Colon, Casey, Okajima, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Buchholz, Lester, Moss, Lowrie, Papelbon, Masterson -- What do these guys have in common?
They are all members of the 2008 Red Sox that have made significant contributions, they are all guys Theo Epstein and his staff are responsible for bringing to Boston and lastly the are not costing the team a great deal of money.
The Red Sox right now have a great deal of depth in their upper minor league and major league rosters. Theo and the boys must take a great deal of credit for this. Now I realize that the financial resources that is at the disposal of this general manager is the second highest in baseball, but those eleven guys listed are absolute bargains.
Colon -- taken as the ultimate low risk - high reward guy is a steal that all other MLB teams wish they had taken. Contract is driven by incentives but will likely not cost the team more than 2 million this year.
Casey -- great clubhouse guy, professional hitter and serves as a back up first baseman and pseudo third baseman (move Youk) over. $800,000
Okajima -- All Star middle reliever and (recent struggles aside) one of the top set up men in MLB. $1, 275,000
Pedroia -- All Star second baseman and 2007 Rookie of the Year. Was overlooked by many teams in the 2004 draft because of his lack of physical skills. $457,000
Ellsbury -- The present and future of the Sox. .300 hitter and stolen base machine. This year's ROY? $406,000
Buchholz and Lester -- Future #2 and #3 starters, electric stuff. $406,000 and $421,500
Moss -- the prototype #4 outfielder that may get traded before he plays regularly for the Sox. $400,00
Lowrie -- showed flashes when called up, big time future. League minimum $400,000
Masterson -- how good has this guy been? Looks like he belongs. League minimum $400,000
Papelbon -- arguably the best closer in the league. $775,000.
Of course, Theo has made mistakes in signings that he wishes he could take back - Lugo, Renteria, Clement - but the Red Sox are developing and signing the right guys at the right time. The minor league system is now ranked second according to Baseball America. This is a huge jump from twenty-seventh at the start of this decade. Though the Sox have money to spend they are spending it very wisely.
It will be interesting to see what Theo decides to do with the contracts of the young players most notably; Papelbon, Pedroia, Buchholz, Lester and Ellsbury. Signing them now to long term (5-7 years) deals below market value (i.e. Crisp, Beckett, Ortiz) would be ideal but the young guys aren't naive.
For now, let us enjoy the great signings and drafting our franchise has made and the knowledge that we will be at the very least one of the top three teams in the American League for years to come. Can the Yankees say that?
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Interesting clause in Colon's contract, the Sox have to release him if they send him down after he gets called up. So from here on out, he stays on the ML roster. I'm thinking that is a reason why Clay is in AAA.
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