So now what do the Red Sox do?

So now what do we do? As of right now the Boston Red Sox are far and away the worst team in the AL East. It’s not even close and the gap grew a hell of a lot wider on Wednesday when the Blue Jays acquired Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and basically everyone else on the Miami Marlin who was making decent money.  And all the Blue Jays were forced to give up was SS Yunel Escobar and a few decent prospects. Word has it that Red Sox GM Ben Cherington was in on this trade and decided to stay put instead of pulling the trigger on a trade that would have solved a whole bunch of holes in the Red Sox roster. Right now the Red Sox need a left fielder, right fielder, shortstop, first baseman and starting pitching. Yea I know they have Jose Iglesias who can play shortstop but if you’re happy with him starting there for 162 games then you’re basically admitting the team is going to suck. He cannot hit major league pitching; in fact he couldn’t even hit AAA pitching last year. Yes he’s a wizard with the glove but with this current lineup they can’t afford to have a guy struggling to hit above the Mendoza line for the whole season.

The first 2 moves this team has made this offseason I can agree with. Signing David Ortiz to a 2 year, $26 million deal with incentives definitely helps this team’s anemic offense. Without him this team would be hopeless entering 2013 so I will give Cherington credit for making that his first priority. Then a few days ago they signed catcher David Ross to a 2 year, $6.2 million deal. Now that is a surprising signing considering Jarrod Saltalamacchia has a decent season behind the dish last year and Ryan Lavarnway saw a good amount of time later in the season and did alright for a rookie. Ross also has never been a starting catcher in the majors, making his $3.1 million salary even more eye-opening. Ross is known as a good game-caller behind the plate and with the struggles the Red Sox pitchers have had since Varitek retired, it makes you think this team is looking to deal either Salty or Lavarnway.

Many in Red Sox nation are calling for the Red Sox to go out and sign Josh Hamilton now that the Blue Jays have made their move and I agree. The last time a pure power hitter of this caliber came on the open market the Red Sox were aggressive and signed Manny Ramirez to an 8 year, $160 million contract and he didn’t disappoint. I know this team has made its fair share of ridiculous signings (ex: John Lackey, Carl Crawford) but they need to open the check book for Hamilton. This guy is the real deal. Yes, he has baggage and it’s been well publicized but he is also the best pure hitter in the majors and he possesses power like no one else. I was at Fenway last April when he hit a ball halfway up the right field bleachers to a place I had never seen a ball land. Total distance?...469 feet..on a curveball. If Mark Melancon had thrown a fast ball, Hamilton probably would have reached me in the 5^th to last row in right. My point being is that Hamilton is a special player. He not only can hit for power and average, he can run, field and throw better than most guys in the MLB. This signing would definitely have its fair share of risk but in my opinion it’s worth it. Adding him to this lineup places the Red Sox right back into the mix in the AL East and fills a hole in the outfield as well as a cleanup hitter to protect Ortiz. Apparently Hamilton is looking for a 5 year deal, meaning he would be 36 at the end of his deal. This is also a guy who didn’t play at all for most of his 20’s meaning he hasn’t been worn down as much as a normal 31 year old outfielder.

John Henry, Larry Lucchino, Ben Cherington, and everyone else in the Red Sox front office need to get their shit together, and quick. This team is in desperate need of a power bat and even more in need of a savior. Josh Hamilton can solve a lot of their problems and with the freed-up cash the Red Sox have after trading away most of their talent to the Dodgers, they have no excuse financially to not attempt to sign him. Open the checkbook, and give him a 5 year, $110 million deal and let’s just sit back and enjoy having the best hitter in baseball on our team.