7. Will standing pat suit the Sox?
GM Theo Epstein has always been an agent of change, never more dramatically than after the 2004 season, when Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, and Orlando Cabrera, among others, were lopped from the roster of World Series winners. This offseason, Epstein's principal moves involved maintaining the status quo, re-signing World Series MVP Mike Lowell and the now-injured Curt Schilling for a last hurrah. The changes now are coming from within, the Sox integrating kids like Pedroia, Ellsbury, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz rather than making the splashy free-agent signing or big-name trade. Epstein is hardly forsaking the latter -- the pursuit of Johan Santana in December was real -- but it is probably worth noting that the Sox can use the infusion of kids. According to ESPN.com, their average age of 29.7 on the 40-man roster makes them the oldest team in the majors.
GM Theo Epstein has always been an agent of change, never more dramatically than after the 2004 season, when Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, and Orlando Cabrera, among others, were lopped from the roster of World Series winners. This offseason, Epstein's principal moves involved maintaining the status quo, re-signing World Series MVP Mike Lowell and the now-injured Curt Schilling for a last hurrah. The changes now are coming from within, the Sox integrating kids like Pedroia, Ellsbury, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz rather than making the splashy free-agent signing or big-name trade. Epstein is hardly forsaking the latter -- the pursuit of Johan Santana in December was real -- but it is probably worth noting that the Sox can use the infusion of kids. According to ESPN.com, their average age of 29.7 on the 40-man roster makes them the oldest team in the majors.
(Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)