Red Sox Mailbag: David Ortiz May Not Have As Many Bidders As He Imagines in Free-Agent Market

The mailbag has been delivered to me. The kind folks at NESN.com have asked me to answer your questions. We’ve got wide-ranging and hard-hitting questions.

Let’s begin.

My mandevilla has yellow spotted leaves and are falling. What can I do to save it?
 –Bettis Weinaug, Deltonis, Fla.
 
Bettis, thanks for the question. And for not letting the seemingly stringent constraints of this forum keep you from sending in a question that has nothing to do with the Red Sox whatsoever.
 
I did a little research, and it seems your plant is trying to tell you the ambient air is too dry.  Find a more humid spot to keep the mandevilla in. Or, it could be that there is too much sun shining on the pot holding your plant, making the soil too hot. This can cause damage to the roots as well.
 
Like the Red Sox, your plant is in trouble but it can be corrected. It will take a little time and TLC, but that mandevilla can grow strong once again. Keep us posted!
 
Obivously, there are plenty of serious Red Sox questions to be asked, like do the pitchers prefer original or extra crispy?  And who’s got the next round? 
 
But, seriously, with the sordid details of the September collapse trickling out day by day, there are still more questions than answers. 

Do you think the Sox could explore trading John Lackey for another team’s high-priced underachiever? Players like Alex Rios and Vernon Wells are both right-hand-hitting outfielders who could be a wash salary-wise for Lackey?
 –Ross, Attleboro, Mass.
 
It’s always an intriguing thought. I’ll dump my overpaid, underperforming athlete for yours. But, in general, teams try to improve themselves through trades, not make a lateral move.  So these deals don’t happen very often. 
 
The only way I see Lackey moving is if the Sox find a National League team that thinks he could perform better against weaker NL lineups, and if the Sox were willing to eat the majority of the $45.5 million remaining on his contract — which is not out of the question. 
 
With all this bad mouthing of Josh Beckett especially and a few others, how can these guys show up for spring training with a clear mind about trying to start a new season? I have heard that Lackey “is” to be included in the package to the Cubs if they get Theo Epstein, and if so it would be the best thing to happen with the Sox, but can we really expect to trade Beckett? The Boston media has killed him in the press!
 –“Winning,” Farmville, Va.
 
It will be a very interesting scene when the Red Sox report to their new spring training home in Fort Myers in February. Things haven’t been this contentious in years, and it will be a far cry from the “Camp Tranquility” of the past few seasons. That’s why it was a smart move for Jon Lester, Jason Varitek and others to come out and answer the allegations about 2011 now. If they don’t, they’ll spend most of the 2012 camp doing it.
 
The concept of Lackey going to Chicago as part of the Theo deal is speculation only. Anything could happen, but it’s doubtful the Cubs would go for it. That said, there would definitely be a trade market for Beckett, who still posted a 2.89 ERA in the toughest division in baseball despite his poor finish. And he’s a proven playoff performer. Just keep him away from the fried chicken.
 
What makes Big Papi think he has value on the open market? He can’t play in the field — so the National Leauge won’t pursue him. The Yankees want a DH that can also play in the field. He will never be offered more than the Red Sox will give him. I believe he will be in for a shock!
 –James R. Lohnes, Beverly, Mass.
 
David Ortiz’s comments about playing in pinstripes showed how tone-deaf he is to what’s happening in Boston right now. It’s also a reminder that while Ortiz is a gifted hitter and an immensely popular player, he is no clubhouse leader.  With the debris still smoldering around him, he talks about bolting for New York?

You’re right about the potential lack of value for Papi on the market — the Yankees are a team that has a young DH-in-waiting (Jesus Montero) and a several older stars who could use the spot for an occasional breather (Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez).  Who says they would open up the wallet and pay him the kind of money he wants?
 
Do you feel J.D. Drew is pretty much done as the everyday man in the field?
 –@zubsox, via Twitter
 
Actually, I think J.D. Drew is pretty much done as a player. He talked about retirement in Fort Myers last spring, and didn’t do much during the season to make us think he wanted to extend his career. His contract with the Red Sox is mercifully done, and it would be very difficult to imagine another team creating a market for him. 
 
Hi Tom, what was John Henry thinking when he went on the Felger and Massarotti radio show and said that he was opposed to the Carl Crawford signing? I can’t see anything positive about him doing that. How do you think Carl will respond knowing that the owner of the team didn’t want him here?
 –Ed, Brattleboro, Mass.
 
Clearly, John Henry was thinking it was time to mount a counter-offensive, and it was the first time we’d heard from Henry alone since the season. Say what you will about his comments, but he showed a passion for the game that many fans doubted he possessed.
 
As for the Crawford comments, I don’t think they are that big an issue. It was similar to Brian Cashman saying he didn’t really want Rafael Soriano. In fact, the Cashman comments were worse — that was the sign of an owner overruling his baseball people to bring in a player. At least Henry let his baseball ops department make the call — even if he disagreed with it.
 
TC, do you really think that Terry Francona looks exactly like Father Mulcahy on M.A.S.H.?
 –Bob Hostetler, Medway, MA
 
Great call. 

Come to think of it, Tim Bogar looks a little like Radar O’Reilly. 
 

That’s it for this week. No mailmen were harmed in the making of the mailbag. Feel free to send questions, thoughts, or comments to me at NESN.com, or to my Twitter account (@TomCaron). 

Thanks.