Is David Ortiz expendable?
With the Sox looking for some pop in the middle of the lineup, they find themselves with limited options with Youk at first, Ortiz at DH and Lowell at third.
Mark Teixeira, with his patient approach and .300 BA, 100+ RBI, 30 HR potential, is a prefect fit for Boston... but where would he play?If the Red Sox do indeed make a push for Mark Teixeira, that leaves an awful crowded middle of the lineup with Ortiz, Mike Lowell, and Kevin Youkilis in the mix as well, and only three positions to play all four.
Youkilis would obviously be the most attractive trade value for other teams, making only $3 million, at an age of 29. But dealing Youkilis makes little sense for Boston because of those reasons. Lowell is coming off labrum surgery, which is going to make teams queasy about dealing for a player who will be 35 years old with $24 million remaining on his contract.
With Ortiz, certainly there is an injury concern as well. The wrist appeared to remain an issue right through October, and there’s always the fear that the knee is going to act up again at some point down the road. Still, his home runs have decreased each of the last three seasons, from 54 to 35 to 23 in ’08, when his OPS (.896) slipped below 1.000 for the first time since 2004.
Bottom Line: With the rotation and bullpen in decent shape, the Sox can afford to put some extra eggs in the Teixeira basket, but it's unlikely he'll sign with Boston unless he knows he'll be starting 130+ games...
What would you guys do?
7 comments:
I'm not ready to give up on Papi just yet. I think we need some veterans on the roster to keep the flow going....especially if we may see Lowell leave in the foreseeable future. Although he has proven to be slipping, he still is a key player. I think he has a couple more good years in him before we have to say goodbye.
I agree, keep Big Papi...see how he is doing once the wrist heals. I say wait until midseason to pull off the blockbuster, then you will know if Lowell and Ortiz are ok or if you need to go get a big hitter.
good points by both...
since we can't predict how or if Lowell will bounce back from surgery... or how much the wrist really effected Ortiz this year...
Theo could sign someone like Teixeira and worry about the lineup later... or, as FW points out, he can hope for the best with the guys we have and makea move in July if needed...
But "Tex" will be signed by then...
I find myself on the same track. Keep Big Papi. By all means, obtain Teixeira. A nice triad of Mike, Mark and Youk for your infield corners and that means the Sox have an available replacement DH for Ortiz late in the game.
Tony Massarotti of the Globe had a great article in the thursday morning Boston Globe detailing the five most important questions Boston has to face in this off season...Peter
can he catch?
ortiz isnt going anywhere this offseason or next season. no matter what. injury/free agents the sox bring in. he will be here.
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