MLB Free Agents 2012: Why Boston Should Try to Pry CC Sabathia from New York

The Boston Red Sox made two big splashes in the free-agent pool last offseason. One of these moves paid dividends, and the other one became a benchmark for other contracts in the wrong way.

Adrian Gonzalez brought his big bat to Fenway and made a huge impact.

Gonzalez hit .338 and had 27 home runs and 117 RBI. He lived up to his contract, unlike Carl Crawford.

When most fans and critics talked about Crawford, it was discussing his contract as a benchmark to what All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes will seek this offseason.

There are a few prime free agents this offseason. They include Reyes, Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson, Prince Fielder and possibly CC Sabathia.

If Sabathia deciders to opt out of his contract, he could seek a significant raise.

When looking at the Red Sox roster for next season, they will have a gap to fill in their rotation. John Lackey will miss the entire 2012 campaign due to Tommy John surgery, so that leaves Josh Beckett and Jon Lester at the top of the rotation with Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka at the back end.

Looking at this rotation, Lester stands out. He is a good pitcher and could be the ace of the staff.

Beckett has seen better days and he isn’t getting any younger. Fans also fear that Matsuzaka could get injured again and that would mean missing starts.

If Sabathia hits the open market, the Red Sox should try and scoop him up. Adding Sabathia to the rotation would make the Sox a deeper team.

Can you imagine having Lester, Sabathia, Beckett and a healthy Matsuzaka in a playoff series?

Having a good balance of left- and right-handed pitchers also helps a pitching staff. Is it likely that new Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington breaks the bank early on?

It is possible but he is no Theo Epstein. The Red Sox should focus on Sabathia because they don’t need players like Fielder or Pujols in their lineup.

The Red Sox have a balanced lineup with Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Gonzalez, David Ortiz and countless others who fill a niche.

Reyes could resign with the Mets and he always is an injury risk. The Sox need to attempt to round out their rotation because that was a detriment this season.

Adding Sabathia to the rotation would accomplish this.

It is likely Sabathia will opt out as he could make more money after a strong 2011 campaign. It is still to early to speculate, but its always good to look at the possibilities.

Where do you think Sabathia will end up? What about some of the other big name free agents?

Leave a comment or question in the section below to get the conversation going.

Tom Urtz Jr. is a Featured Columnist. For NHL free-agent news, updates and alerts about players: