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Pedro, Nomar, Manny ... and a lot of question marks By Sean McAdam Special to ESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||||
| As the start of the exhibition season looms, every team has its questions, but some have more than most.
Take the Red Sox, who seem to be overflowing with uncertainty. The pitching staff has a number of rehabbing veterans, as does half the infield. First base is crowded with candidates and there's at least one too many major league outfielders in camp.
Here's a look at a team with plenty of potential, but also, plenty of unanswered questions:
Pitching staff Beyond Pedro Martinez, there's a host of pitchers with great resumes but questionable health. Bret Saberhagen threw off a mound Tuesday for the first time since late last summer and was limited to just 25 pitches. Eighteen months removed from major shoulder surgery, this is Saberhagen's last chance and he intends to be careful.
At third base, John Valentin has had three surgreries on his right knee in the last 18 months, having played just 10 games last season before rupturing his left patellar tendon.
One question was answered early in camp when Williams announced that Ramirez would be shifted from right field to left. Right field in Fenway is spacious and a tough sun field, and the Sox thought Ramirez would be better off with the shift. With Carl Everett established in center, the Sox now have Trot Nixon and Troy O'Leary fighting for the opening in right. Since both are left-handed, they can't be platooned in a traditional sense. Nixon is clearly their preference, despite the fact that he didn't show much progress at the plate last year and has only once had more than 400 at-bats in a season. He's a better outfielder and baserunner than O'Leary, and has the upside to deliver as much run production. Not insignificantly, Nixon will also make about $400,000, while O'Leary will make $4.6 million. The Sox have held talks with the New York Mets, who are in the market for an outfielder, particularly a left-handed one. The Mets have offered Darryl Hamilton and Dennis Cook. Cook would give the Sox the experienced situational lefty they lack, but he and Williams don't get along, stemming from history when they were both in the National League, making the trade unlikely. First base Nominally, the position belongs to Brian Daubach. In truth, the Red Sox are holding quasi-auditions, with Dante Bichette getting a look. Bichette had been penciled in as the everyday DH by some, but Sox management would prefer to leave the DH slot open, so that a number of players could rotate and rest their bodies from playing in the field. That would enable Valentin and Garciaparra (who has a history of nagging hamstring and muscle pulls) some time to rest, while providing playing time for extras like O'Leary and Lansing, should they remain witht he club. Clubhouse karma This intangible was a trouble spot for the Sox last year, largely due to eruptions by Everett, who battled with his manager, his coaches, his teammates and the media. Everett has promised to put his troubles behind him, but some teammates remain skeptcial, as the talented outfielder seems to be in denial about some of the problems he caused. What else we're hearing With word due any day from the commissioner's office on the David Wells-Mike Sirotka deal, Toronto general manager Gord Ash is hoping for something -- anything! -- to be given to the Blue Jays so he can save some face. It's a virtual certainty that the trade won't be rescinded, and highly unlikely that a top prospect or significant player will be sent to Toronto to make the deal whole. But Ash is hoping that the White Sox are forced to part with a player of some sort, or, at the very least, some draft picks, so he can have something to show for the trade. Meanwhile, while trade rumors continue to swirl around Raul Mondesi, it's far more likely that the Jays will deal Vernon Wells, whose stock has dipped significantly in the last year. The Jays are questioning Vernon Wells' commmitment and attitude after last year, and would include him in a deal for an established starter. Why? Because right now the Jays must decide between Chris Carpenter and Esteban Loaiza as their Opening Day starter. Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal writes a major-league notebook each week during the baseball season for ESPN.com. |
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