Boston Red Sox: David Ortiz and Six Sox Likely to Follow Epstein out of Boston

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Boston Red Sox management is cleaning house, airing out dirty laundry, taking out the trash, etc.

I'm sure you get the point.

With Terry Francona already out the door and Theo Epstein following his lead, it's fair to ask who'll be next to get the heck out of Boston?

As a side note, does anyone think that Francona will get a look from the Cubs to replace Mike Quade?

There have been no reports that have suggested anything like this to my knowledge. However, Epstein will likely be looking for a new manager, and Francona is perhaps the most qualified guy on the market. It's just a thought.

I digress; back to the topic at hand.

Who will be the next to bolt from Boston and the mess that has engulfed the Red Sox?

I've chosen six players who I believe are the least likely to return for another season in Boston.

6. Jonathan Papelbon

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Jonathan Pabelbon is one of the handful of elite closers in the game today.

His 219 career saves are a Red Sox club record, and he's the only Red Sox player to post at least three 30-save seasons—he has six such seasons.

Papelbon is a four-time All-Star and holds the MLB record for most consecutive scoreless innings to start a postseason career (25).

He's a free agent, and there will be plenty of teams looking for a dominant closer.

The thought was that Daniel Bard could possibly replace Papelbon, who blew two saves in the final weeks of the season.

However, Bard had an absolutely brutal September. The Sox might have to rethink their position on that one.

5. John Lackey

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Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey are among the reported chicken-eating, beer-drinking, video game-playing, workout-skipping guys in the Boston clubhouse.

Of those three, I think Beckett and Lester could both be out in Boston.

For the most part, Beckett pitched well last season despite his habitual slacking off. That's why I'm choosing Lackey as the starter most likely to part ways with the Sox.

John Lackey is a 33-year-old, $15 million pitcher with a 15-11 record and a 5.26 ERA in two years with the Sox.

The options here aren't very good for the Sox, who have Lackey wrapped up for the next three seasons at more than $15 million per year. He's getting older, he's not in the greatest shape and his attitude isn't always the greatest despite his competitive fire.

The question is whether there is any team out there willing to take a shot on Lackey as a very pricey reclamation project.

4. Jason Veritek

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Jarrod Saltalamacchia is firmly entrenched as Boston's primary catcher, and the Sox also have Ryan Lavarnway on the roster.

That makes Varitek an emergency catcher or occasional DH for the Sox if he comes back in 2012.

'Tek is not signed for next season, and one has to wonder if he'd rather retire than scuffle through a messy rebuilding process in Boston.

I'd rather see Varitek call it quits now than witness him go through something like Jorge Posada endured this season in New York.

3. Tim Wakefield

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Tim Wakefield has put together a very nice career despite throwing a fastball slower than most pitchers' change-ups.

He got his 200th career victory, and there is nothing left for him to accomplish in Boston.

Oh, and he's 44 years old.

His situation is very much the same as Varitek's.

Is it really worth it to come back for another year for Wakefield?

I don't think so.

2. JD Drew

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For the most part, Drew has been a disappointment in Boston largely due to injuries that have hindered his production.

He's a free agent, and the Sox have some nice young outfielders. That probably means Drew is on his way out of Boston.

There is a possibility that Boston might bring Drew back as a DH, since he still has pop in his bat. If he does re-sign, it will be for a lot less than the $14 million he got this year.

However, I think it's time for Drew and the Sox to part ways.

1. David Ortiz

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David Ortiz is a free agent, and he looks like he's completely fed up with the situation in Boston.

He apparently wasn't aware that Theo Epstein had left for Chicago, and he would consider playing for the Yankees next season.

Here are some pieces from his interview with ESPN's Colleen Dominguez:

“That’s something I gotta think about...I’ve been here on the Red Sox a long time, and I’ve seen how everything goes down between these two ballclubs.”

He continues...

“It’s great (in New York) from what I hear. It’s a good situation to be involved in. Who doesn’t want to be involved in a great situation where everything goes the right way?”

And there's more...

"There's too much drama. I have been thinking about a lot of things. I don't know if I want to be part of this drama for next year."

Still more...

"They (the Yankees) lost just like we did, they just went to the first round of the playoffs. I ain't heard nobody coming out killing everybody just because they lost."

So there you have it.

So Ortiz, the face of the Red Sox franchise for the last five seasons, would consider playing for the archenemy New York Yankees?

Yup. Why?

Because they do things the right way, it's a good situation to be in and the Yankees don't throw everyone under the bus when things don't work out.

What that implies is that the Red Sox don't do things the right way, it's not a good situation in Boston and the entire organization is a bunch of backstabbing drama queens.

Yeah, that won't make anyone in Boston happy with Big Papi.

He gone!