There’s an article chock full of some good stuff.
The obligatory Manny Ramirez story. He’ll show up, he’ll hit, he’ll demand a trade, the Red Sox will explore a trade, ESPN.com will into a tizzy for two weeks, Manny won’t be traded, he’ll show up, he’ll hit, he’ll leave via free agency.
Jonathan Papelbon isn’t being ruled out as a closer. Am I surprised? No, because I’ve maintained all along that this possibility exists, and now it’s finally being said.
Jon Lester is apparently in amazing health. If so, could he follow the Papelbon route in reverse and be our closer? It’d allow him to get experience in high-leverage innings and work his durability back (if it needs to be). But I wonder: has his control improved?
Mike Lowell has a sense of humor. Good. He understands baseball is a business. Good. Now he’s going to go out there and do what he does. I’ve heard whispers from some baseball fans that they wonder if Lowell and/or Tavarez will tank because they know they were almost out of Boston. This is silly. If they really despise Boston, they’ll at least do their best for self-preservation.
Francona is excited about Coco Crisp. He should be, have you seen the PECOTA projection?
Dustin Pedroia is definitely the second baseman. Julio Lugo is definitely leading off. Youkilis probably batting second.
