Red Sox Offseason Updates

Could Carlos Beltran be in Beantown next year?

The hot stove is already heating up. The Red Sox are wasting no time making waves in the offseason news. The largest rumor currently swirling is that the Sox are aggressively pursuing a deal for Carlos Beltran. While that may come as a surprise initially, it makes some sense and falls in line with moves the team had made in recent history. It seems a given that Ellsbury will be departing, and so the team needs to fill an outfield gap. This news also indicates they may not be ready to plug Jackie Bradley in immediately. Beltran has been a dominant hitter even at age 38, but he shouldn't require more than a 2 year deal at this point in his career. This signing could allow Boston to continue to ease Bradley into the mix, spelling Beltran who will require several days off in the field due to his age and knee condition. Beltran is great at working pitch counts and could slide nicely into the lineup, perhaps in the 2 hole. The downside to this move is that Victorino may have to slide into CF. Victorino had a gold glove season in RF, and it would hurt taking him out of that spot. This new positioning would be a big downgrade from the Ellsbury/Victorino combination of last season. This will be interesting to follow, but with the Sox looking at losing two left handed bats in Ellsbury and Drew, and possibly a switch hitter in Saltalamacchia, they need to find similar replacements in order to avoid a righty heavy lineup.

On the Stephen Drew front, his chances of returning next season just decreased. When he was tendered a qualifying offer, many thought he would strongly consider what would be a $4 million raise. The Scott Boras client however has said that he will decline the offer. This means he feels he can get a somewhat comparable multi year deal from someone who is willing to forfeit a draft pick in order to do so. Boston will gladly accept that compensation as it doesn't make sense for them to sign Drew for more than a year with Bogaerts on the cusp of stardom.

Speaking of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, it is becoming popular belief that the catcher for the Red Sox next year will either be Salty, or Braves catcher Brian McCann. There will be huge competition for Saltalamacchia, who can be had without giving up a draft pick as compensation. The same can't be said for McCann. A look at their statistics from last year shows they're pretty comparable:

Salty hit .273/.338/.466 with 14 homers. McCann hit .256/.336/.461 with 20 homers. The difference between the two is though McCann is only a year older than Saltalamacchia, McCann has a much longer track record of success. This may be a negative though, as his counting stats have decreased the last couple years, while Salty's are on the upswing. McCann will come with a higher price tag, but may be a better match with the Red Sox and backup catcher David Ross. The lefty/righty contrast would compliment one another nicely. The two also worked together previously in Atlanta.

If both former Braves catchers are on the roster next season, it would bring comfort to another player rumored to be in discussions with Boston. Tim Hudson has pitched to both catchers, and rumors have he and Boston in negotiations. This is an interesting rumor, as the Red Sox currently have 6 established starting pitchers on their roster. I'm curious where the veteran Hudson would fit into plans for 2014, and would lead me to believe there would be a corresponding move. If the front office doesn't feel they can commit to Felix Doubront as a reliable piece in the rotation next year, he would certainly have some value on the trade market. It could also be that there are some serious questions about the health of Clay Buchholz, who's body seemed to break down last year and has shown big durability issues.

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