Boston Red Sox: 10 Offseason Predicitions

After the epic September collapse and departures of Terry Francona and Theo Epstein, the Red Sox have a lot of housekeeping to do this offseason.

Players will come and go. Coaches will come and go. And major changes will come to Fenway Park.

The ownership has a lot they need to address this offseason and Red Sox Nation will be looking for some major moves to re instill confidence in the franchise. 

Here are my 10 offseason predictions for the Boston Red Sox. 

Ben Cherington Will Be Named GM

As reported earlier this morning, Theo Epstein has agreed to a 5-year deal worth between $15 and $20 million to join  the Chicago Cubs in an unknown position.

For a while now, Ben Cherington has been Epstein's right hand man and even served as co-GM with current San Diego Padre GM, Jed Hoyer, when Epstein quit for six months in 2003.

Cherington knows the Red Sox system better than any of the other candidates and the transition should be rather painless.

John Lackey Will Not Be Back

John Lackey was arguably one of the worst signings in Theo Epstein's era and has proved to not contribute much, if anything, to the Boston Red Sox in his two years with the team.

Sporting the worst ERA in baseball, Lackey managed to become a nuisance in the clubhouse, with his fellow battery mates, by drinking beer, eating fast food and playing video games while games were played, as reported by the Boston Globe. 

Expect ownership to try and get rid of this guy, even if means eating most of the rest of his $45 million remaining on his contract.

There may be a National League team out there willing to take a chance on him.

No Major Offensive Piece Will Be Added

When free agency comes after the World Series, there will be many big names on the market.

Albert Pujols, Aramis Ramirez and Prince Fielder will all be available to the highest bidder, but don't expect the Red Sox to be in on any of them.

The offense was not the problem for this team. They scored the most runs in baseball, had the highest OBP and slugging percentage and were second in batting average.

More major money invested in offense is one thing this team does not need.

Do expect the Sox to sign someone like Josh Willingham to have a right handed outfield bat in the lineup. 

Josh Beckett Will Be Shopped

When the Boston Globe released their story inside the collapse of the 2011 season, it was revealed that Josh Beckett was one of the members of the pitching staff inside the clubhouse during games, drinking beer, eating fast food and playing video games.

If this is 100 percent the truth, Beckett should be shopped around to see if they could get a pitcher of equal value in return.

This is not behavior you want one of your leaders and World Series veterans taking part in.

Don't expect Beckett to be traded though, because the Red Sox likely won't get a pitcher of his caliber in return. But, the idea will certainly be thrown around to other clubs. 

No-Name Manager Will Be Hired

There has been speculation that the Boston Red Sox could hire Bobby Valentine, Joe Torre or even Tony LaRussa as their next manager.

Don't expect that to happen.

More than likely, the Sox will bring in someone who will buy into their saber-metrics type philosophy.

One candidate to keep an eye on is Dave Martinez, bench coach for the Tampa Bay Rays.

CJ Wilson Will Be Signed

Throughout September it was clear that the main problem for the Boston Red Sox was starting pitching.

CJ Wilson will be the best pitcher on the market, if CC Sabathia doesn't opt out, and the Red Sox will aggressively pursue him.

Over his career, he has owned the Red Sox and would be a welcome addition to the rotation, if Lackey is moved.

A rotation including Wilson, Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, if healthy, would be one of the best, if not the best, in baseball. 

David Ortiz Will Be Back

David Ortiz has been the heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox since he was signed by Theo Epstein in 2003.

He helped the team to two World Series victories, as well as erase the Curse of the Bambino.

Despite his age, he showed no signs of slowing down, just barely missing the 100 RBI and 30 HR marks, with 96 RBI and 29 HR in 2011.

Ortiz will be brought back on a two year deal worth somewhere around $20 to $25 million. It would be a mistake to let him go. 

Curt Young Will Be Fired

When John Farrell departed for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Red Sox brought in Curt Young to fill his position as pitching coach.

To say the least, his first year was a complete disaster. The pitching staff fell apart down the stretch, whether or not that was his fault is irrelevant because as shown by Terry Francona being let go, coaches get the blame.

Don't expect Young to be back as the pitching coach after his staff's failures in the 2011 season. 

To be honest, it would surprise me if any of the 2011 coaching staff returned. 

Marco Scutaro's Option Will Be Picked Up

Marco Scutaro proved his worth to the Boston Red Sox with an unbelievable September, while most of his teammates were under performing. 

He led the team hitting .387 in the month of September with 21 RBI and 18 runs scored.

Scutaro has a $6 million team option and a $3 million player option. One way or another, he will be brought back for 2012 as it seems as though, prized prospect, Jose Iglesias, is not ready to hit at the major league level, hitting just .235 at Pawtucket in 2011.

Papelbon Will Be Back

Jonathan Papelbon had one of the best seasons of his career in 2011, blowing just three of 34 save opportunities.

Despite allowing the losing run to Baltimore in Game 162, Papelbon showed why he should be brought back for 2012.

Daniel Bard, heir apparent to Papelbon, also showed why he is not yet ready to step into the close role, with an ERA of over 10 in September.

Look for Pap to be brought back on a three year deal, between $30 and $40 million.