Scoot Over

The Great Boston-Toronto Shortstop Swap is complete: Alex "Gonzo" Gonzalez to the Blue Jays and Marco "Scoot" Scutaro to the Red Sox. Pedey, I guess you're staying put at second, but thanks for the offer!

Scutaro, 34, is coming off a career year where he hit .282 with a .379 OBP and .409 slugging. He knocked 12 dingers and 60 RBI. Ok, so he's no Hanley Ramirez, but with Jose Iglesias waiting in the wings, he'll suffice as a stopgap. The swap with Toronto wasn't a trade, so to speak, as both Gonzalez and Scutaro were free agent pickups, but Theo Epstein & Co believe Scoots will provide a better OBP and a little more pop from the shortstop position while they wait for Iglesias to develop on the farm.

With next year's shortstop settled, the Sox must now turn their attention to left field and beyond. I hope they come to an agreement with Jason Bay, as he has shown he can hit in the AL East to the tune of 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. He has his drawbacks, such as defense and high number of strikeouts, but the Sox won two World Series with Manny's defense! Bay's bat isn't quite Manny's, but it gets the job done most of the time. Holliday is a decent alternative to Bay, but he's still unproven in the AL (especially the AL East) and his agent is none other than baseball's Beelzebub, Scott Boras. Beyond Bay, the Sox need another big bat that can strike fear in an opposing pitcher. Adrian Gonzalez, who would fit that bill perfectly, is sounding less and less likely and Miguel Cabrera comes with a hefty load of off-field baggage. The lineup as it is doesn't scare anyone and is streakier than most. It's going to be tough to fill that gaping hole, but in order to compete in the division they're in, it has to be done.

Starting pitching raises an interesting question. Is a rotation of Lester, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Buchholz and Wakefield "good enough" to get the Sox where they want to go next year? What kind of year will Beckett have? Last year for him was a mixed bag and the last really outstanding year he had was 2007. Jon Lester has just about eclipsed him as the staff ace. The Sox have been linked to Halladay in recent weeks, but a deal for Halladay would make a deal for a big bat all but impossible. There are only so many chips on the farm. Perhaps they should take a gamble on Rich Harden. I know, I know, Smoltz and Penny didn't blow 'em away last year, but Harden has had success in the AL while Smoltz and Penny had only ever pitched in the NL. When the team's biggest need is offense, perhaps this would make the most sense. Still, it's tempting to think about a rotation with Halladay and Lester as the 1 and 2.

The winter meetings are next week...

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!