The Red Sox have some top hitters back, including Adrian Gonzalez. But will that be enough to make the playoffs? (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Colorado Rockies General Manager Dan O’Dowd certainly knows how much stronger the American League has gotten this offseason.
Everybody in baseball knows it.
“Obviously, the AL has what you would consider super teams beyond the Yankees and (Red) Sox,” O’Dowd told The Eagle-Tribune last week.
The Tigers, Angels, Yankees and Rangers have all added talented players.
“But those clubs have also added age and taken away potential flexibility as this season and others unfold,” O’Dowd added.
The AL has gotten so much stronger that Boston — who many thought was MLB’s best club heading into last season — may no longer be even one of the AL’s five best.
I would put the Red Sox sixth right now behind the Tigers, Yankees, Rangers, Rays and Angels in that order.
The rest of the league got stronger while the Sox likely didn’t improve.
But here’s the catch: Boston still is pretty good and has some monetary flexibility that it could use to improve itself during the season, while some other teams might not have that same luxury, as O’Dowd mentioned.
With that said, look at the new-and-improved American League.
“It should be difficult to survive in next year’s postseason,” O’Dowd remarked.
The Angels added the game’s biggest superstar, Albert Pujols, and a frontline starter, C.J. Wilson.
The Tigers added one of baseball’s top five power hitters and brightest stars, Prince Fielder.
The Yankees added 23-year-old phenom Michael Pineda, who has the potential to turn into their ace in a few years, and another reliable starter, Hiroki Kuroda.
The Texas Rangers, the two-time defending American League champions, lost Wilson but added Japanese star Yu Darvish. Don’t forget several promising Japanese pitchers, including Daisuke Matsuzaka, have pitched very well their first couple of years in the majors.
And Tampa Bay will feature one of baseball’s best starting rotations led by James Shields, David Price, 2011 AL Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson and Rookie of the Year candidate Matt Moore.
Plus, Tampa has Haverhill’s Carlos Pena back. He will add more power to the middle of the lineup.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox have stayed rather stagnant.
Yes, they made a couple of moves, including trading for closer Andrew Bailey to replace Jonathan Papelbon and also dealing for setup man Mark Melancon to replace Daniel Bard, who is preparing to be a starter.
But the starting rotation is a big question mark after Boston failed to dole out the type of money that would land one of the top free agent starters, including Wilson, Kuroda, Edwin Jackson and presumably Roy Oswalt, who remains on the market but likely won’t land in Boston.
The Red Sox probably won’t add another starter before spring training either, GM Ben Cherington admitted a few days ago.
Boston did make some low-risk, potentially high-reward signings, including Vicente Padilla, Aaron Cook and Carlos Silva.
Those three hurlers will compete for the fifth rotation spot with Alfredo Aceves, who the Sox might decide is more valuable as a reliever.
Maybe the Red Sox’ more reserved and careful approach this offseason was the right one to take.
I think it probably was, although it might not seem that way to most of you fans as your Red Sox remained passive while everyone else loaded up their rosters with stars.
Boston certainly has made poor decisions on high-priced free agents in recent years.
So overpaying this offseason probably would not have been prudent, especially when the starting pitching talent was thin and not so clear-cut.
The Sox seem to think they are better off waiting to see if some low-risk, high-reward pitchers pan out and seeing where their real needs exist once the season gets underway and weaknesses are exposed.
One thing, though, is for sure: The Tigers, Yankees, Rays, Rangers and Angels all are better than they were last year.
Therefore, the Red Sox can’t act and think passively for too long, or the rest of the AL will leave them in the dust.
