Red Sox Offseason BluePrint v.2 : Holliday, Harden, Scutaro

Like most teams, the Boston Red Sox offseason will be defined by the willingness of their owner to open his wallet. Fortunately for Sox fans nationwide, Uncle John certainly has some deep pockets. However, the amount he is willing to spend will have a lot to say about the direction that this team will be headed. The prudent move by the Red Sox will be to look for incremental gains in what is partly a transitional year, while also being a year of opportunity. The club has nearly its entire 2009 starting lineup under contract, including its entire starting staff and at least seven of nine position players. For a team that won 95 games last season, that’s a recipe for success. Still, the American League gets more competitive every year, as the AL West, the Yankees, and our little brother Rays make it harder and harder to buy the Wild Card.

Red Sox Offseason Blueprint v.1: Figgins, King Felix head to Boston

Today is the first in a three version series on an offseason blueprint the Red Sox should follow. What should their starting lineup and pitching staff look like entering the 2010 season? I'll take a look at one possible scenario while Mike and Tim follow up with their own in the next two days. Before I jump in, let me clarify something important: this is not necessarily a prediction of what the Sox will do, nor an endorsement of a particular path. All this is is simply food for thought. What possible scenarios could Boston pursue? Well, this particular one involves three major names being added to the team while losing Clay Buchholz.

Owned in Anaheim

As often happens when the Red Sox venture out West for a playoff series (as often happens), there's no more painful post to write than the one scheduled to hit the wires the morning following a late night start like we had in Game One of the ALDS - except of course the post following a game that saw the Red Sox hit their side of the Win Probability ledger only for one fleeting at bat the night prior. That chart pretty well sums up the Red Sox offense all night against Angels starter John Lackey; flatline.

Runnin’ Wild

Certain to be among the major themes in the ALDS are the Angels’ aggressiveness and superiority on the basepaths. Perennially among the league leaders in steals, the team placed third in 2009, behind Tampa Bay and Texas with 148 thefts. Anaheim will be sure to remind the Sox who’s boss every time their runners take first base. One of the fastest teams in the league, their lineup features multiple skilled runners. Chone Figgins leads the pack with 42 steals on the year, followed by Bobby Abreu at 30. Torii Hunter (18), Erick Aybar (14), Maicer Izturis (13), and Howie Kendrick (11) all cracked double digits in the steals column. Their bench also features quality pinch runners, including outfielder Reggie Willits, who nabbed 27 bases in 2007, along with 16 in 372 plate appearances between AAA and the MLB this season.

BOS 6, CLE 2: Sox Take Two from Cleveland

“Effective” isn’t a term often used to describe Daisuke Matsuzaka’s outings, but that’s exactly what he looked like in last night’s start, as the Red Sox took a second win off of the Cleveland Indians, 6-2.

POLL: No. 3 starter?

New Poll Question: Who should be considered the No. 3 starter?

• Clay Buchholz
• Daisuke Matsuzaka
• Tim Wakefield
• My grandmother
  

In the wake of Clay Buchholz's poor start in Toronto, it's a legitimate question. We determined Dice-K should be the No. 4 starter in a previous poll, but should he jump up a notch?

As always, new poll is up to the right...vote away and argue it out in the comments.

Stick a fork in Jason Varitek

If Friday night's game didn't convince you that Jason Varitek's time as a starting catcher has passed him by, I've got a fantastic house with a view of the ocean for you in Wyoming.

On the year, Varitek's given up 107 stolen bases while catching only 15, for a god-awful 12% success rate. The last time hitters stole more than 81 stolen bases off of Varitek was in 1999-2000, in full swing of the anti-stretch policy that Joe Kerrigan endorsed. But back then, he was able to catch runners 27 and 25 percent of the time, respectively. Huge difference.

Varitek's arm has simply abandoned him. The game should bring clarity to the fact that 'Tek can't gun them out anymore.

Top 3 troublesome spots for Red Sox in playoffs

Two Sundays from now, we'll be readying for our tilt with the Los Angeles Angels in the American League Division Series.

Boston just finished up a three-game tilt with the Mike Scioscia-led Angels, winning two out of three games. (The Red Sox lost the last game on a passed third strike at the hands of Varitek, who had a similar foul up in Wednesday's comeback win.)

Tthe Sox are clearly firing on all cylinders for the first time all season.

But if things are going to go horribly, horribly wrong in a quest for the World Series title, here's where it will...

Projecting the Playoffs, The Case for Kotchman

With just 20 games left and a 4 1/2 game lead in the Wild Card, what exactly are the chances for our beloved Sox to play in October? Baseball Prospectus seems to think they're pretty high, but Texas has life yet.

And who, exactly, is the Red Sox' most unappreciated player. Surely, it couldn't be Casey Kotchman. Though he doesn't always see the field, he provides stability at a key position on the diamond, while simultaneously solidifying the team's outlook at ... catcher?

Projecting the Playoffs

With just 20 games remaining in the regular season, the Sox' Hunt for Red October is getting stronger by the day. At this juncture, with this team, a 4 ½ game lead in the Wild Card is a considerable advantage. Don't get cozy though, as one hot or cold stretch can completely change the complexion of this race. Still, it's looking pretty good for the Sox, as Baseball Prospectus gives the Red Sox...

Tweets on the Red Sox’s 25-man roster

In a homage to Twitter, the new social media application that is changing how news is delivered (in the same vein how blogs changed everything) I bring to you a summary of each Red Sox player on the 25-man roster in 140 characters or less (the maximum number of characters you can enter on Twitter).

Have Twitter? Follow me. Tim's on too. Oh, and Fire Brand has one as well. You'll notice that had you followed Fire Brand, you would have gotten all these tweets last night.