Roche: Red Sox Winter Shopping List
BOSTON (CBS) - I find this to be fascinating times for the Boston Red Sox.
Boston's baseball team is the "wild card" team at this week's MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville. Nobody knows for sure what they are going to do.
The first order of business is taken care if with the signing if Mike Napoli to a 3-year, $39-million contract. It fills a huge hole for power and helps at first base.
If you look at the line-up with the addition of Napoli, it looks much better already:
Projected Line-up
Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Napoli 1B
Middlebrooks 3B
Gomes/Nava LF
Kalish/Nava RF
Salty/Lavarnway/Ross C
Iglesias SS
Starting Rotation
Lester
Buchholz
Lackey
Doubront
Morales/De la Rosa
Bullpen
Bailey - Closer
Melancon
Miller
Aceves
Bard
Breslow
Mortensen
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There's still plenty of work to do for Sox GM Ben Cherington and his Baseball Ops staff and we'll see what else happens this week as Ben meets with his fellow GM's in Nashville.
However, for now, the Sox got off to the start they needed to. There are still many holes, but you have to feel better right now, especially since they didn't have to go to a fourth year with Napoli.
And that may be a factor when it comes to other big names. Again, keep in mind that the Sox are hoping that Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley can jump up to Boston perhaps as early as the second half of the 2013 season. So, I would be surprised if they give a guy like Josh Hamilton a long contract. Cody Ross would work, but at a three-year max.
A Will Myers from KC, even for Lester, would change the attitude of a lot of Sox fans around here. But, that was seemingly just a tease.
The Red Sox should be looking for a trade partner or two (or three... or four). Find something creative, like some young arms or a Justin Upton. But, even then it may take until the trade deadline to make that big splash.
As for right now, next up for the Sox could be Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds, or a Ryan Ludwick. We'll see.
In the meantime, patience will be needed. The Sox have been burned enough as of late with long-term, big-money contracts. It's time to exercise caution, or be bold in the trade market.
Follow WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.
