Panda AND Hanley? Can They Pitch?

   I could hardly believe what I was reading this morning when I saw on my facebook news feed that the Red Sox have reached agreements with both Pablo "Panda" Sandoval and erstwhile Sox farmhand turned superstar Hanley Ramirez.  Part of me is thrilled to have two huge impact bats joining an offense-starved team.  Part of me is wondering, is this the 2010-2011 offseason all over again?   Still another part of me is wondering, what about the pitching?  

  This being November 24, the offseason is far from over, so there is plenty of time and still plenty of $$$ to add to the pitching staff.   When you go all in with guys like Panda and Hanley, however, it makes little sense not to add an elite starting pitcher (or two) to a currently laughable rotation.  Signing Lester (or Scherzer) is just about mandatory now, as is bringing aboard a #2 starter that is not a steep drop-off from #1.  

   It's obvious that Panda will play third base, but what isn't so obvious is where Hanley Ramirez will play.   Hanley started his career in the Red Sox system and was traded to the Marlins for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell in 2005.  He has played most of his career at shortstop, but the Red Sox have a promising young shortstop in Xander Bogaerts.  While Bogaerts struggled for much of the year, he finished strong and it would be premature to give up on him as a shortstop.  It's possible Hanley could move to the outfield to pave the way for a Yoenis Cespedes trade.  When Big Papi calls it a career, Hanley could move to DH. 

   This offseason just got real...

Bring Back Jonny!

    If the Red Sox hope to compete next year, their top priority needs to be signing Jon Lester.   Max Scherzer is out there as well and is considered a better pitcher than Lester--the top free-agent pitching prize on the market.   He presents a bigger risk, however, as he has yet to make the transition from power pitcher to finesse pitcher and he has not played in a market like Boston.   Lester has made the transition and he's spent all but two months of his career in Boston.   Even though he's a year older than Scherzer, he is worth a long term (six-year) deal in the $150m range.   I would certainly not be upset if the Red Sox sign Scherzer to a long-term deal, but I think they would be wiser to turn to the guy they know and they've watched develop. 

   As it stands right now, the Red Sox need two pitchers at the top of the rotation.  Lester, should they be smart and pony up the $$$ and the years for him, solves the #1 slot, but who is #2?   A free agent?  Trade?  There are a lot of nice options on the trade market, but none of them, short of the pipe dream of trading for Chris Sale, are at the level of Lester.  Hamels is close, but his numbers in limited time against the AL have been abysmal.   He would also cost a big prospect haul (Don't trade Mookie!).   Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos of the Reds have been mentioned, as have Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross of the Padres.  The Red Sox need reliable pitchers atop the rotation because Joe Kelly is a #3 at the very best and who knows what we'll get out of Clay Buchholz.  Then, we have the assorted flotsam and jetsam that toed the rubber in August and September to fight for the #5 spot.  Getting that #1, however is the first step.