The 2nd piece has fallen into or out of place for the Red Sox plan of 2011.
Victor Martinez returns to the AL Central as he accepts a 4-year, $50 million deal to be the Tigers everyday catcher. That leaves a big offensive hole in the middle of the Sox lineup.
With the departure of Martinez, does that mean Adrian Beltre has more hope of re-signing with the Sox? Who knows!
Theo & Co. obviously have a strategy in place. Defensively, the loss of Victor Martinez does not pose a problem. Saltie & a back-up can perform as adequately there. Maybe Victor's departure means thatJason Varitek gets re-signed & stays another year to mentor Saltie.
But Victor's move to the Motor City does heighten the need for a middle-of-the-order bat. Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth & Ryan Braun are possible newcomers. If the Sox sign an outfielder, it may mean the end of Jacoby Ellsbury in a Red Sox uniform.
Personally, I'd rather see the Sox sign a corner infielder versus another outfielder. Beltre or Gonzalez are the 2 most talked-about choices. I still like Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, of the Nationals.
1 comment:
They needed a bat before Victor left. Now they need two bats. I hope Theo has a plan. I don't see Salty be an everyday catcher. Another point is, Josh Beckett is going to whine, because he now has to learn how to pitch to another catcher.
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