It might just be worth another go-round, after all.

You might think the impetus for suggesting the Red Sox should bring back the trio of David Ortiz, Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre has everything to do with what transpired at Safeco Field early Wednesday morning. Not true. 

Sure, the Sox' 9-6 win over the Mariners offered a sampling as to the importance of retaining the services of the three players. But their worth to Terry Francona's team had already been defined before Ortiz punctuated the evening of baseball in the Northwest with a decisive three-run homer in the eighth inning.

The reasons for wanting to hold on to all three players isn't complex. The group of middle-of-the-order bats has combined to hit 72 home runs, making up three of the top four hit-producers on the Sox. This time around, the payoff came in the form of Martinez, Beltre and Ortiz going 7-for-12 with four RBI and three runs.

Still, the naysayers will be looking for better solutions around the free agent corner. To bring back Martinez and Beltre it would take both substantial financial and yearly commitments. Ortiz might only cost a one-year leap of faith thanks to his team option, but at $12.5 million it would be (despite his sixth 30-home run season) most likely above market value.

The fact is that when it comes to the three players and their presence on the Red Sox, their skill sets complement each other well enough to make this lineup work.

Sure, there will be other options. 

The meat-of-the-order money might be used toward one of the high-priced free agent outfielders (Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adam Dunn), with cheaper alternatives waiting to fill in the gaps left behind at DH, catcher or third baseman. (For what it's worth: After hitting his fifth and sixth home runs in the latest Sox win, Jed Lowrie has 16 extra-base hits in 120 at-bats.)

But for what they offer, compared to the potential replacements and the commitments those players would be demanding, the argument for doing whatever it takes to bring the band back is gaining steam.

WHAT THEY DELIVER

Beltre and Ortiz all have the best OPS of any American League player at their respective positions, while Martinez is only behind Minnesota's Joe Mauer. And while it is understood that the future is the future, and projecting how each will fare heading deeper into their 30s is an uneven proposition, using the here and now isn't a bad starting point in analyzing the dynamic.

The risk attached to Ortiz would be perceived to be not in years committed but the memory of ineffective back-to-back Aprils. But a closer look suggests the Sox have something in the DH few teams can claim.

Since June 5 of last season, Ortiz has the ninth-best OPS in the American League, topping the likes of Mauer, Justin Morneau, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.

The obstacle for Martinez would appear to be in regard to his defensive question marks. That fit, however, could be made more amenable with the assumption that the 31-year-old could at least buy the Sox a year or two in regard to finding their next two-way backstop. Martinez could then potentially slide into the spot eventually vacated by Ortiz.

But what shouldn't be ignored is the fact that Martinez is a legitimate, switch-hitting No. 3 hitter. Or that the catcher's presence has coincided with the emergence of Clay Buchholz, who is 21-10 with a 3.14 ERA since Martinez came to the Sox last season. (Martinez has caught all but nine of starter's 229 1/3 innings during that span.)

Beltre's worth isn't difficult to decipher, with his numbers jumping off the page (including a .342 batting average with runners in scoring position). It's just a matter of if the Red Sox want to make the kind of commitment only the elite of the elite players warrant, because in all likelihood that's what it's going to take to lock up the third baseman. 

HOW THEY FIT IN THE LINEUP

The Red Sox have two of their perceived run-producers, Ortiz and J.D. Drew, hitting .210 and .203 against left-handers, respectively, with only a combined six home runs. Another semi-regular, Bill Hall, has totaled just a .200 clip against lefties.

Yet -- get ready for this -- the Red Sox have more homers and a higher slugging percentage against southpaws than any team in the American League. They also have the third-best batting average vs. left-handers among all AL clubs.

How is that possible?

Well, start with the fact that the Sox on the verge of becoming the first team in 36 years to have two hitters bat .400 or better against left-handers thanks to the presence of Kevin Youkilis (.404) and Martinez (.400). Factor in Beltre's .329 average and it all starts to make sense.

To drive home the point: During the span Martinez was out with a fractured left thumb (from June 28-July 25) the Red Sox' batting average against left-handers dropped to.252 with a slugging percentage that ranked just 12th in the big leagues.

There isn't much of a drop-off against right-handers, either, with the Red Sox boasting the third-best OPS vs. righties of any team in the majors, possessing the second-most home runs.

For the success against right-handers Beltre is again a big part of the solution, hitting .328. But it is Ortiz' presence that rounds out the lineup's balance, with the DH totaling the majors' fourth-best slugging percentage when facing righties.

All of it adds up to paint the kind of cohesive picture many Sox fans might have taken for granted.

The chances of the Red Sox bringing back all three still seems a long-shot for various reasons. But Tuesday did offer another reminder that executing such a plan might not be such a bad idea.