Boston Red Sox: Cody Ross and the Future of Right Field at Fenway

The Boston Red Sox are set for the foreseeable future at the majority of their positions in the field. Dustin Pedroia is the second baseman, Adrian Gonzalez is the first baseman, Will Middlebrooks is the third baseman, etc.

One of the positions that is not set in stone at Fenway is right field, out by Pesky pole.

The last Red Sox player to play right for several years in a row without being injured or platooning with other outfielders is Trot Nixon, and ever since then, Red Sox fans have been dealing with an unstable rotation of right fielders who have been mediocre, traded or constantly injured (JD Drew...).

After Josh Reddick was traded away this past offseason for Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney, the Red Sox went out and signed Cody Ross, who has played right field the most for Boston in 2012.

Signing a one-year, $3 million deal, Ross has exceeded everyone's expectations, and lately he has been on fire.

His walk-off home run against the White Sox on July 19 created a feeling that Sox fans have been longing to feel all season, and it seems as if Ross can certainly be a driving force for the team.

Now, while Ross will be with the team for the rest of 2012, unless he's traded in the next week, Ross' contract expires when this season ends.

This begs the question, what about next year?

Ross is certainly an option for 2013, but odds are that he is going to cost Boston more money and he will be wanting more than just a one-year deal.

Ross will be the best free agency option for Boston with an affordable price and no more than two years, but if Ben Cherington doesn't want to go with Ross or free agency, the next option is for the Red Sox to look internally.

Boston is grooming some young outfielder in their minor league system, and Red Sox Nation has already seen the most MLB-ready option plenty.

Ryan Kalish has shown some flashes of brilliance over the last couple years as he has split time between Boston and Pawtucket, and he definitely could be the starting right fielder for Boston in 2013 and beyond.

There is also Daniel Nava, a guy who has worked his tail off to get to Fenway and has capitalized on his opportunities when he has been called up. Is he the kind of role player Boston wants out in right?

Looking deeper into Boston's minor league system, there are several young outfielders who are going to be ready for the big leagues within the next couple years.

Two of the bigger names are Jackie Bradley and Bryce Brentz, drafted in the first rounds of the 2011 and 2010 MLB drafts, respectively.

Bradley was quickly promoted to Double-A Portland with his superb hitting and Gold Glove-caliber fielding, while Brentz is hitting the snot out of the ball for the second year running. He now has 42 home runs over the last two seasons.

If the Red Sox wanted to wait for either of these guys, it might be smart to sign Ross to a two-year contract and have one of them take the mantle when his contract is up.

From everything I have heard about Jackie Bradley, this could be the smart move, and Ross and Kalish could split time in 2013 while Boston waits for Bradley to arrive. Meanwhile, Brentz and Nava could be some big-time trade bait to bring in quality starting pitching.

There are several different ways Boston could go here, and hopefully Ben Cherington knows what he's doing.