Ben Cherington Red Sox GM: 5 Moves to Break Up Clubhouse Unrest

Red Sox assistant general manager Ben Cherington is on the verge of being promoted to full-time general manager of the Boston Red Sox. The job he steps into is one with numerous obstacles. Yes, the team has plenty of talent and Cherington will have plenty of cash at his disposal to sign free agents and invest in draft picks and scouting.

That being the case, the aftermath of the 2011 collapse and the ensuing chaos regarding Terry Francona and Theo Epstein which has resulted in their departures has left a ship without a captain. Even worse, rumors and allegations of drinking and clubhouse chaos threaten to tear the team apart internally.

What can Cherington do to help install some stability as well as bring peace and focus to what is now a fractured clubhouse? Here are a few recommendations.   

Trade John Lackey.

Yes, there are still three years and $49.5 million left on John Lackey's contract. That's not small change, even for a team as wealthy as the Red Sox. Still it's probably going to have be eaten. A tough pill to swallow for any business, to be sure, but in this case, "addition by subtraction" appears to be a reality. 

The John Lackey era has been a disaster, not just for the Red Sox but for Lackey as well on so many levels. He's performed so poorly and his personal problems have been splashed all over the Boston media. There's a part of me that feels that almost sorry for Lackey regarding some of the personal issues. 

He makes it difficult, though, when we see him curse under his breath as Terry Francona removes him from a game in which he's pitching poorly down the stretch. It gets even worse for Lackey now that the season has come to it's catastrophic conclusion and the allegations of drinking and poor fitness habits have surfaced. 

Fairly or unfairly Lackey is going to become "public enemy No. 1" amongst the fans and for him to take the field on Opening Day 2012 would seem like a cruel joke on not just the fans, but possibly on Lackey as well. 

Cherington can't get rid of every player but he's going to have to make examples out of some of them. Lackey has put himself in prime position to take on that burden. 

New Rules.

Not "New Rules", the comedic montage that Bill Maher is known for. No, the Red Sox actually need to put some new rules in place for behavior. As someone that's never spent any type of considerable time in a major league clubhouse, I'm not going to make up some rules here. What I will say is this. 

The manner in which the team operated behind the scenes in 2011 was likely a contributing factor to a disastrous season.  Maybe it's something as simple as restrictions on video games or drinking? Maybe it's a more complex issue that deserves more complex solutions.

One thing I think everyone can agree on is that the 2011 season exposed some serious flaws behind the scenes in Boston, and to continue on that path would be to court further disaster.  

Empower Those That Deserve It.

The Red Sox aren't all bad. They missed the playoffs by one game. They won 90 games and outscored their opponents by 138 runs over the course of the season. This is not a last-place team that Cherington is inheriting. 

Sometimes people naturally assume leadership roles, sometimes they need a little prodding or a little encouragement. The Red Sox have two players on their roster who are in their prime. They play hard, they play well, they're both potential MVP candidates in 2012. 

Cherington and the rest of the Red Sox organization need to go to men like Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury and let them know that this is their team. Manny is gone, Millar is gone, Varitek is gone. There's no captain, but there's no rule that say there can't be another one. They don't have to give "ra-ra" speeches or make impassioned pleas for improved play on the field. 

Allow them to do whatever comes naturally. Lead by example, call out their peers, but not in public as to embarrass them. In Pedroia and Ellsbury, the Red Sox have two players with astronomical talent. Allow them, and in turn the Red Sox, to flourish.  

Let Go of Dead Weight.

It's sad that it's come to this, but it's where the team and the players in question are at right now. 

It's time for the Red Sox to part ways with Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield. Two of the longest tenured members of the Boston Red Sox. Varitek has been an all-star, a leader, a valuable personality and, for good measure, he punched Alex Rodriguez in the face. 

Wakefield has been through it all in Boston as well. They're both among the better members of the Red Sox. But it's time to go. 

We can't watch Wakefield labor through another long season desperately trying to add wins to his career total while the bullpen is stretched thin and the the offense is needed to elevate the score. 

With Varitek, there's only room for two catchers on the roster, and if we're talking about what's best for the Red Sox, then those two catchers should be named Jarrod Saltalamachia and Ryan Lavarnaway. 

Even if the Red Sox hadn't collapsed, this would be true. Congrats on great careers to both of them. We thank them for their service, for the rings and for the memories, but the team and the two men must move on.

Trim the Fat

It's unlikely that a baseball team can somehow work out its way to harmony. 

I'm not here to recommend that the Red Sox start a pilates class or yoga. 

It's just that injures have been far too common throughout the past few seasons. Maybe it's about time the Sox re-evaluated the manner in which workouts are both prescribed as well as enforced? Baseball is a game, but make no mistake about it, the amounts of money on the line, as well as the amounts of money spent by the fans, add up to adult numbers.

I don't have the answer, but it does appear that the Red Sox may not be making any "Top Five Fittest Professional Spots Teams" slideshows on Bleacher Report.

It's time for the Red Sox to be healthier. They don't need to be Navy Seals, but they can't be walruses, either.

It's time for a from-the-top-down look at the rigid pitch counts and innings limits that the Red Sox hold their starters to every season. The Red Sox need to take a look at the Texas Rangers, a team that is playing in its second ALCS in a row this year.

The Rangers, like the Red Sox, play in a stadium tailor-made for offense. The Rangers have a starting rotation made up of pitchers who don't have the marquee name status that the Red Sox starters do, but those guys finish games, and finished the season strong.

The Rangers aren't a perfect baseball team, that's for sure, but they seem to get more, not less, out of their pitching staff than expected  a noticeable and needed trend the Red Sox and their fans sure could get used to seeing.