guarantee that he would hit for the Red Sox in the last two months as he did as a Dodger.

While Francona is in many ways a new-age manager with his ability to relate to his players and use statistical analysis to formulate lineups and game plans, he is also an old-school guy, having grown up around the game with his father, Tito, a major league outfielder for 15 seasons. So while Francona felt that he had to hide it publicly, it bothered him immensely to have to coddle Ramirez, and he was happy to be able plug the low-maintenance Bay into the lineup in his place. By all accounts, and with the notable exception of designated hitter David Ortiz, the Red Sox players were also glad to be rid of Ramirez, and felt that the atmosphere became more relaxed following his exit.

Though they finished second in the AL East to the Rays and had to settle for the wild card, the Red Sox still rang up 95 regular-season wins and knocked off the Angels in the ALDS. Yet while the Red Sox' frame of mind was good at year's end, they were a battered club by the time the ALCS ended. Third baseman Mike Lowell was in New York awaiting hip surgery that was performed Monday. Ortiz's wrist was so sore that it made every swing painful, and rookie shortstop Jed Lowrie also was suffering from wrist pain. Right-hander Josh Beckett had so much discomfort in his strained oblique muscle that it hurt to breathe when he pitched, and closer Jonathan Papelbon's shoulder was tender enough that he wasn't able to pitch in Game Seven.

While a winter of rest is expected to heal those injuries, it should still be an interesting offseason for the Red Sox. General manager Theo Epstein's first big decision will be what to do with Varitek, who is 36 and eligible for free agency after a season in which his EqA was .237. On the surface, cutting ties with Varitek seems like a no-brainer, but he is the team captain and the Red Sox do not have a replacement catcher ready to take his place. The free-agent market will offer little help in the way of a number-one catcher, and Varitek will be the only one available who has logged 400 plate appearances this season. "There's not a lot of elite catching out there," Epstein said. "At the same time, that changes the standards from what you're looking for. The state of catching shifts the target a little bit. What's league average?" Most likely, Varitek will return on a two-year deal in the $16 million range, with the Red Sox actively shopping for a young catcher who could take over as the starter in 2011. The Red Sox have a total of nine potential free agents, but most are fringe players; their other significant decision will be whether to renew knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's $4 million rollover option, and they will likely do so after he ranked fourth on the pitching staff with 4.2 SNLVAR.