Perhaps a significant percentage of the throng of Red Sox fans in the world have yet to put down the champagne, but Theo Epstein sure has. Epstein, General Manager of the Boston ballclub, faces an offseason of uncertainty that sees as many as 17 rostered players file for free agency. Below are inquiries for the 29-year-old wunderkind.
In 2003, you stated: "Fiscal irresponsibility is the single quickest way to hamstring a franchise for a decade." You face the free agencies of Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, Derek Lowe, and Orlando Cabrera, among others. In that same interview in 2003, you said that you "were not cheap." It is rumored, also, that the club does not want to exceed its 2004 payroll of $125 million. Is it possible for the Red Sox to keep even three of the above players without flirting with "fiscal irresponsibility?"
The New York Yankees spent $183 million on their 2004 payroll, only to fall short against Boston in the ALCS. Would you say that the Yankees have been fiscally irresponsible in their signings of Kevin Brown, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and others who have multi-year, monstrous contracts?
"If they don't get me, it's probably because they didn't try hard enough." Those are the words of Pedro Martinez, one of the greatest pitchers in Red Sox history and of the modern era. Pedro is looking for a contract extension that includes guaranteed money for 3-5 years. Are Martinez's demands incompatible with your stated philosophy of keeping your payroll flexible, especially since Martinez can still command a market value somewhere around $12 million a season?
Peter Gammons hailed your trade of Nomar Garciaparra as the highlight of your short career as Boston GM. Was the trade of Garciaparra, the Boston icon, a sign of things to come in terms of your loyalty to Boston stalwarts? In other words, do you not value long-term service to the Red Sox at all? Will you not adjust your offer to players such as Derek Lowe or Pedro Martinez slightly, just to reward them since they are long-time Red Sox players?
The Garciaparra trade was also significant because it changed the face of the Red Sox franchise. Boston fans were used to seeing No. 5 take the field (when he was healthy, of course). We can only conclude that no one is safe from being traded. Is that true, or are there real untouchables on the roster?
Speaking of untouchables, the signing of catcher Jason Varitek is widely known as the Red Sox' top priority this offseason. Varitek is, without a doubt, the leader of the Boston club, and probably the team's most valuable player each year. Knowing this, other clubs may bid up Varitek's price higher than usual for a switch-hitting catcher who can lead and swing the bat well. Are you willing to sign Varitek at all costs, even above expected market value, to avoid the ire of Boston fans and the media who insist that Varitek must be again the Red Sox catcher in 2005 and beyond?
This year's Sox team, the Team That Broke the Curse, did so thanks to incredible clubhouse chemistry. Somehow, the combination of carefree eccentrics like Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Johnny Damon, Kevin Millar, and Pedro Martinez meshed with all-business stoics like Curt Schilling, Mark Bellhorn, Jason Varitek, and Bill Mueller. Without such chemistry, winning eight straight games to win the World Series, after being down 0-3 in the ALCS with three outs to go, would have been impossible. How much will team chemistry factor into your front office decisions?
Orlando Cabrera, Nomar Garciaparra's replacement, hit over .300 as a member of the Red Sox, and also was better than advertised in the field. He did so by free-swinging, a batting philosophy you've been known to denounce. He's 30-years-old and is a free agent. Will he be known only as Garciaparra's temporary, half-season replacement, or are you impressed enough to offer him an acceptable, multi-year contract?
If Cabrera does sign with another team, should we accept that as a sign of your endorsement of Red Sox prospect Hanley Ramirez, who is slated to be ready to join the Sox in 2006 at the shortstop position? And if so, are the Red Sox really going to accept seeing an ancient Omar Vizquel or Barry Larkin handle the shortstop duties, albeit for only one season (2005)?
Scott Williamson has missed significant periods of time the last two seasons with elbow trouble. Though he is known as a quality setup pitcher/closer, is his injury significant enough to let him slip away from the Boston bullpen this offseason as he explores free agency?
Once a couple days had passed after the Red Sox had won the World Series, and you noticed that Derek Lowe had wins in the three clinching games of all three playoff series, did it dawn on you, as it has on this column, that a team like Baltimore or the New York Mets would throw an impossibly large contract at Lowe and his proven playoff experience, despite his 5.42 ERA during the regular season? If so, did Lowe's performance merit a significant increase in the team's offer to Lowe this winter?
In 2003, you also declared the following: "One of the best ways to capitalize on our large-market status and vast resources is to spend wisely and spend big on amateur talent. It's impossible to predict how many young players will reach the big leagues every year, but we hope they come in waves. I hope, within a year or two, that you will see obvious signs of progress in the quantity and quality of our prospects. The real results will not show for three or four years." Everything you do seems to work out and everything you say seems to come true. Should the rest of Major League Baseball be scared?
A week ago, in the champagne celebration that followed your greatest moment, you said: "I'm looking forward to getting baseball to where it was from 1903 to 1918 when the Red Sox kind of set the standard. Why not? We have tremendous revenues, we have a hard-working front office, we have a terrific nucleus of players. Why can't we get back and do this every year?" Are you trying to give Red Sox Nation heart failure?
We'll stay tuned.
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