Red Sox Drop the Ball

            It’s almost Christmas, and even though December 25^th is usually a day of gifting to family members, there are a few things that the Red Sox would like to see under their tree this holiday season.

            The gift that was number one on Sox General Manager Ben Cherington’s list for Santa was a big hometown discount from Jon Lester, but that ship has long since sailed. It’s unfortunate, but it’s time to accept reality Red Sox fans: Jon Lester is gone to Chicago and he will never, ever wear a Red Sox uniform again.

            It’s now time for the club to build for 2015 and though they have been busy this offseason, the team still has several key needs. For one, they need an ace. Boston has signed starters Rick Porcello, Justin Masterson, and Wade Miley, and as enticing as that all sounds, it still leaves my stomach very unsettled. If the Red Sox want to be an elite team, they need an ace, and right now they do not have one.

            Ben Cherington told reporters on Saturday that the Sox are “not actively engaged with anything right now” regarding the team’s starting pitching staff. “We like the direction the team is headed in,” Cherington said. “I think it’s more likely if we add anywhere, it’s the bullpen.”

            To hear the General Manager of this club say that they aren’t in on an ace right now is extremely disappointing. Does Ben Cherington think that his team can be a winning ball club with Clay Buchholz at the top of the rotation? I sure don’t.

            It also shows that Cherington is ignorant to the state of Red Sox Nation right now. The fans of this team are frustrated, and they have every right to be. Boston could have signed Jon Lester last spring for a fraction of what the Cubs got him for the offseason. Unfortunately, the Sox front office blew it, and threw a low-ball offer at him. For them to say now that they aren’t perusing another ace at the moment gives fans every right to be annoyed.

            When the Red Sox signed Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandavol, I’ll admit I was excited, but now that I’ve had some time to reflect, I can’t totally make sense of why they felt the need to sign Hanley after already getting the Panda. See, both players can play third base, and the Sox definitely needed a third baseman, but they didn’t need two of them. The team’s response to that is to stick Hanley in the outfield, but even after trading Yoenis Cespedes, the club already has an excess of outfielders. Ramirez has also proven himself as being extremely injury-prone, averaging just 103 games per season over his last six years in the MLB. If Boston, had kept the money that they threw at Hanley Ramirez in their pocket, well, they could have Jon Lester right now.

            Kansas City Royals ace James Shields is the best available option right now who is in the team’s price range. But based on Cherington’s comments, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be walking into the team’s clubhouse anytime soon.

***

            In other news, President Barack Obama introduced a new relationship with Cuba last Wednesday, which has profound positive impacts on countless lives, but among those who were watching the deal closely were the people who run MLB teams. Cuba is widely considered to have some of the best baseball talent of anywhere in the world, but up until now, the world’s most prestigious baseball league hasn’t been able to take many of them in as players. Though we’ve seen some, such as Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, make it to the USA, most Cuban stars haven’t been willing to risk their lives by getting smuggled out of the country and into the United States. Fortunately, now they won’t have to.

            The impacts that the renewed relationship with Cuba is going to have on the game of baseball will be remarkably positive. It means more superstars like Puig, new Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo, and Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and White Sox rookie sensation Jose Abreu, and an all-new crop of fans from a country of 11 million people. As for the idea of an MLB team in Cuba? Well…that’s stretching it. But the point is, the relationship is great for the people of Cuba, and great for baseball.

            One never knows what Santa will bring until walking downstairs on Christmas morning, and there are MLB surprises to come this offseason too. Only time will tell what lies ahead for the Red Sox.