Red Sox Season Winds Down While Offseason With Big Decisions for Team About to Ramp Up (Podcast)

by NESN Staff on Tue, Sep 25, 2012 at 3:17PM

The Red Sox wrap up their final home game of the season on Wednesday against Tampa Bay, but once that's done, the team will still have plenty to look forward to.

Heading into the offseason with a losing record for the first time in 15 years, the Sox have to figure out how to best right the ship and point the team in the right direction to move forward.

With newfound financial flexibility achieved by trading away over $200 million worth of contracts, general manager Ben Cherington can decide how best to appropriate the team's funds and return the team to its usual winning ways.

A couple of key pieces that may or may not be a part of the team's future are Bobby Valentine and David Ortiz. While Valentine's future has been a topic of much discussion all season long, Ortiz's contract status is starting to become a larger issue as the longtime designated hitter lobbies for another multiyear deal.

Red Sox play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo stopped by the NESN.com podcast on Tuesday to discuss the team's future with NESN Nation's Dan Duquette. They also broke down the last few days of the Red Sox season, the impact of the second wild card on this year's pennant race, what the future might hold for the likes of Jose Iglesias and Ryan Kalish and much more.

Listen in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes to download it there.