With the start of NBA and NHL free agency Thursday, there’s a lot of talk about who's going where and which teams will spend the big bucks to land the big name. What better time to start looking ahead to baseball's offseason?
Plenty of big names will be available on the free-agency market. Two of the most recognizable are Yankee veterans Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, though nobody really expects them to go anywhere but New York. Other formidable shortstops besides Jeter scheduled for free agency include the Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins and the Mets’ Jose Reyes, either of which would make a welcome addition on any team.
But, as of late, the Red Sox have a crippled outfield and a troublesome bullpen. Luckily, they'll have lots of options for 2011.
There are a handful of strong outfielders in the mix, including the Sox’ division-rival Rays’ left fielder Carl Crawford. Crawford is a spectacular baserunner and one of the best defensive left fielders in baseball. Discounting his injury-riddled 2008 season, he’s been a productive hitter since his second full season in the major leagues.
Another viable option is the Phillies’ right fielder Jayson Werth who is good for a combination of power (.476 slugging), ability to get on base (.362 OBP) and solid defense.
In the bullpen, the Sox can look to the likes of the Dodgers' Jeff Weaver. This season, he’s 5-1 with a 3.22 ERA and 15 strikeouts after picking up his 100th career victory in May. One of the better closers in baseball, the Rockies' Huston Street, will be available at the end of the season, and he's only 27 years old. The Angels’ lefty Brian Fuentes will be up for grabs, as well as Tom Brady’s old college roommate, White Sox pitcher J.J. Putz, coming off a one-year contract.
With both Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez reaching the ends of their contracts, the Red Sox may be on the market for a catcher. There are a couple of strong veterans available in the White Sox' A.J. Pierzynski and the Indians’ Mike Redmond.
Pierzynski is known for having a colorful personality, and maybe Boston has had enough of that. But, despite being high-maintenance, he’s great behind the plate. Coming into the 2010 season, he was third in career fielding percentage behind Redmond and Twins’ star Joe Mauer.
Theo Epstein has said the Sox are still figuring out where their needs lie before the trade deadline, and that they will likely concentrate on addressing the recent outfield and bullpen issues then.
This team is always full of surprises, though. At the beginning of the season, nobody would have thought the Red Sox could survive a wave of injuries to be in the hunt in the AL East and that they’d have the No. 1 offense in baseball. So, it's hard to guess with any accuracy where the Sox will be at the end of the season.
But no matter where Boston is looking to bolster its roster in the offseason, there’s plenty of talent for Epstein to play with.
