The Boston Red Sox continue to shake up their roster, as they have inked star left fielder Carl Crawford to a seven-year deal worth roughly 142 million dollars. This signing comes about a week after the Sox acquired super slugger Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres. Carl Crawford gives the Red Sox another speedster who can steal 50+ bases in addition to Jacoby Ellsbury. That tandem could really concern opposing starting pitchers, since Crawford may bat leadoff and Ellsbury may hit ninth. Boston finished second in MLB for total runs scored with 818. That number is especially impressive considering Jacoby Ellsbury missed 144 games, Mike Cameron missed 114, Dustin Pedroia missed 87, Kevin Youkilis missed 60, Victor Martinez missed 35, JD Drew missed 23, and David Ortiz missed 17. Guys such as Darnel McDonald, Daniel Nava, Josh Reddick, Ryan Kalish, and Eric Patterson were common fixtures in the lineup.
Could the Red Sox offense produce 900+ runs in 2011?
With the additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford and the subtractions of Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre, here is what the 2011 Red Sox lineup could look like:
Projected 2011 Lineup
| Order | Pos | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LF | Carl Crawford |
| 2 | 2B | Dustin Pedroia |
| 3 | 1B | Adrian Gonzalez |
| 4 | 3B | Kevin Youkilis |
| 5 | DH | David Ortiz |
| 6 | RF | JD Drew |
| 7 | C | Jarrod Saltalamacchia |
| 8 | SS | Marco Scutaro |
| 9 | CF | Jacoby Ellsbury |
Starting Rotation
The Red Sox will have one of the better starting rotations in MLB:
| Order | Pitcher |
|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Lester |
| 2 | Josh Beckett |
| 3 | John Lackey |
| 4 | Clay Buccholz |
| 5 | Daisuke Matsuzaka |
Bullpen
Boston will need to get some bullpen help, and they plan to address the need in the offseason:
| Role | Pitcher |
|---|---|
| CL | Jonathan Papelbon |
| RP | Daniel Bard |
| RP | Felix Doubront |
| RP | Scott Atchison |
They’re rumored to go after Scott Downs.
