Red Sox fans might be humming a few bars of it this morning.
Overnight, while visions of middle relief help danced in our heads, Theo Epstein pulled off his second blockbuster in 72 hours, landing Carl Crawford for a reported seven-year deal.
Just like that, the Red Sox have stolen the show at the winter meetings. First, they traded for Adrian Gonzalez without giving up a single player on the current big league roster. Then, they added the top position player on the free-agent market.
Remember a couple of years ago, when Sox fans threw their hands up in frustration when the Yankees added both CC Sabathia and Mark Texeira? This feels like that, but in reverse. The Sox would’ve come away from Disney as the envy of the baseball world if they would’ve added either of these players.
Instead, they get both.
And, suddenly, they’ve got the best lineup in the game:
1. Ellsbury, CF
2. Pedroia, 2B
3. Crawford, LF
4. Gonzalez, 1B
5. Youkilis, 3B
6. Ortiz, DH
7. Saltalamacchia, C
8. Drew, RF
9. Scutaro, SS
There’s no doubt it leans a little to the left, but, as the president reminded us this week, there are concessions to be made with the right side. Mike Cameron had a miserable 2010 because of injuries, and he could be a big part of this (spelling Drew in right or Ortiz at DH against tough lefties). Jed Lowrie was terrific against lefties last season, as was Jason Varitek before his injury. And don’t forget that Gonzalez (whose swing is “tailor-made” for Fenway, according to the folks in San Diego) had a higher OPS against lefties than he did against right-handed pitching last season.
So much for ownership being distracted by Liverpool’s surge in the Premiership. The Red Sox have shown once again that they will respond to disappointing seasons. They did it after the Game 7 loss to the Yankees in 2003, adding Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke, and they did it after missing the playoffs in 2006, adding Daisuke Matsuzaka. You might be frustrated by Daisuke, but at the time, he was the top free agent on the market.
Now, they’ve landed a one-two punch that should help the Sox slug their way back toward the top of the league. There is still work to be done, especially in the bullpen, but December is only a week old. Plus, Epstein has shown he’s willing to look at anything that will improve this team (even making an offer to Mariano Rivera last week).
So for now, enjoy one of the best days ever.
