Looking Back at the 2008 Boston Red Sox, Answering Questions About 2009

Seriously, Red Sox fans, the season wasn't THAT bad.

For the past few days, the "Nation" has been buzzing with questions and their own ready-made answers on what ailed the Red Sox this year and how to fix things for next season. While I readily admit that sports radio isn't exactly a bastion for good ideas from hosts or callers, a non-Boston fan flipping through the dial this week would have heard and assumed the following nonsense:

-Jason Varitek should be re-signed for two years and apprentice someone...Or be sent out of town altogether. The person to be the apprentice? Unclear.

-Mark Teixeira should be signed at all costs, moving Kevin Youkilis to third base. And what of incumbent Mike Lowell, he of the remaining two years and megabucks left on his deal? Well...No one has an answer for that. Benching him, trading him, and air silence are usually what follows asking that question.

-David Ortiz is on the decline and he should be dealt. To who and for what? Not sure.

Before I even attempt to answer questions about 2009, let's do a quick review of 2008.

>The Good: Dustin Pedroia and Youkilis' emergence as offensive stars has to be the most memorable positive development of this season. Both are MVP candidates, as Pedroia's .326/17/83, 118 runs and 213 hits, and Youk's .312/29/115 with .390 OBP helped lead an offense that desperately needed it this season. Combine that with solid defense (the fact Youk played fantastic third base after Lowell went down is still underrated) and the proof that the Sox's minor-league system is producing is evident.

And what more can be said about Jon Lester? The left-hander went from offseason trade bait and a five-inning, 100-pitch bore to a dominant force that threw gas, tossed a no-hitter, and became a staff ace with a 16-6 mark and a 3.21 ERA. It's time to move beyond tagging Lester as "the cancer survivor" and simply say "the great pitcher." Daisuke Matsusaka's 18 wins and Jonathan Papelbon's All-Star season as closer earn honorable mentions.

>The Bad: The lackluster season of Josh Beckett and the lost season of Ortiz really stick out to me. After a year when it looked like he broke through, Beckett struggled all season with a 12-10 record and 4.03 ERA in 27 starts, throwing 25 less innings than he did the past two seasons.

For the Sox, Lester and Matsusaka's 16+ wins helped ease the burden, but you have to wonder what a fully-healthy Beckett would have done...And whether his brilliant 2007 campaign was more of an aberration than a turning point.

Ortiz? Well, the 2008 season was about as big a wash as he's had in a Boston uniform. His wrist injury was worse than expected, as even after he returned to the lineup, his bat speed seemed slower and he never did get back to Big Papi form. Add the whole Manny debacle into the mix, and the .263/23/89 just seems par for this season's course.

Now, the offseason beehive is buzzing with predictions of Ortiz's decline and asking whether the former MVP candidate can get it done as a No. 3 hitter anymore. How quickly we are willing to forget the past, eh?

>The Ugly: Three things stand out to me: the Manny situation (enough said), Jason Varitek's offense, and the bench. The Captain's 2008 offensive decline (career lows in batting average, RBI, and OBP) has been well-documented, but people are frustrated because there is no easy answer when it comes to his impending free agency.

Re-sign and take a risk that he gets worse? Give the reigns to Kevin Cash, David Ross, or another unproven backstop? Sign one of the average free agents available? No one seems to have a good answer, except for those that don't think they need one in pushing Varitek out the door.

The bench really showed its rail-thin stature in the playoffs. Alex Cora, Sean Casey, and Coco Crisp led a group that was relatively punchless with power while late-additions of Mark Kostay and the call-up of Cris Carter were hit-and-miss at best. Julio Lugo never regained his health to be considered a bench player, and Brandon Moss may have been more missed than expected.

So onto 2009...

A basic statement: This season was a success. The team was down 3-1 to the Rays in the ALCS and pushed them to Game Seven, coming just a few clutch hits away from returning to the World Series. They celebrated their 2007 title, welcomed back Bill Buckner, had tons of All-Stars, threw a no-hitter, went to Japan, sported the All-Star Game MVP in J.D. Drew, and made the playoffs for the fifth time is six seasons.

(Too much positive for you? I know...I know!)

Prior to this season, I kept thinking it seemed like a lot of important positions were under long contracts. I did up an Excel sheet to straighten everything out and was surprised at how locked in Boston was in several key offensive positions.

Between cheap youth (Youk, Ellsbury, Pedroia) and long-term contracts (Drew, Ortiz, Lowell, Lugo), left field and catcher were the only options to improve upon for the next few years. With sparse free-agent classes this year and next, and with no power in the system ready to emerge, this club is what it is unless a mega-deal happens...And I don't see that on the horizon. In other words, get used to this group. You'll be seeing a lot of them.

Instead of attempting to dump veterans because of injuries and cast away players that perform, here's what I would look to do.

-Decide whether Justin Masterson is considered for your starting rotation. The front end of your rotation is set in stone...It's those fourth and fifth guys that are the question. I think you either sign a short-term deal with a low-expectation veteran (think Paul Byrd or someone like him) or use your cash to do something shocking by bringing back Derek Lowe.

Then, you have Masterson and Clay Buchholtz compete for the final spot, with the other guy heading to the 'pen. However, if Masterson isn't being considered for a starter role, then you have a few holes to fill, as I'm not convinced Buchholtz is ready just yet to be relied upon. Years from now, I fear his no-hitter may be the worst thing that ever happened to his career.

-Commit to Jed Lowrie as your starting shortstop and make Julio Lugo your fourth outfielder/utility infielder. Look, no one is going to take Lugo, and I think it's stupid that the Sox pay his salary for him to play somewhere else. They have a need with Crisp likely being dealt (I'm getting to that) and with Cora being passable at best.

Lowrie was effective in his rookie campaign, and if he struggles that badly, re-insert Lugo into that spot. You're not going to have an All-Star at every position, and if you can get Lowrie to hit .260/15/75 with stellar defense, go for it. Lugo has played limited outfield before and provides speed off the bench. Hey, it could be worse: You could have Andruw Jones riding the pine at $18 million.

-Stay the course with Ortiz and Lowell. Seriously, give them the benefit of the doubt. They didn't have career-ending injuries, just banged-up seasons. If this happens next season though, they're in a lot deeper trouble for 2010. Teixeira is tempting, but even he couldn't help this team if one of those guys goes down.

Plus, there's no spot to fit him into, and Lowell isn't riding the pine or even tradeable with that salary based on his recent surgery. C'mon now, people. Stop it.

-Trade Coco Crisp. His value will never be higher and going into his final season before free agency, I don't think he's going to accept a fourth-outfielder role again. He's built for a National League club and San Diego is openly asking about wanting a ready-made center fielder.

While I can appreciate the sentiment to just tell him to accept his role again, this is the modern athlete we're talking about here. He may be a great guy, but make no mistake: He needs a full-time role to make bank for 2010.

-Make a run at Matt Holliday. With left field the only realistic position to inject some power into, it's worth kicking the tires to see what it would take to get the former MVP candidate. With one more year to go on his Rockies deal, it's safe to say that he's going to hit the market for a huge deal: one that Colorado won't be able to afford.

This kills me because I love Jason Bay, but there was a reason the Sox batted him sixth instead of cleanup when they acquired him. He's a talent, but not an intimidating one. Their power numbers are comparable, but Holliday's average and OBP would fit nicely behind Ortiz and provide a young stud who would be Theo's Manny: an MVP-candidate left fielder who would be in the red and white for the next five seasons.

I'd do a sign-and-trade if this is going to happen, so there's no risk of losing them and then potentially ending up with nothing. I would assume any deal would include Bay and at least two pitching prospects.

Of course, I'm just a blogger. I suppose that makes me no different than the people that call into sports radio or even those who listen to it.

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He can be reached at [e-mail].