Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine talks with Adrian Gonzalez before Friday’s game. Gonzalez was a late scratch from the lineup amid trade rumors.On Baseball
Dealing with problem?
Red Sox on the verge of trade that would send Beckett, Gonzalez, and Crawford to Dodgers
Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine talks with Adrian Gonzalez before Friday’s game. Gonzalez was a late scratch from the lineup amid trade rumors.By Nick Cafardo
Globe Staff /
August 24, 2012
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Free agency isn’t much of an option to replace Gonzalez, Beckett, or Crawford. Josh Hamilton will be the prize, but would the Sox dish out another big deal to get him? Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher will also be a free agent. First base has a few options, including Carlos Pena and Mike Napoli. And on the pitching front, you’ve got Edwin Jackson, Hiroki Kuroda, and Zach Greinke as possible top starters on the market.
The Sox would have to package some of their prospects to go after players they like via trade.
The Sox could always convert Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Ryan Lavarnway into a first baseman, or go with Mauro Gomez. It was interesting that on a night when David Ortiz was activated, the team elected to keep Gomez and send down Junichi Tazawa. Is that a sign that Gomez could be in the first base mix?
Whatever happens, the Red Sox seem to have made the decision that blowing it up is the way to go. It’s probably something that should have been done last offseason.
With a run of bad publicity and a skeptical fan base, the Sox may have finally learned that starting over is better than adding on.
Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.
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