Consider yourself lucky, Red Sox

The Red Sox are struggling.  But they are not playing much worse than we should have expected anyway.  Just look at the team.  Beckett's ERA is over 5.  Nixon, Veritek, Wakefield, and Clement are hurt.  Foulke, Timlin, and Wells have been both hurt and inconsistent.  The rest of our relievers, with the exception of a certain rookie, are incapable of getting outs consistently.  Their infield, although gold-glove worthy, does not consist of proven hitters.  The man who replaced Damon is hitting .270 and spent part of the year on the DL.  When V-Tek was healthy, his average was down around .260.  Theo made no move to counter the Yankees deal for Bobby Abreu at the trade deadline.

If I were told at the beggining of the year that all this was going to happen, I would have predicted the Red Sox to be 8 or 9 games out of the wildcard and in third place in the AL East.  The Red Sox are lucky they are anywhere close to the Yankees.  Lowell, Loretta, Youkilis, and Gonzalez all exceeded expectations.  Pena has been better than Nixon was.  Manny and Ortiz could very well tie for the MVP this year.  Papelbon's ERA is around 1.00.  Lester has filled the shoes of Wakefield.  Schilling has been just as advertised.  So, consider yourself lucky, Red Sox nation.  Consider yourself lucky you have an outside shot at the playoffs. 

Consider yourself lucky that a year from now, we may very well find ourself in a reverse situation with the Yankees.  Pena could hit 35 homers next year.  Crisp has batted over .300 since the all-star break, stolen 8 bases in 40 games, and only been caught once.  Youkilis's OBP will be around .400 again.  Beckett will be one year older and could quite possibly have an ERA around 3.5 and win 20 games.  Lester, Delcarmen, and Hanses will all develop into two good middle relievers and a great #3 starter.  Papelbon will either be an unbeatable closer or an ace-like starter.  Some new relievers will be signed, and the team may find itself searching for a weakness.

Imagine this lineup:
Crisp - .300+
Youkilis - .300
Manny - 50 homers
Ortiz - 55 homers
Pena - 35 homers
Lowell - .280+, good SLG%
Loretta - .300
Veritek - who knows?
Gonzalez - .280+

and this pitching staff:
Schilling - 3.50
Beckett - 4.00
Lester - 3.50
Papelbon - 3.00
Wakefield - 4.50
Hansen - 3.50 (reliever)
Delcarmen - 3.50 (reliever)

That looks like a team that could easily win 100+ games.  And, after dumping Nixon's and some worthless relievers salaries, and maybe Wells's and Clement's salary, the Red Sox could afford a great bullpen.