Valentine: 'Every loss hurts -- all 90 of them'

BALTIMORE -- In absorbing a 6-3 loss to the Orioles, the Red Sox fell to 69-90 for the season, thus becoming the first Red Sox team since 1966 to lose as many as 90 games in a season. 

"We haven't had a good season," manager Bobby Valentine said after the loss. "Every loss hurts. All 90 of them." 

The worst Sox season in decades does come with some ancillary benefits. The team is now assured of one of the top-10 picks in the 2013 draft, meaning that its selection will be protected should the Sox sign one of the elite free agents who receives a so-called qualifying offer this offseason.

For more on the impact of having a protected pick -- and some potential free agents whom the Sox now can sign without losing a first-round pick -- click here [1]. For a look at some of the Red Sox' potential targets in the draft, click here [2]. For complete Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [3].