| 30 June 2009
Mike Lowell hit the DL today and, as expected, Jeff Bailey was added to the roster.
If Lowell's hip bothers him for the rest of the season, the Sox will have to make some decisions and they could make a move in that direction before the trade deadline on July 31st.
Here are some options:
Jeff Bailey and Mark Kotsay hold down the fort at first base while Kevin Youkilis moves over to third base. Kotsay is hitting .310 in 42 at-bats and Jeff Bailey was hitting .355 in June before the call-up, so these two offer a nice righty/lefty split at first base. Youk is Youk, but it might be worth noting that he is hitting just .244 with 41 at-bats as the third baseman... a far cry from the .310 BA he has overall. That said, he hit .328 with a 116 at-bats as the 3B in 2008...
Jed Lowrie would give the Sox more options, but he still has a ways to go before he can be counted on at the major league level. Lowrie can play third and short, which would enable to Francona to keep Youk and his Gold Glove at first while playing Lowrie at third. Lowrie played stellar defense at both positions last season, but in an age where your corner infielders are often a source of production, Lowrie will need to prove his stats from August of 2008 (.284, 12 2B, 24 RBI) were not a fluke.
With Lowrie, Bailey and Kotsay adding depth, the Sox are covered for the short term... but with multiple pieces to play with, they could make a trade to bring in some power at first or third.
The Indians have already traded "Mr. Utility" Mark Derosa to the Cardinals, so it's hard to imagine them part ways with Victor Martinez as well... unless the Derosa deal was the start of a fire sale in Cleveland... V-Mart would be costly (i.e. Buchholz, Bowden and/or other top prospects), but his 1B/C/DH fleaxablity and long term potential (see Lowell and Varitek) could be HUGE for the Sox.
Nick Johnson is another 1B that would fit well in Boston. His .408 OBP fits the Sox approach and he could spell Youk at first and Ortiz at DH. Peter Gammons agrees and also sites Garrett Atkins of the Rockies as another option. Atkins plays first and third, so the flexability is good, but he's been in a hitting funk a all season, hitting just .227 with a .301 OBP. He's also got a .331/.256 home and away split, so pulling him out of Coors Field probably won;t help - see Matt Holliday in Oakland.
Lastly, a look at the really big picture brings 1B Lars Anderson into view. Lars is hitting a mediocre .258 with 8 ding dongs, 14 doubles and 36 RBI in 252 at-bats with Double A Portland. The Sox hoped from more out Anderson and were expected to call him up as early as this September... but the young lefty may not be major league ready until late 2010.
Bottom Line: The Sox have the means to make a big move, but I'm not sure it's neccessary. Personally, I think a combo of Youk, Kotsay, Bailey and Lowrie could handle the job... but that's only if Big Papi and Jason Bay keep hitting. Lowell was on pace for 20 homers and 80+ RBI... if he's done for the year or is a shell of himself when he does play, the Sox will want to add a big bat to the roster if possible.
What do you guys think the Sox should do?
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