If (or rather when) boston signs Matsuzaka, do you think boston will be the favorites to win the AL East AND the World Series? You've gotta admit, that pitching staff will look pretty deadly with Schilling, Matsuzaka, Beckett, Papelbon, etc.
No way.
Schilling's best days are behind him;Matsuzaka is unproven in the big leagues; Papelbon has to do it again to convince me he's good; and Beckett didn't impress last year.
I really thought at the beginning of last season that the Sox didn't have the talent to make the post-season.
It seems to me that the Yankees and Red Sox habitually make moves that are motivated by the need to spite each other that they lose focus on the essential ingredients necessary to put together a complementary team.
I agree that Schilling's best days are behind him but he didn't have a bad year at all. He was 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA (not too bad coming from a guy who's 40-years-old AND came back from an ankle injury that bothered him since the 2004 playoffs).
I also agree that Matsuzaka is unproven in the bigs thus far but he must be pretty darn good if teams like the Yankees and Red Sox are willing to spend this type of money just to negotiate a contract. $51.1 million is a BIG gamble and boston seems to think he's worth it.
I further agree that Papelbon has to prove himself again before I believe him (much like the Detroit Tigers next year and Chicago White Sox this past year). But you've gotta admit, 35 saves with a 0.92 ERA in his first year is pretty impressive from any standard.
Finally, I agree that Beckett didn't impress anyone last year. However, I'm positive his '07 season will be better than his '06 season in which he went 16-11 with a 5.01 ERA. He can't get much worse and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him come back better next year now that he's got his first "transition" year of AL work under his belt.
Boston missing the playoffs this year really never entered my mind. They were a better team defensively and their offense was their most of the year (how many games did Ortiz win this year?). Boston may not have the stacked lineup the Yankees have but when the #3 & #4 hitters come up, they do damage and drive in runs. Let's not forget this was a boston team that was in first place most of this past season and crapped out in early August.
