Power Back On

Well, it was quite a storm here in New England, in particular New Hampshire. I was 1 of 200,000 people that lost power for 3 days due to the pre-Thanksgiving storm. We had to go to Plan B, like many others, in order to get a turkey dinner cooked for our guests on Thanksgiving Day. Luckily, we had a daughter whose house had power & we moved in. My nephew ended up cooking his turkey on a gas grill outside! Some friends & family roughed it out in cold homes where fingers were crossed that no pipes would burst. Walking through your house with flashlights & candles reminds you of how dependent we are on power & how we should conserve more. The outage made me think of the homeless who have no place to stay. It was terrible to throw away good food that had gone bad in the fridge & freezer. Now with power back on for most folks today we really do have something to be thankful for. More articles will be written by me on the Sox this week as things return to normal. But I'm taking Sunday off as a day of rest & to be thankful for all of my blessings. I will thoroughly enjoy having TV again & watching the Patriots. This will be a Thanksgiving not soon forgotten.

Buchholz & Owens for Fister & Zimmerman

Since money is no object this year I have a trade for Ben to consider. Let's ship off Clay Buchholz with Henry Owens to the Nats & get Doug Fister & Jordan Zimmerman in return. Throw in Middlebrooks &/or Cespedes for good measure. 2 proven starters for 1 sometimes starter, a top prospect, a big bat & a maybe bat. Here's what Zimmermann & Fister did last year. Zimmermann - 32 starts / 199 innings / 2.66 ERA. Fister - 25 starts / 164 innings / 2.41 ERA. Last year Buck was 28 starts / 170 innings / 5.34 ERA. Even adjusting for the DH in the AL Zimmerman & Fister project into the low 3.00 ERA's & both are durable innings eaters. Instead of counting on Buck to be a major cog in the rotation & being disappointed more years than not, let's ship him off & let another team gamble with him. Lester, Fister, Zimmermann, Kelly & De La Rosa sounds good to me.

Who Gets the Boot?

The Red Sox are like Amazon, a wholesale warehouse of players waiting to claimed by other teams. You need position players, we have them. You need pitching, we have lots of young arms. Perhaps the Red Sox will make 1 more free agent acquisition using John Henry's check book. But at least 1 additional, if not 2 additional pitchers, will come to the team via trade. So who stays & who goes? In my opinion the Sox will make an either/or choice between keeping players as follows: Cespedes or Victorino; Bogaerts or Betts; Betts or Holt; Nava or Craig; Ranaudo or Owens; Swihart or Vazquez. A few top tier prospects may need to go with a Cespedes, for instance, to get a Johnny Cueto or Jordan Zimmerman or Cole Hamels. As we have seen, prospects are just prospects. I think anyone is available for a major league pitcher who has had success. Then maybe a Brandon McCarthy can come in on a shorter contract & give the team innings out of the 3rd or 4th spot in the rotation. Trust in Ben. The plan is coming together.

Ben's Second Act - Pitching

Upgrade the offense - check. The Red Sox lineup with Sandoval & Ramirez will allow the mediocre offense of 2014 to be much improved next year. What's next for Ben? Pitching. Re-sign Jon Lester by getting your offer up to 6 years & $140 million, $23 million a year. It would be horrible PR for Lester to sign with another team. Get pitcher #2 via trade & cast off several of your extra pieces. Hamels, Cueto, Sale, Zimmermann, Fister & others are out there. For trade bait I would dangle Cespedes or Victorino, Henry Owens, Betts or Holt, obviously Middlebrooks, maybe Allen Craig. The Sox need to thin out their herd of outfielders & pitchers. How about trading Buchholz & Owens to the Nats for Fister & Zimmerman? They get 1 starting pitcher & a high prospect while we get 2 proven starters to back-up Lester. I'm sure that Ben has the skinny on every deal possible. A rotation of Lester, Zimmermann, Fister, Kelly & De La Rosa would look pretty good. The winter meetings start late next week, so expect Ben to be very active. Other than pitching, I would let Blake Swihart be the 2nd catcher this year, play about 60 games as the backup to Vazquez, & see what his switch-hitting bat could add to the lineup.

Damned If You Do!

Well, that didn't take long. Felger & Mazz are already bashing the Sox for signing Pablo Sandoval & Hanley Ramirez. Damned if you do & then reporters like this would be the very first to say that the damn Red Sox didn't do enough in the off season. You can't have it both ways, fellas. For me I didn't see the attraction of Sandoval over Headley. And the Ramirez deal came out of nowhere. But there is a lot of info we fans are missing on both guys. Have a little trust, have a little faith. The Red Sox brass may have had discussions with Cespedes about his intentions after 2015. It would seem like Victorino or Cespedes or Castillo will be used for trade bait in return for a starting pitcher or two. Any team needing to win now could opt for one or more of these guys. News is also breaking that the Sox are the front runner to sign Jon Lester. Let's give Ben & Larry & John more time to finish the team makeover before passing judgment. Just keep that check book out, John! Steve & Gaff were right.

Report: Sox Acquire Sandoval & Ramirez

CBS Sports & MLB Network say the Sox have reached deals with Pablo Sandoval & Hanley Ramirez. If so, the Sox middle of the order would be formidable - Ortiz, Ramirez, Sandoval, Napoli. Sandoval would play 3B while Ramirez would most likely move to LF. The Sox would trade excess outfielders, including Cespedes or Victorino, to bring back a starting pitcher. Who thought that the Sox would strike first for offense instead of pitching?

Pats 34, Lions 9

As some commentators alluded to, not a great effort by the Detroit Lions team or coaching staff yesterday in the Patriots runaway win at Foxborough. 53 passes by Tom Brady kept the Lions defense off balance all day long. A few tough runs by LeGarrett Blount yielded 2 running TD's. And the Patriots defense, usually a weak point every year, blanketed the Detroit receivers, including Megatron, to allow only 3 field goals. Add an 80 yard punt return by Danny Amendola & a second long punt return for TD called back on a penalty by Julian Edelman that showed special teams were on their game as well. Pats dominate in all 3 phases for another great win. This sets up next week's challenge of the Pats playing in Lambreau Field against the surging Packers.

Why Sign Hanley?

It's confusing to say the least. Reports are out there that the Red Sox have signed Hanley Ramirez to a 5 year, $90 million deal. Ramirez will be in Boston on Monday. Hanley was a young star with the Red Sox back in 2000 & it was obvious that the teenager had issues with maturity. His time with the Marlins & Dodgers have done nothing to make you think that he has matured over the years. And if the Red Sox sign him, where does he play? It's not SS as he has one of the worst fielding records. It's not 3B if the Sox sign Sandoval. And it's not LF if the Sox keep Cespedes. Add the injury bug to the young 30-something's resume & what are you really getting? Another right-handed bat that can be very productive. Offense sells which is the case here. So this move by the Red Sox has everyone scratching their heads. Maybe Sandoval's deal is falling through. Maybe Cespedes gets moved in a trade for a pitcher. Hanley is the back-up plan that perhaps has become Ben's plan A.

In Ben We Must Trust

Jon Lester. Max Scherzer. James Shields. Pablo Sandoval. Chase Headley. Chris Sale. Johnny Cueto. Yasmany Tomas. Hanley Ramirez. Jordan Zimmermann. Brandon McCarthy. Justin Masterson. Mat Latos. Zack Wheeler. Lonnie Chisenhall. Miguel Montero. Carlos Gonzalez. And on & on goes the list of free agents & possible trade names. You can assume that the Red Sox have a pecking order of new players to fill the holes of their 2015 roster. You can also assume that they are a potential suitor for any & all of these players. And you can assume that Ben Cherington & his staff have done their due diligence on each & every one. I don't get the Sox interest in Sandoval (5 years, $95 million) over a cheaper Headley, but I'm going to trust in Ben. Once Jon Lester & Pablo Sandoval find homes for 2015 the remaining free agents will topple like dominos.

Billy Butler to A's

Nice pick-up by Mr. Moneyball. Billy Butler brings his right-handed bat to Oakland for 3 years & $30 million. The A's never got their offense back on track after trading away Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox. So Billy Beane made the move to the former KC Royal Butler to bolster his offense for the next 3 years. Tough blow to Kansas City to lose an 8 year vet who helped them to the World Series.

Go After Jordan Zimmermann

MLB Network reported that Jordan Zimmermann of the Nationals is being made available for trade by Washington. Salary dump by the Nats. Hello, Red Sox! Go jump on this opportunity & get this guy! Zimmermann was 19-9 in 2013, 213 innings, 161 k's to 40 walks, 3.25 ERA. In 2014 he was 14-5, 199 innings, 182 k's to only 19 walks, 2.66 ERA. He makes $16.5 million next year which is much more do-able financially for the Sox than a Scherzer or a Hamels. At 28 years old this kid is coming into his own. Zimmerman is a free agent in 2016, but you get a chance to sign him long term &/or you get another year for your young pitchers to mature. He & Lester could be your Pedro & Schilling. your Lester & Lackey for the next 5 years. Go get him now, Ben!

Sandoval Offer Coming

After the Panda's visit to Fenway & his meeting with the Red Sox brass, reports are that the Red Sox will be making Sandoval an offer. The Sox will be bidding against the Giants & Blue Jays. I guess $100 million doesn't buy you what it use to & I would rate Pablo as an above-average player, but not a superstar. Then there's the weight thing. However, the Sox need a left-handed bat & Sandoval fits that need. Right place, right time type of thing. I hope that the other teams don't overreach & offer him $100 mil or more. If the Sox can land him at $80 to $90 million, I guess that's a good deal in today's market. The money is ridiculous.

Red Sox Make Offer to Jon Lester

OK, now we're talkin.' Let's get this team makeover going. Instead of $130 to $140 million, the Sox offered 6 years to Jon Lester at $110 to $120 million. Larry Lucchino is like a used car salesman. He likes to dicker which is probably a good & necessary trait in his job. Personally, I hate dickering. Give me your best offer up front. If Lester's agent comes back & says he's your at $130 million, maybe Larry says deal. How could he not? But perhaps Lester will get the $130 mil or more from the Cubs or Braves or Cardinals. It depends upon Lester's willingness to stay in familiar surrounding, stay with a team where he will break all the records for a left-handed pitcher & stay with a team that wants to win now. The Cubs & Braves are building for the future. I think Boston has a lot of offer, but it will take more dickering. And just maybe Lester & his rep aren't the dickering type. I sure hope that you didn't blow it, Larry.

Talk Is All About Sandoval Visit, Lester

Latest sports talk is focused on the visit to Boston by Pablo Sandoval. The Panda is getting the grand tour of Fenway Park & the Boston area. He is meeting with Sox management today. Supposedly, he is looking for 5 years & $80 to $90 million. Russell Martin signing for 5 years & $82 million may have set the bar for above-average, but not superstar players. As Ortiz said, the Panda has never been a 30 HR/100 RBI guy. But Sandoval is only 28 & coming into his prime. Christopher Russo on MLB Network said that perhaps the Panda will replace Ortiz once Big Papi retires. Too bad Will Middlebrooks couldn't have been more productive & couldn't have locked down 3B last year. In addition, Peter Gammons said Cubs sources think Jon Lester will re-sign with the Red Sox. Lester is scheduled to visit Atlanta, a team close to his home, & the Cardinals are also interested in the big lefty. I am hopeful that the Red Sox will get him back. Once Lester or Scherzer signs, the other dominos will fall. Something will happen as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

Heyward to Cards, Martin to Blue Jays

Jason Heyward gets a change of scenery as he moves from Atlanta to St. Louis in a trade for 2 pitchers. Russell Martin, reportedly being wooed by the Cubs, instead accepts a 5-year deal from the Toronto Blue Jays. Heyward was traded by the Braves to the Cards as he was in the last year of his current deal & the Braves outfield was crowded. Martin is a native of Montreal & he returns to Canada for a $52 million free agent deal. Not bad for a guy who hit .211 for the Yankees a few years ago. I like the Cards deal better. Martin may be overhyped.

Marlins Lock-Up Stanton

13 years, $325 million, no-trade clause, opt out after 6 years. Quite a player friendly deal that Giancarlo Stanton signed yesterday with the Miami Marlins. The 25-year old will potentially be a South Florida player until he is 38. No one really believed the Marlins when they said Stanton wasn't for sale. How could anyone based upon the Marlins past actions which included fire sales at various times. But they did break the bank for Stanton at a young age to keep him in Miami. Funny how fickle people can be. I heard many reporters say the Marlins needed to sign Stanton long-term to show that they are real. Now those same reporters say maybe the Marlins went too long at 13 years, maybe they should have waited to see how Stanton reacts to balls inside since he got hit in the face. Can't win. Most longer term deals - A-Rod, Pujols, et al - don't pan out, particularly in the later years. Time will tell on this one.

2015 Red Sox Roster - Gaff

Like Steve, Gaff has sent a message to John Henry to open his checkbook. Gaff has the Red Sox adding 3 free agents & adding 2 more players via trade. Here's his roster. Starting Pitchers - Jon Lester, free agent signing; Cole Hamels, acquire by trade; Clay Buchholz; Joe Kelly; Brandon Workman. Bullpen - Andrew Miller, free agent signing; Rubby De La Rosa; Allen Webster; Matt Barnes; Edward Mujica; Junichi Tazawa; Koji Uehara. Catchers - Alex Avila, acquire by trade; Cristian Vazquez. Infield -- Chase Headley, free agent signing; Dustin Pedroia; Jemile Weeks; Mike Napoli; Xander Bogaerts. Outfield - Rusney Castillo; Yoenis Cespedes; Daniel Nava; Shane Victorino. IF/OF - Allen Craig, Mookie Betts. There you have the 25 man roster as put together by Gaff. It will be most interesting to see where the chips fall.

Pats Put Away Colts in 2nd Half

From 14-10 at halftime turns into 42-20 after 4 quarters. Jonas Gray scores 4 running TD's. Tom Brady rebounds after a very poor first half. A very mad & angry Gronk ran over 4 Colts on his way into the end zone. The New England Patriots sit atop the AFC with an 8-2 record after an unexpected loss by Denver to St. Louis. Only the Arizona Cardinals have a better NFL record at 9-1. The Pats have found a way to shake off a 2-2 start by way of improved line play from the offensive line & better overall play from a blitzing defense. What looked to be a long year trending at 8-8 may just turn into a magical one. We'll see if the Pats can handle the Detroit defense & Megatron next week in Foxborough.

A Few Signings

The hot stove has been lukewarm so far. Just a few signings to date. Victor Martinez re-signs with the Detroit Tigers for 4 more years. V-Mart was rumored to be in talks with Seattle, but the Mariners may now turn their attention to Hanley Ramirez. Michael Cuddyear signed a 2-year deal with the New York Mets. The Mets are trying to get into the NL East race after many years of sub-.500 performances. And AJ Burnett goes back to Pittsburgh on a 1-year deal. The sullen Burnett gets out of Philly, a team going nowhere. That's it so far.

Pedro Alvarez or Lonnie Chisenhall?

The Boston Herald had an article that mentioned the Sox could fix their 3B problems with 2 other lefty bats who are younger & would cost the team less money via trades. Pedro Alvarez is a Pirate, 27, 6'3", 235 lbs. Lonnie Chisenhall is an Indian, 26, 6'2", 190 lbs. Alvarez would concern me due to his strikeout ratio of 25%- 113 k's in 445 plate appearances last year. Yet Alvarez seems to have a better power bat. Chisenhall hit for average & really came into his own last year, contributing several key hits for Francona's team. Both are good defensively. The appeal of Sandoval & Headley is the fact that they are switch hitters, something the Red Sox have been missing since Shane Victorino decided to hit exclusively from the right side. But the Herald article cites Alvarez & Chisenhall as options to consider should the Sox swing & miss on Sandoval & Headley. Good thoughts. It's sad that Will Middlebrooks will either be traded or land in Pawtucket until he gets his power swing back.

Yes & No

I thought that we would help Ben with a few yes & no answers as to signings & trades. Hanley Ramirez - no. Too often injured. Too temperamental. We've been down this road before when he was a young Red Sox prospect. He's a west coast, National League kind of player. Leave him there. Pablo Sandoval - yes & no. I'm moderating my original no. If the Sox can put weight restrictions on his salary & get him for 3 years or less, good. Ultimately, the Panda probably stays in San Fran for sentimental reasons where they put up with his bulging belly. Chase Headley - yes. If Ben is only going after 2 starting pitchers, then money is available to sign Headley who I think is a better alternative than Sandoval & you can sign Headley for less money & years. Lou Merloni & I agree on this one. Jon Lester - yes. Lester can pitch in Boston & in the playoffs. I'm all for signing Lester at any cost. Andrew Miller - no. He hasn't proven to me that his wildness is cured. No doubt he has had a good run for 2 years, but you still see signs of wildness that make me not trust him as an 8th or 9th inning arm. Chris Sale - yes. Sale came in 3rd in the Cy Young voting. Since Stanton of the Marlins seems to be going nowhere I'd empty the prospect bin & get Sale who could be the Jon Lester of the future. His salary is only $6 million & he is under control for several years. James Shields - yes, but at the right price & years. 3 years would be max for me. If Shields gets 5 years from a team, let him go. As shown in this year's playoffs, his 200+ innings every year finally caught up to him. Max Scherzer - yes, but only if the Lester deal falls through. Scherzer turned down big money earlier this year & he may not get as good a deal now after a somewhat down year. Other NL pitchers like Johnny Cueto & Cole Hammels are options as well, but you wonder about no DH in the NL skewing their numbers, not to mention the prospects & money needed to get them. C Miguel Montero of the Diamondbacks is being floated out there as trade bait. If the D-backs picked up some of his salary, he could offer more pop behind the plate & he would be cheaper than Russell Martin. Lots of options out there. You can assume that Ben laid the ground work for several further discussions this week. It seems like we are all waiting for the 1st deal to go down, then the rest follow.

What Is Ben Thinking?

Articles on WEEI & the Red Sox website indicate that Ben Cherington has no plans to move Yoenis Cespedes. Yes, the Cuban outfielder has only 1 year left under his current contract. Yes, Cespedes has never played RF as expected. However, Ben says that there is a limited amount of legit power hitters in baseball & Cespedes is one of these few. In his mind power trumps everything else. I can't disagree. On starting pitching Ben expects that market to move slowly done this week & he expects deals to be done at the winter meetings. He expects to be in on conversations on all relevant starters - Lester, Shields, Scherzer, Cueto, et. al. Ben did confirm that just about every team has inquired about the Sox surplus of outfielders. Along with a surplus of pitching, Ben has several chips to use in any trade.

2015 Red Sox Roster - Steve

My podcast partner Steve completed his Ben Cherington scenario for this off-season. Steve has a couple of assumptions. First, the Red Sox management will be in panic mode to put a competitive team on the field. Second, money is not an object. With those assumptions here is Steve's 25-man roster. Starting pitchers - Max Scherzer signs as free agent; Cole Hamels acquired via trade; Clay Buchholz; Rubby De La Rosa; Allen Webster. Bullpen - Koji Uehara; Junichi Tazawa; Burke Badenhop gets re-signed; Matt Barnes; Brandon Workman. Outfield - Yasmany Tomas gets signed as free agent; Yoenis Cespedes; Rusney Castillo; Daniel Nava; Mookie Betts. Infield - Pablo Sandoval gets signed as free agent; Dustin Pedroia; Xander Bogaerts; Mike Napoli; Will Middlebrooks; Brock Holt. IF / OF - Allen Craig. C - Cristian Vazquez; Ryan Lavarnway. DH - David Ortiz. When you try to put together a roster you see it's not as easy as you think. Let us know your thoughts on Steve's roster & mine as we play Ben Cherington. Gaff's list to follow.

Chase Headley Versus Pablo Sandoval

IF & I say IF the Red Sox are in the market for a free agent 3B, I think Chase Headley is a better deal than Pablo Sandoval. Sandoval is coming off of a good playoff run & he will command 6 years & $100 million. Headley, on the other hand, is coming off a down year & he can probably be signed to a shorter term deal for much less money. Both are switch hitters. Headley is 30 while Sandoval is 28. The Panda looks about 48 though & his size is concerning - like a Prince Fielder. Personally, I think the Red Sox should use all of their resources to bring in 3 starting pitchers, not 2. I stated before that Chris Sale & Johnny Cueto wouldn't break the bank & the big money should go to re-signing Jon Lester. But let's see what Ben thinks. Managers meeting starts on Tuesday.

Lance Armstrong & Alex Rodriguez

I happened to be channel surfing on the TV when I came across a documentary on Lance Armstrong - his lies, his chronic doping, his sociopathic denials of any wrongdoing, his misleading of the public, his Live Strong cancer foundation fraud, his ruining of lives like Floyd Landis & several others people who dare to speak the truth. Then I thought of Alex Rodriguez. Is A-Rod the baseball version of cyclist Lance Armstrong? They are cut from the same cloth. Liars. Frauds. Deceivers of the public trust. Ruiners of the joy of sport. The Yankees have to deal with A-Rod & somehow get him off of their team or get out from under the $61 million contract over the next 3 years. At least Armstrong was banned from cycling for life. We still have to hear & see A-Rod at least for the start of spring training.

Pedroia Healthy

What would it be like to have a healthy Dustin Pedroia for a full season? We haven't seen the 4-time Gold Glove winner at full speed for the past few years. A healthy Pedroia drives the offense into another gear, setting the table for Ortiz, Cespedes & Napoli. The little guy is a difference maker. Pedrois recently told a radio show that his hand is fully healed & he is performing his off-season program at full speed. Let's hope that the Sox 2B stays healthy & that he is a major contributor in 2015.

My 2015 Roster

Here's my assumptions. The Red Sox will go all out to win another World Series in 2015 while David Ortiz is still a productive force at the plate. I keep Yoenis Cespedes to play out his contract & see if we can extend him during the year. I give the big money to bring back Jon Lester. Tough decisions, but I give up on Will Middlebrooks, Allen Craig, Daniel Nava & Jackie Bradley, Jr. & use them as chips in a trade. I have only 2 free agent signings & I use our surplus of pitchers & outfielders to effect 2 big trades. My free agent signings & trades amount to about $45 million which the Red Sox can handle. Starting Pitchers (5) - Jon Lester, free agent signing for 5 years & $125 million; Chris Sale, trade with White Sox, $6 million & under control until 2018; Johnny Cueto, trade with Cincinnati, $10 million next year & free agent in 2016; Clay Buccholtz & Joe Kelly return from last year. I keep Steven Wright & Rubby De La Rosa as extra starters in Pawtucket. Bullpen (9) - Koji Uehara, re-signed for 2 years; Junichi Tazawa, Edward Mujica, Alex Wilson, Drake Britton, Brandon Workman, Tommy Layne, Matt Barnes & Heather Embree all returning. Catchers (2) - Javier Vazquez, returning; free agent signing of Geovani Soto or David Ross, 1-year $3.5 to $4 million. Outfielders (4) - Rusney Castillo, signed; Yoenis Cespedes, Shane Victorino & Mookie Betts returning. Infielders (4) - Mike Napoli, Dustin Pedroia, Xanders Bogaerts, Brock Holt all returning. Keep Garin Cecchini &/or Deven Marrero at Pawtucket for insurance. Betts can move to the infield if needed in case of injury. DH (1) - David Ortiz, returning. Players available in trades for Sale & Cueto - Will Middlebrooks, Jackie Bradley, Jr., Allen Craig, Daniel Nava, Henry Owens, Anthony Ranaudo, Allen Webster, Dan Butler, Ryan Lavarnway, Travis Shaw, Bryce Brentz & others. Some tough decisions to be made for sure. But that's my 25 man roster for the 2015 Red Sox.

Red Sox 25-Man Roster

I have a challenge for Gaff, Steve & all you viewers from Colorado Springs & parts unknown. I'd like everyone to put on their thinking caps & help Ben Cherington field a competitive team in 2015. Give me your best guess as to the Red Sox 25-man roster on opening day 2015. It will be a fun exercise to see what we come up with versus what the team actually looks like. I'll have my picks by the end of the week. Give it some thought.

Francona Gets 2 Year Extension

Tito will call Cleveland home for the next 4 years. His original deal would expire after the 2016 season & the Indians management extended him 2 more years through 2018 with options for 2 more until 2020. Francona has had 2 winning seasons in Cleveland, something the team hadn't done since 2007. Tito is a winner. Good for the Indians to keep him around longer.

Maddon Introduced As Cubs Manager

Joe Maddon will try to be the manager to reverse the curse for the Cubs. Personally, I'm just glad to have him out of the AL East. Maddon inherits a team that lacks pitching - something that he was never short on in Tampa Bay. For Theo & the Cubs I hope this signing works out for them.

Notable Free Agents

WEEI listed all 121 free agents on their blog the other day. Here's the names of 10 notable ones that I think the Red Sox may kick the tires on. OF/DH Nelson Cruz. P Andrew Miller. P James Shields. 3B/1B Chase Headley. P Brandon McCarthy. P Jon Lester. P Francisco Liriano. P Edinson Volquez. 3B Pablo Sandoval. P Justin Masterson. Because of the glut of pitchers & outfielders in the Red Sox system the Sox may do most of their remodeling for 2015 through trades. Guys like Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardja & the big guy from the Marlins Giancarlo Stanton may be available. I expect Ben to address the starting rotation next.