A.L. East Preview: Red Sox Must Move On From 2011 Debacle

With one of the highest payrolls in the major leagues at more than $160 million, the Boston Red Sox should be in the hunt for division and league titles once again … if they can forget how last season ended for them.

The Action: The Beantowners suffered one of the biggest collapses in the history of baseball in 2011, going 7-20 in September and bowing out of the wild-card race in an embarrassing and public fashion. Amid the fallout, former general manager Theo Epstein went to the Chicago Cubs and Ben Cherington was named as his replacement.

In one of his first moves, Cherington hired ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine to be the manager after Terry Francona departed and took his 2004 and 2007 World Series rings with him. A couple of veterans, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and catcher/captain Jason Varitek, recently retired. The club also lost Jonathan Papelbon to the Phillies via free agency, so Cherington picked up fragile but effective closer Andrew Bailey from the Athletics. Infielders Marco Scutaro and Jed Lowrie were traded, and former Royal Mike Aviles is expected to fill the hole at shortstop.

It’s A Lock: They have one of the best batting orders in the league, including slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, aggressive second sacker Dustin Pedroia, grinding third baseman Kevin Youkilis, speedy outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and DH David Ortiz. The top two pitchers are also solid, with southpaw Jon Lester and righthander Josh Beckett ready to take their turns in the rotation. Former reliever Daniel Bard could be ready to step up as a starter, and Clay Buchholz will look to rebound from back problems.

Hedge Your Bets: Outfielder Carl Crawford says he doesn’t need more rest after wrist surgery, and has said he might even be in the lineup on Opening Day. This sounds like bravado, and he could damage himself more if he rushes himself back to the field. Valentine has managed more than 2,000 games and even took the N.Y. Mets to the World Series in 2000; however, he hasn’t been in a North American dugout since 2002 so the jury is still out on how he will handle this team, particularly the pitching staff. Hurlers John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka will be out for extended periods, and catching duties will be split among Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Kelly Shoppach and possibly converted outfielder Ryan Lavarnway.

The Payoff: This is still one of the most explosive rosters in the majors, so the spotlight is on Valentine to have them perform well; if they don’t, the pressure will shift to Cherington to get another skipper. The MLB futures betting has Boston among the favorites to win the American League pennant and the World Series. To do that, they need to leave everything on the field … and to save the chicken, beer and videogames for the post-game festivities.