If you’re a baseball fan, Baseball’s Winter Meetings may be the most exciting part of the offseason. There is a lot to get excited about: big names heading to new places, rosters are taking shape, and phones are ringing off the hook in front offices from Oakland to Baltimore. However, if you are a Red Sox fan the Winter Meetings might be equally as stressful to endure as this past September. Let’s face it, there are a lot more uncertainties and unknowns then there have been in several years for the Boston Red Sox. The mission of finding a new manager has been taken care of, enter Bobby Valentine, but as far as the roster is concerned we have more questions than answers. And there is no bigger concern for the Red Sox than their pitching staff.

Those with the thought that the Boston Red Sox would try to acquire big name pitching to bolster their pitching rotation in 2012 were probably disappointed to hear GM Ben Cherington shoot that notion down yesterday. I don’t blame ownership and the front office staff for not wanting to take a chance on a Wilson, or Buerhle. The fact of the matter is that the last two big name free agent pitchers the Red Sox signed (Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lackey) have needed to go under the knife for Tommy John surgery in the past six month, not to mention both were erratic when healthy. To the Red Sox the chance is just not worth taking at this point in time. It’s not like their rotation is totally broken. If Clay Buchholz is fully recovered, and Jon Lester and Josh Beckett limit themselves to one cheeseburger a day this offseason, we need not worry about the one, two, and three spots in the rotation.

Now all is not sunshine and rainbows for Boston pitching staff. They still have to figure out who is going to take the mound every fourth and fifth day, as well as bolstering the bullpen. There are options out their, even within the Red Sox themselves. Daniel Bard had a rough last two months of the season, no doubt. However, multiple reports over the last few days have stated that, not only would Bard not mind going into the rotation, he might actually prefer it. The Red Sox have put some thought into the idea, and they may actually try to physically prepare Bard as a starter this spring. It is important to note that Ben Cherington has made it clear that nothing is set in stone as far as Daniel Bard’s role on the pitching staff.

Another intriguing option for the Red Sox as far as fixing the rotation from within is Alfredo Aceves. Aceves, started four games for the Sox in 2011. It will be a very tough call considering he was the Sox most valuable pitcher in the bullpen in 2011 posting a 10-2 record with an ERA well below three. However, the Red Sox can go through free agency to beef up the bullpen with the likes of a Joel Zumaya and a Ryan Madson if they so choose.

If the Red Sox decide that Aceves is just too valuable to take out of the bullpen they could take a look at Oakland A’s lefty, Gio Gonzalez or Houston Astros left hander, Wandy Rodriguez. Gonzalez had a productive year in the A’s rotation, posting a 3.12 ERA and a record of 16-12 in 2011. Oakland GM Billy Beane has not been shy about shopping Gonzalez as the A’s are a team in transition (almost year-by-year it seems) and have expressed the need to liven up their farm system. But Gio will not come cheap. Going back to 2007m Billy Beane traded his number two starter Dan Haren to Arizona, and the Diamondbacks had to part with six prospects. Expect Beane’s asking price for Gonzalez to along the same lines.

As far as lefty Wandy Rodriguez is concerned, he was a big topic of discussion during the trade deadline this summer, and continued to be during the waver wire period in August. The Red Sox were not a part of these discussions, but he is worth a look considering it looks like the Astros are desperate to unload him. He went 11-11 in 2011 posting an ERA of 3.49, and would be an instant upgrade as a fourth or fifth starter for the Sox.

The next few weeks will be telling of where the Red Sox want to go as far as their pitching staff. Keep it here for more Red Sox thoughts from the Sports Hipster…

N.Montecalvo

We are now one month into the Ben Cherington rein as Red Sox General Manager and so far we have had more questions than answers about what the 2012 Red Sox might look like. On November 25th, Cherington had his inaugural press conference in which he impressed the Boston sports media with his off-the-cuff speaking and his plans for the future. I would like to remind all you fans out there that Cherington said that he wanted a new manager in place before Thanksgiving, it’s November 29th. I would like to remind you that he told us that the issue of compensation for Theo Epstein would be resolved shortly. After a deadline set by the commissioner came in went on November the 1st, no deal had been reached, no deal has been reached and it’s NOVEMBER 29th!

Now it is more alarming – at least to this writer – that the Red Sox have not figured out who will be calling the shots in the dugout in 2012 through however long.

This is what the Red Sox short list of managers probably looked like on October 25th:

Pete Mackanin – Philadelphia Bench Coach

Dale Sveum – Former interim manager of the Milwaukee Brewers (when Ken Macha took over as Brewers Manager in 2009, Sveum stayed on as hitting coach). More fresh in the minds of Red Sox fans was Sveum as a former Red Sox third base coach (second only to “Wavin” Wendell Kim as far as infamously bad Boston third base coaches are concerned).

Sandy Alomar Jr. – Cleveland Bench Coach

Bobby Valentine – Former manager of the New York Mets, former two-time manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines (Japan), and current ESPN Baseball Analyst.

Nobody on this particular list blew us away as Red Sox fans, but surely there were some solid names, and Pete Mackanin was thought to be the favorite. Well, we’re on the other side on Thanksgiving and here is what happened with that list: Pete Mackanin was brought in for an interview, met with the media, and the Red Sox said “thanks, but no thanks” to the so called front runner of the their managerial search.

Dale Sveum had two interviews with the Red Sox, and everyone thought as the General Manager Meetings were winding down in the “great” city of Milwaukee, that the Red Sox had found there man…nope. Apparently the similarities between Ben Cherington and the man that preceded him were so uncanny that Theo Epstein hired on Dale Sveum, to manage the Chicago Cubs before Ben had the chance to hire him as Red Sox manager. There were also rumors swirling around that Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino stepped in and said no, when Cherington thought he had his man — prompting the Boston media to label Cherington “a puppet”.

Sandy Alomar Jr. was a long shot from the beginning. However, Alomar Jr. went from a long shot to having no shot at all when the Red Sox and the media saw that this was going to be Terry Francona 2.0. He got his press conference, said his piece, and hasn’t been a second thought in our minds since.

Finally this brings us to Bobby Valentine. Let’s face it; he was “the sexy pick”… like the Houston Texans are picked to make it to playoffs every year. No one believes it is going to happen, but an interesting thought and a bold suggestion none the less. Well, the Houston Texans may not win a playoff game this year, but they sure will be in the dance. And Bobby Valentine may not win a playoff game as the manager of the Boston Red Sox, but he sure as hell looks to be the guy as of today.

Do you really think Gene Lamont has a shot to be the manager of your Boston Red Sox in 2012?…yeah neither do I.

- N. Montecalvo

Bryant Lilley

The second half of the season is just under way, as the Red Sox hold a one game lead over the New York Yankees in the A.L. East. After a dismal performance during interleague play, Boston has won eight out of their last 10 and 11 out of their last 13. The Sox are currently the top team in the American League and just two games behind the Phillies for the top spot in the MLB.

As he has done all season, Adrian Gonzalez has propelled the Red Sox to first place as he leads the team in batting average, RBI, and runs. His .346 batting average and 77 RBI tops the American League. However, the big story over the last two weeks has been 24-year-old outfielder, Josh Reddick. Reddick has seen significant time in the recent weeks, due to an injury to Carl Crawford. In 25 games played this season, Reddick is batting .379 with 3 home runs and 17 RBI. The kid has been phenomenal. It is my belief that Reddick should be in the starting line up in most games. JD Drew has been a huge disappointment, so why not start a young kid with a promising future. Now is the time to get him some game experience and prepare him for the next few years and beyond.

The pitching staff for Boston has not exactly been reliable. Josh Beckett and John Lester have both performed well when they are healthy. However, both missed a start due to injuries. Jonathan Papelbon has raised many questions amongst Red Sox nation. He is in his last year of his contract and many believe it may be his last in a Red Sox uniform. Papelbon has not been the same over the past year and half and may be worn out. Daniel Bard was brought in to take on the roll as the future closer, but some believe he is not quite ready. There has also been speculation of the Sox trading for Padres closer, Heath Bell. To bring in Bell, Boston would likely have to give up some of their top prospects.

Since the halfway point of the season has passed, I think some predictions are in order. I will predict the division winners all the way through the World Series winner.

American League:
East: Red Sox
Central: Tigers
West: Rangers
Wildcard: Yankees

National League:
East: Phillies
Central: Brewers
West: Giants
Wildcard: Braves

A.L Championship: Red Sox over Rangers
N.L Championship: Phillies over Brewers
World Series: Red Sox over Phillies in six.

Bryant Lilley

After winning nine straight games and claiming the top spot in the American League, the Red Sox have just one victory in their last five games. Injuries have plagued the Sox, causing them to drop a half game behind the Yankees in the A.L East. Outfielder, J.D. Drew has seen very little action in the last 5 games due to a bruised left eye. He has made just 11 plate appearances where he managed just two hits and struck out five times. Carl Crawford and Jed Lowrie have also missed some time. Crawford found his way on to the 15-day Disabled List (DL) with a sore hamstring. He is expected to be back in the lineup this weekend when the Sox take on the Houston Astros. Lowrie joined him on the 15-day DL with a bruised nerve on the left shoulder. He is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.

Losing three starters in the field have not been Boston’s only injuries. Starting pitcher, Clay Buchholz made his way on to the 15-day DL with a sore back. In his last start, Buchholz left the game in the sixth inning with tightness in his lower back. He still managed to pick the win. In his last two starts, Buchholz was 2-0, while giving up just two runs. Josh Beckett also missed his last start due to an illness. Boston was forced to call upon Andrew Miller to make the start against the Padres. Beckett is expected to start on Tuesday at Philadelphia. Relief pitcher Bobby Jenks spent some time on DL, but has been activated for Tuesday’s match up against the Phillies.

Boston is currently in the midst of a nine game road trip, as they head to Philadelphia for a three game series, in which many people believe is a preview of the 2011 World Series. Is this series really all that important? Some think yes, I think no. In my eyes this series does not mean a whole lot. Both teams are recovering from injuries, the season isn’t even at the midpoint yet and the two teams are in separate leagues. However, it is still important the Sox take at least two games in this series so they can hopefully reclaim the top spot in the A.L East. But this can be said for every series. If they lose more than one game per series, they will never pass the Yankees. Following a three game series with the Phillies, the Red Sox will wrap up their road trip in Houston with three games against the Astros.

Bryant Lilley

After just one week after asking the question of “who are the Boston Red Sox,” the Sox have answered the question with a pretty clear statement. Following last week’s blog, the Sox went on to win six straight games, including sweeps over the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. With the sweep over the Yankees, Boston has put themselves two games ahead of the Yanks in the A.L East. Since April 15, the Sox have transitioned themselves from the worst team in baseball to the best team in the American League. The Red Sox have won nine straight as they head to Tampa Bay to finish a nine game road trip.

The Red Sox are currently the hottest team in baseball, by far, and they have everything working for them. Through Boston’s nine game win streak, the starting pitchers are 7-0, giving up just 28 runs. A sox starter has not suffered a loss since May 30 against the White Sox. Jon Lester is 9-2 with a 3.73 ERA. Lester’s nine wins put him in a tie for first with Roy Halladay of the Phillies. Josh Beckett is 5-2 with an A.L. best 2.06 ERA.

The offense for the Red Sox has come alive from top to bottom. The Sox have piled up 83 runs in the last nine games. They currently lead the league in runs scored with 350. That is 20 more than the Yankees who are second behind Boston. Adrian Gonzalez leads the American League in batting average at .341 and RBI with 60. David Ortiz is still on fire. He is batting .325 with 17 home runs and 43 RBI.

The Red Sox continue their road trip on Tuesday with a three game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston will then head home to Fenway for six interleague games against the Brewers and the Padres.

Bryant Lilley

The Red Sox are now two months into the season and they have left Red Sox nation with the big question, who are the Boston Red Sox? Fans all over have seen two completely different teams in the Sox this season. After starting off the season just 2-10, Boston came back to take over first place in the A.L. East division. After taking first place, the Sox proceeded to get swept by a sub-par White Sox team. Immediately following the series, Boston swept the Oakland Athletics. So, who are they? Are the Sox World Series contenders or are they giving Red Sox nation false hope? It is my belief that the Sox are true World Series contenders. Here are some reasons why:

Pitching
John Lackey made his first start after coming off the disabled list and pitched well. Lackey gave up just three runs on three hits in the Sox 6-3 win over the A’s. Meanwhile, Josh Beckett, John Lester and Clay Bucholz are also pitching well. The only concern I have with the Red Sox pitching at the moment is they do not have a “true” fifth starter. With Daisuke Matsuzaka out for the season with Tommy John surgery, Tim Wakefield has taken on the roll as Boston’s fifth starter. I’m not sure how long Wakefield will last as a starter. Don’t get me wrong, I love Tim Wakefield, but he belongs in the bullpen. Wakefield is the anchor of the bullpen. He can pitch multiple innings day after day, giving the rest of the bullpen a rest. I think Terry Francona and Theo Epstein will look to make moves for a fifth starter fairly soon.

Hitting
David Ortiz is on fire! Over the last 10 games, Ortiz is batting .411 with three home runs and seven RBI. In recent years, Ortiz has only gotten better as the season progresses. This could be bad news for opposing pitchers. Adrian Gonzalez has also been hot for the Red Sox. He is currently third in the league in batting at .339, seventh in home runs with 12, and first in RBI with 50. After a miserable start to the season, Carl Crawford has finally come around. In his last seven games, Crawford is batting .348 with one home run and eight RBI.

Team To Beat?
Who is the team to beat this year in the MLB? Honestly, I do not think there is that one team that everyone is after. Currently, there is no team that really stands out. Every division has multiple teams that are capable of winning the division. The league is fairly weak this year. The Yankees are no powerhouse. Jeter is struggling, as well as their pitchers. They will not stay atop the division for very long. Defending A.L. Champion Rangers are only a half game better than the Red Sox, even after the Sox started just 2-10. So, my point is the league is wide open. The Red Sox are arguably the most talented team in baseball. Come September, I believe the Red Sox will have a strong hold on the division. I do not think there are many teams that will be able to stay with the Sox.

So we ask ourselves, who are the Boston Red Sox. I believe the Red Sox are a team that will dominate once they get into mid-season form. They can hit, pitch, field and win. They will be a very tough team to beat.

Bryant Lilley

After starting the season off just 2-10, the Red Sox have won eight out of their last ten games to pull within just a half game of the Yankees and Rays. With John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the disabled list, I thought maybe there would be some struggles with the Red Sox fourth and fifth spots in the rotation, however, Tim Wakefield and Aceves both gave the Red Sox solid outings. Wakefield took the win over the Cubs on Sunday and Aceves took a no decision on Saturday. Aceves gave up just one run on three hits through five innings before the Sox bullpen proceeded to blow a 3-1 lead in an eventual 9-3 loss. The bullpen has struggled all season for Boston. The big story right now is Daniel Bard. After a great season in 2010, many anticipated Bard to be the anchor of the Sox bullpen. That has not been the case. Bard is currently 1-4 with a 3.65 ERA. If something doesn’t change soon, I would expect Theo Epstein to make some moves before the trade deadline.

The starting pitching for the Sox has played a huge role in their success as of late. The Red Sox starters have suffered just one loss in their last 16 games. Josh Beckett has been phenomenal. In the month of May, Beckett is 1-0 with a 0.39 ERA. That is through four starts where the Red Sox went 3-1. However, pitching is not the only contribution to Boston’s success. In the last ten games, the Sox have accumulated 56 runs. After a horrible start to the season, Adrian Gonzalez has been hot at the plate. He currently leads the team in batting average (.342), home runs (9), RBI (41), runs (30) and hits (66). His .342 batting average is good for fourth in the American league. Jed Lowrie and Jarrod Saltalamacchia have also come up big for Boston. Lowrie is batting .317 with three home runs and 20 RBI, while Salty has hit three home runs in the last five games.

The Sox are currently in the midst of a seven game road trip against the Indians and the White Sox. Boston returns to Fenway on Memorial Day for the start of a six game home stand.

By: Tom Rowe

At last, the Red Sox are at .500 for the year! It is funny how this is the main cause of celebration with the Red Sox sweeping the New York Yankees in the Bronx for the first time since the 2004 championship season, but who is complaining? Now relieved and looking to get on the path they should have been on, David Ortiz and company will go home to play Baltimore and continue this baseball high they have been on and have wanted since opening day. With Josh Beckett looking like a Cy Young canidate again and Jarrod Saltalamcchia finally hitting big at the plate, there seems to be little left to worry about with this Red Sox team. Adrian Gonzalez is looking like more of the player the Red Sox thought they were getting, Dustin Pedroia playing and acting like his MVP-like self again, Carl Crawford starting to break through and be the player people know him as, all of this and more that is now coming together for the Sox.
Their runs and batting percentage for the season has come from the bottom of the league’s rankings to the top 10 in the majors. the Sox are scoring the 10th most runs in the League and are batting at .275 as a team, 11th best in Baseball. Though the defense still needs a little work, the Offense is starting to click on all cylinders. We now see that this team needed some time to gel and figure stuff out to become the team everyone thought they would be back in Texas. With so much time left in the year for Boston, Fans can for now breathe easy and start to think positive about the season, there are 162 games in a season, not 40, theres still a long way to go and the light at the end of the tunnel is looking brighter ast this point of the season than it has before.

Now that the season has started, people (Especially around New England) are quick to jump all over the team that had such high hopes heading into the year.

Here are my toughts heading into the third game of the year…..

John Lackey has something to prove. Coming off a down year in which he posted the worst ERA (4.40) since 2004 and gave up more base runners than anyone else in the league, he is someone that fans are keeping an eye on. Last night’s performance didn’t help giving up 9 earned runs in less than 4 innings. Though I don’t believe he’s that bad….or even as bad as last season, I do think his stats were helped playing in the American League West and is NOT the second best starter on the team.

But I don’t think placing him in the 2 hole in the rotation automatically means he’s the second best starter. I think Tito knows that, as do most that follow this team. The second best starter is on the mound today and I believe he will get the Sox their first win of the season.

Lester is always bad in April….His ERA’s the past three season look like this: In ’08-4.31, in ’09-5.40, and in ’10-4.71. He finished those years very strong and was 16-6 (3.21), 15-8 (3.41), and 19-9 (3.25) in those same years respectively.

Because of these things, I thought they might start a little slow, but they will be fine.

David Ortiz loves playing the game with no pressure. Ortiz has certainly started off slow the past two seasons, but now that the team is full of great power hitters, and he will be lost hitting number 5 or 6 in this lineup, I believe he will do quite well this season. Better maybe than even I thought, when I said it might be time to let him go and not pick up the option.

Carl Crawford will be fine, but obviously pressing. This was the first big contract Crawford signed and he’s now playing somewhere different for the first time in his career. There was a reason the team signed he others were willing to give him big money, and we will see that before the summer is out.

Adrian Gonzalez should stay where he is today. I’ve always contested that A-Gon should hit in the three hole. It’s where your best hitter bats and Adrian Gonzalez is the best hitter on this team, and maybe in the entire American League. He’s a patient hitter, who will put up monster numbers now that he’s out of Petco and on a real major league lineup.

All in all, don’t put much stock in April. The team had a rough start to the 2010 season, and we might see a little bit of the same in 2011. But don’t panic. This team will make the playoffs is they stay healthy, and have a great shot to win it all not only this season…but for many to come.

By Joe Murray

Red Sox manager Terry Francona guided the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years in 2004, in his first year as the Red Sox skipper. He also led the team to another title in 2007, and has led the Red Sox to the playoffs in five of his seven years as manager. According to a report from Jon Heyman of SI.com on his twitter page, the club “intends to” exercise the two-year option on Francona’s contract at the end of the season, a move that – at $4.5 million/season – would be worth $9 million to Francona. The Red Sox and Francona have been together for 7 years. Francona has a great relationship with GM Theo Epstein and was asked if there were a comfort level with Epstein now, Francona wasted no time answering, “very much so.” Francona resonded to Heyman saying “I know nothing about their decision”. This would be another move from ownership that will make the Red Sox contenders for years to come.