Breaking Up the "Dead" Sox; Josh Beckett, Jon Lester to the Orioles?

Not much has been heard from the Red Sox Nation since the lowly Baltimore Orioles took five out of seven at the tail end of the season and eliminated them and their payroll from the baseball playoffs. 

Now owner John Henry seems hell-bent on breaking up the “Dead” Sox.  GM Theo Epstein has been dispatched to the Chicago Cubs, baseball's version of a basket case and about whom George Will wrote, "Anyone can have a bad century.” 

Free agent David Ortiz is looking to catch on with the Yankees. 

Kevin Youkillis is hurt, and maybe finished, giving the Sox serious left side of the infield problems. 

Hopefully, Henry wants to unload two of his beer-drinking and partying pitchers, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. They could come to Baltimore and fit right in—the "Charm City" is a proud and traditional beer-drinking town. 

Lester and Beckett should note the O's strength up the middle.  Catcher Matt Wieters and centerfielder Adam Jones are American League All-Stars and JJ Hardy and Robert Andino are an acceptable double play combination.  In addition, Hardy is worth about 30 home runs a year.  And to finish up the middle, just behind the center field wall is a well-stocked beer garden.

Baltimore now has a home run-hitting first baseman in Mark Reynolds, who banged out 37 home runs and drove in 86 runs; he walked about 75 times.  Reynolds raised his average 23 points over the previous season from .198 to .221. 

The outfield is solid if Nolan Reimold is given the same opportunity that was granted both Jones and Nick Markakis when they were rookies.  Both were allowed an entire season to adjust to major league pitching.  Reimold is 6'4" and weighs 215 lbs; rather than give him a 10 game tryout, give him the left field position. Nick Markakis is the best fielding right fielder in the American league and will bat anywhere from .290 to .310.

The Orioles do not need a complete overhaul; they need pitching and more pitching.  A starting rotation that included Lester and Beckett or two pitchers of that caliber along with Jeremy Guthrie, and the two rookie 10-game winners Zach Britton and Jake Arietta, or even a Tommy Hunter would make the Orioles respectable—even a contender.  The Orioles have enough young arms like Brad Berken, Brian Matusz, and Chris Patton to stock the bullpen.

The Orioles could offer Luke Scott to replace the departing Ortiz, Felix Pie to fill in for the over-paid and slumping Carl Crawford, Kevin "Captain Chaos" Gregg to help "bad boy" Jonathan Papelbon do the closing. 

And yes, these are the dreams that make hot-stove baseball exciting.