Sox Improve On 2004 Team

Okay so big mouth Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez is gone.

The Sox saved resigning Jason Varitek. Hear me out here, with the money we saved dumping Martinez & Lowe, $22 Million... the Red Sox went out and got veterans David Wells & John Halama, and unproven but promiseful hardballers Matt Clement & Wade Miller at a total of $16 Million. Using this at the base we can then move on to the salaries of Jason Vartiek & Doug Mirabelli, an increase of only $3 million from their 2004 salaries, the Red Sox upgraded their shortstop position from Cabrera & Garciaparra who were paid a total of $10 Million for Edgar Renteria, who will also make $10 Million. Now take into considerations the contract salary increases of Ramirez, Damon, Schilling, Ortiz, Nixon, Mueller, Embree, Timlin, & Foulke, collectively about a $5 Million increase. That leaves us with a remaining budget of $8 Million.

This leaves me with a new list of priorities:
1) Carlos Delgado
2) Pokey Reese
3) Rounding Out The Bullpen
4) Rounding Out The Bench

Okay, so the Carlos Delgado idea is still in the woods, and if the Yankees were smart they'd be persuing him to play first seeing how either way they should be having Bernie Wiliams (whether it be centerfield or firstbase) starting instead of Jason Giambi. Delgado would also be a sizeable discount as opposed to Beltran, but money is no option when it comes to the Yankees.

Now the Carlos Delgado idea has circulated very quietly amonst Red Sox Nation, but i is not completely out of the puzzle. With the $8 Million savings frm the rotation, and the money that the Red Sox have acquired through World Series revenue as well as the amount of money which they have saved finally getting contracts off the book (ex $5 Mil. to Mendoza, $3.5 Mil. to Williamson, $4 Mil. to Guitierrez) it looks like it would be an extremely available option. Also take into consideration the fact that they would be acquiring players of other needs for Doug Mientkiewicz & Kevin Millar, as well as likely cash considerations.

Of course signing Delgado would likely cost between $16 & 20 Million, in which case they could acquire Carlos Beltran for the same money, if not cheaper...

2005 Batting Order
Damon, Renteria, Ramirez, Ortiz, Delgao/Beltran/Millar/Meintkiewicz, Varitek, Nixon, Mueller, Bellhorn

Rotation
Clement, Wells, Arroyo, Miller, Wakefield... Schilling (INJ)

Bullpen
Halama, Kim, Myers, Timlin, Embree, Mantei, Foulke

Okay now the bullpen and the bench still hasn't been rounded out (they could settle these in any moves including Millar and Meintkiewicz) and then there's the money that must be budgeted for midseason movement. I'm not taking away that factor, but truth is Theo has some serious money... April cannot come sooner.




Paolo DeVito
Back In Beantown