A Look At The Upcoming Red Sox Season: Infield

Written by: Michael Maher on 16th January 2010

A Look At The Upcoming Red Sox Season: Infield | read this item

Where is Mike Lowell going?

It seems like the questions that filled the air the most during this winter involved the 2007 World Series MVP. The same player that does not currently have a position to call his own on the Red Sox roster. The same player involved in a botched trade to the Texas Rangers, and the same player who probably watched a bit of the Red Sox press conference introducing their new everyday third baseman.

Despite this, we haven’t heard much publicly from the soon-to-be former Red Sox third baseman. While there is an obvious chance that Mike Lowell ends up remaining with the team, the reality is he will probably be traded during spring training(or before) along with a bag of cash for a proverbial bag of baseballs. That’s usually what happens when an injury risk player with a big contract needs to be moved.

It appears the Red Sox have been preparing for life after Mike Lowell since the beginning of the off-season when news swirled about that Casey Kotchman could become the Red Sox first baseman, with Kevin Youkilis moving to third. This became a moot point when Kotchman was traded to Seattle and Adrian Beltre was signed to take over the hot corner. What remains is the uncomfortable time remaining for Mike Lowell with the Red Sox before he’s traded.

Around Thanksgiving, former two-time Red Sox shortstop Alex Gonzalez signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, leaving the Red Sox with a new void to fill. A few days after Gonzalez departed for Canadian pastures, All-Star second baseman Dustin Pedroia petitioned for his own move to the shortstop position for the betterment of the team. The front office dismissed the noton, and signed Marco Scutaro to a two year deal. The move puts the onus on Jed Lowrie to prove his ability to stay healthy and become a legitimate option at shortstop for the team. If Lowrie displays in spring training that he has fully recovered from his wrist injury, Scutaro could become a super utility player who fills in at several positions. Scutaro has played most of the infield positions, and might serve as a great backup option for Pedroia at second base. Truth be told, the Red Sox currently do not have a viable backup for Pedroia.

The trade of Kotchman impacts the backup option for first base, though it is expected that Victor Martinez will see time at first base. While there might be a concern that Martinez could end up with a heavy workload between catching and playing first base, it’s worth mentioning that he has played in over 140 games in 4 of the last 5 seasons. David Ortiz may see time at first base as well, though he has only started a handful of games at first in recent years. Jason Varitek assuming the role as backup catcher may open the door for a number of double-switches in 2010 that include first base and designated hitter.

As we head into the beginning of spring and the team starts putting together lineups, it will be a lot easier then to determine exactly how all of these moves will shape the lineup on any given day during the regular season. The infield may have more questions than any other area of the roster, and most of them won’t have answers until the team begins playing. Such as whether David Ortiz’s prolonged 2009 slump is something we’ll see in 2010, or if Adrian Beltre will rediscover his offensive stride despite an injury riddled 2009 season.

The most important answers are here though. We have a solid idea as to who will be playing which position, something not every team in MLB can claim.

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Topics: Adrian Beltre, Alex Gonzalez, casey kotchman, Hot Corner, Injury Risk, Jed Lowrie, Kevin Youkilis, Marco Scutaro, Mike Lowell, Moot Point, Red Sox First Baseman, Red Sox Shortstop, Risk Player, second baseman, Sox Roster, Sox Season, Texas Rangers, Third Baseman, Toronto Blue Jays, World Series Mvp