Some thoughts while being hopelessly optimistic that the Sox force the Yankees into a one-game playoff against Oakland (and lose on a Josh Reddick home run):
- At this point, Jose Iglesias has to be the starting shortstop on Opening Day next year. Even though he’s only hit .123 since being called up in August, he’s been dazzling enough on defense to at least warrant a chance on this team next year. Not to mention, his .132 BABIP certainly speaks to the fact that he’s gotten a bit unlucky this year. He’s never going to be an offensive powerhouse, but you’re telling me that you wouldn’t take .240-.250 from him, when he’s doing stuff like this?
- In the So Long, Thanks For The Memories Dept.: James Loney, Alfredo Aceves, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Aaron Cook, Vicente Padilla,
- How valuable is John Farrell to the Red Sox? Obviously, he would be the top candidate for them if he’s available for the right price. The problem is, the Blue Jays know how badly Boston covets him, and I have a feeling they would be force the Sox to pay top dollar for him with the eventual compensation. That being said, I thought Theo was valuable to the Boston front office as well, but all it took was Chris Carpenter. If they can’t pry Farrell away from Toronto, then it’s back to the top candidates circled last offseason: Gene Lamont, Pete Mackinin, or perhaps even a promoted Tim Bogar.
- Sox in the Playoffs: Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss, Javier Lopez, Adrian Beltre, Bronson Arroyo, Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Marco Scutaro, Adam LaRoche, Eric Hinske, and Dan Duquette.
- Should the Sox make a push to extend Jacoby Ellsbury’s contract this offseason? Obviously, with Scott Boras at the other side of the negotiating table, nothing is going to be easy. But if there’s anytime to get this deal done, it feels like not would be the most advantageous for Boston. Even when healthy this season, Ellsbury didn’t demonstrate numbers close to what he put up in his MVP runner-up campaign, and he continues to develop a stereotype of being a fragile player. It appears that Boras is going to do everything in his power to get Ellsbury to test the waters in free agency, but I still think it’s worth overpaying the center fielder a bit this offseason, instead of giving him the chance to put up numbers like he did two years ago, thus pushing his value further into Matt Kemp-like territory.
- Potential new additions to the rotation next season (whether it’s through free agency or through trade): Jake Peavy, Josh Johnson, Zack Greinke, Edwin Jackson, Matt Garza, Cliff Lee, Johan Santana, Ryan Dempster, Hiroki Kuroda, Francisco Liriano, Kyle Loshe, Shaun Marcum, Brandon McCarthy, Anibal Sanchez, and James Shields.
- It’s a real shame that Ryan Lavarnway never put it together offensively during what was essentially a month-long audition for the starting catching role next season. Hitting a rather miserable .170, with a.222 OBP, and .492 OPS, Lavarnway did little to prove that he deserved to start over Jarrod Saltalamacchia next year. Apart from a solid April and May, Salty looked like a catcher who didn’t deserve the lion share of the snap half the time.
- Best Movies of the Year So Far: The Master, Moonrise Kingdom, Looper, Safety Not Guaranteed, Your Sister’s Sister
- Who to root for in the playoffs? Obviously, you can cross the Yankees of the list. After the end of last season, the Orioles are firmly off the list as well. Hard not to feel something special towards Oakland, especially with Reddick on the team. Over in the National League, I’ll throw my hat in the Giants’ ring. Fun team, really enjoyed their run two years ago. I would have been pulling for the Nationals, but after their decision to shut down Strasburg, I can’t get behind them.
- You have to hope that Boston’s front office was watching the Orioles closely this season. Their decision to promote Manny Machado straight from Double-A had an absolutely huge impact on the stretch run of the season. The Sox could find themselves in a very similar situation with players like Xander Bogaerts and Brandon Jacobs next season. Here’s hoping they give the kids a chance.
- Hard not to enjoy the Dodgers collapsing this month and missing the playoffs.
- What was worse: Watching the collapse last September culminating in that heartbreaking final day, or this season as a whole? Which would you rather go through again?