It's now official — we know with absolute certainty that the Red Sox will play on into October. No more standings, no more scoreboard watching, no more magic numbers. The Sox are in.
That being the case, it's time to start talking about how the Red Sox' lineup will shake out when they take the field for Game 1 of the ALDS.
Specifically, you have to wonder about the future of the catcher controversy brewing in Boston. In the two months since the Red Sox' deadline deal for Victor Martinez, the Red Sox have made do with a platoon behind the plate, shuffling Martinez in and out of the catcher's spot as he shares time with Jason Varitek.
In August and September, that worked just fine. October is a whole different animal.
The Red Sox have an obligation in the playoffs to put their best possible team on the field. And while the team has always been loyal to its captain, his batting line of .155/.247/.233 since the All-Star break sticks out on the Red Sox' lineup card like a sore thumb. It might be time for Varitek to sit out the majority of the postseason for the good of the team.
Terry Francona loves his players. He's unfailingly loyal to them, sometimes to a fault. But it's paid off before. When Dustin Pedroia hit .182 in the first month of his rookie season, Tito stuck with him — and he won Rookie of the Year. When David Ortiz hit zero home runs before May 20 this season, Tito stuck with him, too — and Papi's blasted 28 so far the rest of the way. Could the Sox' skipper stick with Varitek, just the same?
Perhaps, but don't count on it. The manager's loyalty sometimes subsides in October when the stakes rise. In 2007, Tito gave up on the struggling Coco Crisp in the middle of the American League Championship Series against the Indians, Crisp's former team. In Game 6, Francona turned to Jacoby Ellsbury, who proceeded to hit .360 in that postseason.
That's what great managers do — they sense the right time to make the crucial move. And when the Red Sox take the field for playoff baseball this October, all eyes will be on Tito to see if he makes the permanent move away from Varitek, putting Martinez behind the plate and giving Mike Lowell a regular starting job in the Sox' infield.
It would certainly be a big upgrade for the Sox' offense (Lowell has an .849 OPS in the second half to Varitek's .480), but there's more to it than that. If you've been watching carefully, you've noticed that the Red Sox have spent the last two months grooming Martinez to make this transition work defensively.
They've slowly broken Martinez in with the Red Sox' pitching staff. Clay Buchholz loves him — the two developed a rapport right away. Jon Lester has come around as well. On Saturday afternoon, we saw Victor try out Daisuke Matsuzaka for the first time, and the results were picture-perfect.
The one holdout, it appears, is Josh Beckett.
Beckett and Varitek have always shared a special bond. Since Beckett arrived in Boston in 2006, the Sox' captain has always been there to catch his ace. Even with Martinez around, Tek has still been Beckett's guy, and old habits won't die quickly, even in October.
The best solution to the Sox' catcher controversy will likely be a "personal catcher" role for Varitek. Martinez will still play every day, but he'll get a break from catching once every three or four games, when Beckett takes the mound. This will give Lowell a day off, too, which couldn't hurt, given his health issues this season.
Terry Francona has always loved his veterans. When it comes to the team's captain and longtime starting catcher, that love only grows greater. But in October, you do what's best for the team — and in this case, that means more Victor Martinez and less Jason Varitek.
