2011 Red Sox Preview

The Red Sox offseason registered on the Richter Scale, and the team hopes the aftershocks reverberate through October. The acquisitions of A-Gone and Crawford make the Sox instant World Series contenders, if not outright favorites. With a number of key players returning from injuries, a couple of starting pitchers seeking bounce-back seasons, and the bullpen remade in a manner more befitting a contender, the Red Sox have but one goal: Win their third championship since 2004. If there’s a downside to the high hopes, it’s that expectations will make anything less than a title feel like failure.

The Red Sox received a mulligan after getting buried in a hailstorm of injuries last year, but this year it’s World Series or bust. On paper, the Red Sox have the best lineup, the best rotation, and maybe even the best bullpen in the American League. Between the insanely athletic Ellsbury and Crawford in the outfield and on the bases, the notoriously clutch Youkilis and Pedroia in the lineup, and the prodigiously powerful Gonzalez and Ortiz, the Red Sox should be a pleasure to watch. They’ll be expected not just to play with style, though, but also to win with it.

KEY OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: Carl Crawford (LF), Adrian Gonzalez (1B), Bobby Jenks (RHP), Dan Wheeler (RHP)

KEY OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: Adrian Beltre (3B), Mike Lowell (1B), Victor Martinez (C)

PROJECTED LINEUP: Jacob Ellsbury (CF), Dustin Pedroia (2B), Carl Crawford (LF), Kevin Youkilis (3B), Adrian Gonzalez (1B), David Ortiz (DH), J.D. Drew (RF), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C), Marco Scutaro (SS)

PROJECTED ROTATION: Jon Lester (LHP); John Lackey (RHP); Clay Buchholz (RHP); Josh Beckett (RHP); Daisuke Matsuzaka (RHP)

PROJECTED CLOSER: Jonathan Papelbon (RHP)

MANAGER: Terry Francona