The Red Sox make their first deal of 2010 by signing free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, who most recently played for the Mariners, to a 1 year deal with an option for a second year. Ok, so he's not the Adrian Red Sox Nation, myself included, have been obsessing over since before the off-season even began, but he gives us one kick-ass defensive infield. Youk gets to play first, where he is strongest defensively, Pedey plays second, Scutaro (who is not Alex Gonzo but is still a pretty good glove), and Beltre is a monumental improvement over last year's defensive infield, which was hampered by a pick-your-poison shortstop for most of the season and a post-hip surgery Lowell, not to mention the constant merry-go-round between first, catcher, and third. Catcher remains a defensive weakness, even with a full season of V-Mart (who is average at best defensively, but well above average with the bat) but rest of the positions range from solid to top-notch. Much has been debated about Ellsbury's defense and his ability to read the ball off the bat, but he has the advantage of his speed to make up for some of those bad reads. Also, he is young and can still improve.
As for Beltre's offense, he had a real down year last year, partly due to some injuries. He only managed 8 dingers, but he was playing in the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field. Fenway has the righty's best friend in left field and could help Beltre regain his power and it's a much more hitter-friendly ballpark than Safeco. That said, however, he's still somewhat of a question mark with the bat. It's a better option than having Kotchman be the starting first baseman. It may have worked with teams that rely less on power, such as the Angels, or National League teams such as the Braves, but in the AL East, you need a power guy at first.
Even with the addition of Beltre, the offense still lacks a knockout punch, a 3-4 combo that pitchers fear. They'd be hard pressed to find just one guy that sends a chill up even the best pitchers' spines. The Front Office is banking on the upgrades to the rotation and defense to offset the not-quite-elite offense and there's a possibility it can, if the Sox have one of those seasons where everything goes right for them (a la the 2009 Yankees). However, with the year-to-year uncertainty in bullpen quality, having a 30-100+ slugger come up in late innings with men on base after the 'pen has blown the lead would put them in a better position to win in that situation.
Like I have said here many times before, they will need to be able to win more games on the road to become a more balanced team and to have a better chance at success in the post-season, should they make it there. As the team sets their sights on just making the playoffs and not necessarily winning the division, winning on the road is even more critical. 2008 and 2009 were not good years for them on the road. Let's hope this trend is history in 2010.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!
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