What has to be frustrating for Theo Epstein is that the plan was on its way to working.
After an offseason of fending off the naysayers, their mockery of the "bridge" and perceived offensive futility, the one thing that we now know is that the Red Sox, as currently constituted, would have most likely been good enough. And, as the late-summer hourglass picks up steam, that should be a reminder heading into the trade deadline. A tweak here or a tweak there is always welcome. But if you're looking for the acquisition that is going to splash smiles and optimism throughout the Red Sox' clubhouse, it isn't necessarily coming from Florida, Colorado, Toronto, Milwaukee or Philadelphia.
The Red Sox are worthy of postseason conversation, they're just running out of time to prove it.
When looking at how the master plan unfolded, sure, there are warts. You have an underperforming John Lackey, a bullpen that has seen some members lose their reliability and the injury-related less-than-expected output of newcomers Mike Cameron and Marco Scutaro.
But, at the end of the day, are you going to argue that if health returns to the Red Sox, and they find themselves with the framework of their Opening Night roster, they wouldn't be in conversation for one of the Power Rankings' top spots?
Remember the areas Epstein identified as needs for this year's edition of the Red Sox? Some of priorities have been managed, while others (largely due to injury-induced roster-finagling) have remained a roadblock.
Better hitting on the road: The Red Sox are first in the majors in road OPS (.796), with the second-most homers of any team away from their home park (62). And one of the team's solutions for the problem, Adrian Beltre, hasn't disappointed in this regard, currently carrying the second-best road batting average in the majors (.365).
Better team defense: This hasn't worked out quite as planned, with the Sox currently ranking 12th in the majors with a .984 fielding percentage. (Last season they finished seventh in this category.) And while the stat isn't the be-all, end-all when judging fielding acumen, it does point to one of the unexpected hiccups in the plan, Beltre. The third baseman is second in the big leagues with 15 errors, one shy of Nick Green's team-leading total of a year ago. (By the way, it could be worse. The Red Sox could have Washington's Ian Desmond's 22 errors.)
The idea was to give up less runs and that also hasn't exactly matched up to the blueprint. Despite scoring more runs than any team in baseball, their run-differential is still just a plus-61, not that impressive when considering the second-most prolific offensive team, the Yankees, carries a run-differential of plus-123. (The Sox finished last season having surrendered the 10th-fewest runs in the bigs, while scoring 138 more runs than they gave up.)
Their designated hitter becoming a force: You could say that David Ortiz has accomplished this goal to a large degree, currently ranking only behind Vladimir Guerrero among OPS for designated hitters (.912), although his current numbers are pretty much on pace for what he did a year ago. Still, the fact that Ortiz has 18 home runs in 73 games is most likely along the lines of what Epstein was looking for when throwing out the "force" comment.
There is a caveat in Ortiz' presence, however. He is hitting just .180 against left-handed pitching, with just one of his homers coming against a lefty. Since lefty-killer Victor Martinez exited the lineup on June 29, Ortiz has just four hits in 30 at-bats (.133) vs. southpaws, which isn't the kind of "force" needed when looking to fill in a fractured-thumb-induced gap.
So, as happens so often, some of the plan went astray. (Who would have ever thought the San Diego Padres would have allowed the fewest runs (322) -- by far -- in the majors?) But at the end of the day it is hard to argue that -- seeing what we have seen -- a healthy Red Sox team couldn't have matched up with the big leagues' best.
And because of that, fans should be smacked in the face with the reality of what should and shouldn't be done at the trade deadline. What should be done? What can be done? Think about it …
Catcher: If Martinez is indeed ready to return shortly, as his batting practices and games of catch suggest is the case, then this isn't an area necessitating panic. Now, if you want to secure a Chris Ianettta or Chris Snyder as "break glass in case of emergency" kind of options as protection against another Martinez set-back, then fine. Or if the Red Sox see the opportunity to offer a solution to their 2011 catching tandem, that is understandable as well. But with Martinez' health taking a turn for the better, this is not a priority.
Infield: People underestimated the value of Jed Lowrie when looking at the Red Sox' stretch drive. He is playing healthy, and it shows, swinging a much more impressive bat from the left side than he had since spring training in 2009. Meanwhile, though Bill Hall's presence is welcome because of his ability to play in the outfield, the .203 average against left-handers is tough to swallow. Simply put, if Lowrie plays like he did in 2008, he becomes the Red Sox' most valuable utility infielder, and another "trade deadline acquisition" that might be as good as any outside-the-organization option.
Outfield: This all hinges on Jacoby Ellsbury. If Ellsbury is able to return and present the kind of dynamic offensive option the Red Sox were banking on until Game No. 6, then the need for allocating prospects to this position doesn't seem warranted. A David DeJesus would be a fine addition, but at what price? No Ellsbury, sure. Make the move. Same with Florida's Cody Ross. Maybe if there is worry that Jeremy Hermida won't be able to pick up the slack left by Mike Cameron's abdominal pain, than such a move becomes more a priority. Or maybe J.D. Drew's woes against lefties offers impetus for securing the right-handed hitting Ross.
And then there is Jayson Werth. It would surprise nobody if the Sox made a strong push at Werth this offseason. But should they dip into the top layers of their prospect pool to get a sampling of Werth for the final months to A. Help the here and now; and B. Keep him away from Tampa Bay? You could get the two draft picks if he leaves for another team, but we're probably talking about giving up at least one major league contributor from your farm system for such a right. (Did anybody notice the Phillies are closer to the Wild Card than the Red Sox are?)
Bullpen: Now we're talking. This is a legitimate area of need. The guess here is that Michael Bowden is going to play a fairly major role in the bullpen going forward, but the Red Sox need more than that. Both Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard have been excellent this month, combining to allow just three hits in 11 2/3 innings. But the uneasiness that has come with Hideki Okajima's performance and back has translated to just a total of two innings pitched in July (4 hits, BB), not the kind of output usually seen from a late-inning option.
But it has been said time and time again: You don't want to have to get a late-inning reliever at the trade deadline. You always end up overpaying (see Scott Downs, whose value is only increased by the fact he will most likely be a Type A free agent), and the certainty of what you're getting back is very low (see Scott Sauerbeck in 2003, considered at the time of his acquisition the best lefty specialist available). But there is no way around it -- the Red Sox need to bite this bullet.
Starting pitching: All set. The question is what they do with Felix Doubront. He has become a legitimate safety net for injured big league starters, while offering perhaps one of the more valuable trade chips at the deadline. But where Doubront may prove most valuable is in the bullpen as a hard-throwing lefty, although that most likely wouldn't be made an option until it was determined by the organization that there was no more need for his services as insurance in the starting rotation.
The answers are there. It's just a matter of whether the time is as well.
ROB BRADFORD
The NFL Sunday gang wraps up the season predicting the score of Super Bowl 46...and they don't think it's going to be as close as most people do. Go Pats!
NFL Sunday rolls on with Dale, Fauria and Price talking about the emotional roller coaster the Pats and more specifically team owner Robert Kraft have been on this season. With the passing of his wife Myra, this goal to become champs has taken on a whole new meaning.
The NFL Sunday crew talks about the cocky and brash chatter coming from some of the Giants the last couple weeks. Dale is surprised that Tom Coughlin allowed most of it to go down and says Belichick would never let that fly. The guys also touch on the little mistake the Giants team website made yesterday in putting up the "Giants are Super Bowl Champions" homepage yesterday - that's a no-no!
JaJuan Johnson spoke with Grande & Max after the Celtics beat the Bulls today at the Garden.
Sean Grande & Cedric Maxwell sat down with ESPN's Doris Burke during halftime of Celtics/Bulls
Doc Rivers & Sean Grande preview Celtics-Bulls today at the Garden. Tune in to Celtics Today at 3:00p to hear the full interview
Dustin tells us you can't hustle a hustler, and other funny anecdotes.
The Sox GM joined Glenn and Michael to talk Scutaro, Punto, Oswalt, Luxury Tax and all things off-season.
Dustin Pedroia joined the Big Show for his weekly segment, and talked about losing Scutaro, gaining Cody Ross and Nick Punto, and then got a surprise from his best friend.
Brad Marchand joins the show and talks about if Tim Thomas is a distraction to the team and why the Bruins have been struggling as of late.
Andrew joins D&C to discuss how he feels about Tim Thomas' political views and how Patrice Bergeron has been the MVP for the team so far this season. Andrew also talks about how they have to regroup and make adjustments to get out this funk the team is currently in.
Brad Marchand joins the show to talk about President Obama calling him out on stage and Tim Thomas skipping the White House visit.
WEEI's own Rob Bradford joins the guys to talk about Ortiz's arbitration hearing live from St. Petersburg and predicts what he thinks will happen.
Mike Adams fills in for Meter and covers Sunday's sports stories. One Celtics' player had a fantastic afternoon and so did Phil Mickelson.
Jerry Sandusky addressed the media on Friday and offered comments on his current situation. Dino and Gerry react to those statements and do not think he should be allowed extra priveleges.
Brad Marchand joins the show and talks about if Tim Thomas is a distraction to the team and why the Bruins have been struggling as of late.
Jackie Mac makes her weekly appearance and talks about the Celtics loss to the Lakers, the team's future, and what will happen with Paul Pierce.
In an ugly game, the Celtics lost to the Lakers in OT. Have we seen the last of the current Lakers Celtics rivalry?
We play the soundbite from the NFL Network from Super Bowl 46 where Bill Belichick is telling his defense 'this is still a Cruz and Nicks game'. The Patriots of course were then burned by Mario Manningham on the Giants game-winning drive. We discuss whether it was the right decision or not.
Glenn and Michael debate what, if anything, Shaq is bringing to the table for TNT's NBA pre and postgame coverage.
We talk about Tim Thomas refusing to speak to reporters about his political ramblings on Facebook, and about whether or not this is a media driven controversy, or a genuine distraction for Thomas' Bruins teammates.
The discussion of the Patriots loss in the Super Bowl and just like any other loss, the coaching is called into question and whether a defensive coordinator on staff would have helped Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
Mikey has made no bones about his feelings on Pau Gasol, what will he do if the Celtics trade Rondo for Gasol? Also our buddy LB calls in to talk about the Patriots Super Bowl loss.
Mikey talks to some Patriots fans who are still looking at the loss and breaking down what went wrong but are also looking to the future for the franchise.
Losing the Super Bowl? Terrrrrrrrrrrrrrible.
This week's whine of the week winner. If you are our winner please send an email with which whine you left and all of your information to whineoftheweek@weei.com
Live from Hurricane's... not Cocaine's which is where Oil Can Boyd wanted to be broadcasting from. Plus the Cranky Yankee Bitch reaches her tipping point.
Our friend from Pittsburgh, Mark Madden, joins D&C to give his take on the Joe Paterno/Penn State scandal and says Jerry Sandusky may have been 'Pimping Out Young Boys to Rich Donors.'
More from this showGlenn and Michael debate what, if anything, Shaq is bringing to the table for TNT's NBA pre and postgame coverage.
More from this showD&C receive a second call from Joe in Nashville voicing his frustration over the Pats not bringing back Randy Moss during last offseason.
More from this showDustin joined Glenn and Michael on the Big Show, and they asked him if they could take a call. Dustin agreed, and the caller then went on to rip the crap out of him. What Dustin didn't know is that the caller was one of his best friends... Andre Ethier from the Dodgers.
More from this showMatt Perrault asks our listeners if they believe Bruin goalie Tim Thomas should take down his Facebook page. The media hasn't let down and Matt looks to dig deep into the situation. What do you think the Bruins should do?
More from this show