I had to get some excitement out about the red sox off season moves.  Summarized Pitching and Defense.  The red sox are trying the conservative route, and they are spending a lot of money on it.  Oddly enough the red sox are doing the good old game of good pitching and solid defense, The only difference is the Sox are aiming at the best pitching and the best defense.   the red sox are adopting the oldest strategy in the book, but since they have the money they will try to do it better than anyone else. The Red sox have spent the money, on the best pitcher available, and the best fielders they could afford.  People may not see it,  but this is a whole different Red Sox team,  this team is now almost completely absent of the power home run type  bats,  they will rely on speed, pitching, and defense.  They realize they can’t beat the Yankees at their own game, money on the best bats, so it seems as if they are trusting in some saber-metric theory that defense and pitching wins more games than home-runs, and they might be right.  I love the choice to go to pitching and defense,  but how do we know we got the best defense, apparently it is based on a defensive stat and theory called the UZR.  Seems like a lot of faith in a stat,  but then again Bill James is the man who changed the game when it comes to stats and baseball,  they might be right here.  I think it is still to much faith in a theory, baseball is hard to make into equations.  The red sox have spent a lot of money on mediocre hitters, so they could have great defenders, I’m as exited as I’m worried.  Enough about the theory who did we get and  how good are they.  I gave a letter grade based on price, quality of player, how well I think they’ll fit on the team, and just my analysis.

Marco Scutaro  —Pickup Grade B-

Marco had a great year last year, and the red sox are looking for a repeat from him.  I don’t think he’ll be an amazing player, but he is a good fit for the red sox. An on base percentage guy and a run scorer, this guy is great for the new sox,  but once again no power, but lot’s of money, his defense is good; he ads to a really athletic infield.  He’s better than every-other SS I’ve seen in sox uniform lately, but he’s getting old, and he’s really just there till the prospects rise to the occasion.  The red sox picked a good man for the job, I have my doubts if he’s the right man for the job.  But the Sox proved to us they will spend in the off season, for a position that needed addressing for a long time.

John Lackey— Pickup Grade  B+

Lackey makes the sox rotation  better,  and possibly the best in baseball, he’s a good middle of the rotation guy he plays with heart.  He’s not an ace, but the sox don’t need an ace, they are paying him to be the middle guy, somewhat consistent, endurance, type of guy.  He’s a fighter  he wants the ball, and I want him to have it.  He could be a surprise this year with the whole  Matsuzaka thing.  His downside is, he won’t win as many games as we think, he was 11-8 last year,  there will be games where he get’s knocked around at fenway park, that’s why he’s an B plus pickup, he’s good for what the sox want, but there will be days when we hate him.

Mike Cameron—-Pickup Grade C

I honestly don’t get this one, the guy is old.  I know he’s go a better arm than Ellsbury,  but he’s not a soluton to me at all.  He won’t hit.  I don’t see him performing well on offense.  And I hope I’m wrong.  But right now Cameron is a big “?” for me.  I’m really hoping he turns into something I don’t know about, cause right now I’m not seeing it.  And moving the bestt center fielder in the game to left(minus the arm),  is a little odd.  But we’ll see.

Adrian Beltre — Pickup Grade  A-

I like the Adrain Beltre pickup the best.  I think it makes our infield  a force to reckon with.  He is a really great third basemen,  and I think his offense will come with the red sox, I’m confident that he makes the red sox that much better.  They say the Sox picked him up for that stat UZR thing, so he’s apparently the best third basemen in the majors.  I don’t know about that, but he is good.  And he makes our infield athletic and solid.  No more Youkillis field flip stuff.  I love it.  He’s a great fit, and the most important piece in the new red sox acquisitions. His pickup tells us what direction the sox are going.  I don’t expect another 2004 from him, but I do expect flashes of brilliance.  When we think, “oh, that’s why we got him”.

The Long and short of it is.  The New Sox are going to be fun to watch because they are not going to dominate.  We’ll have to handle the close games, the low scoring games,  and some possible offensive disappointment.  But i t should be more fun to watch, and I think the red sox are going to be better than last year, I know big expectations,  but too many missing peices last year, this year we have a vision and a really solid team.  And if you don’t think teams that are set around pitching and defense and clutch hitting can win.  Look at teams like the twins and the rays.  The twins have two -three bats in the lineup and somehow they win.  Well that’s enough of that here is what i expect for lineups and rotation, I’m sure evryone has the same ones anyway.

1.Ellsbury LF

2.Pedroia  2B

3.Youkillis 1B

4.Martinez C

5. Papi DH

6.Beltre 3B

7. Drew/Hermida RF

8. Cameron CF

9. Scutaro SS

1.Beckett

2. Lester

3.Lackey

4.Matsuzaka

5.Buckholz

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