The Red Sox kicked off their offseason quickly, acquiring Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins just hours after the Yankees won the World Series (insert vomitingsound here). The Sox gave up minor league southpaws Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez for Hermida, the 11th overall draft pick in 2002. He hasn’t performed up to expectations for the Marlins, but a change of scenery and a different role could be just what he needs. Hermida had this to say about his first major career move: “I made some great friends and they treated me very well [in Florida]. On the other hand, I’m very excited to go to a city like Boston and a team like that. There isn’t a better team, in comparison. Just the history and the fan base that they have. I’m very excited to go up there and be a part of that as well.”

In other hot stove news, the Red Sox picked up their option for catcher Victor Martinez, who was acquired from the Indians at the Trade Deadline. Martinez will return as the starting catcher in 2010, and a long-term deal may be around the corner.

Boston had three more contract options to make a decision on today, none of which were exercised. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez had a $6 million option, though the Red Sox may have plans to re-sign him for less money. Captain Jason Varitek had his $5 million option declined, but he has three days to decide if he wants to exercise his personal $3 million option that would keep him in Boston for the 2010 season.

Knuckleballer Tim Wakefild’s year-to-year mutual option was nullified by a new two-year deal for the longest-tenured member of the Sox. Wakefield is just 17 wins shy of the All-Time Red Sox record of 192 that is shared by Cy Young and Roger Clemens.

After weeks of boring, unimportant games the playoffs are finally here.

I’m a little mad at Anaheim right now after the Ducks spanked the Bruins 6-1, but I’m very excited about the Sox and their familiar foe, the Angels. The Angels have lost to the Red Sox three out of three times in the ALDS, and are 0-4 to them all-time in the playoffs. History would give the Sox the edge, but the Angels are a different team this year.

Jon Lester is pitching tonight against John Lackey. The Sox clearly have the pitching advantage, with the only match-up that favors the Angels being Game 3’s Bucholz-Kazmir duel. The teams are even at the plate, with the Sox having the power edge and the Angels having the small-ball advantage.

The umpiring crew may be a factor in this series, as some of baseball’s worst are among it. Curt Schilling called in to WEEI this afternoon and had some words of wisdom about the crew. He said a few of them sucked, and he went so far as to calling Joe West and ass and criticizing him for being against the Red Sox. Whether or not this will be a factor remains to be seen.

Another positive note for this postseason is the coverage TBS will provide for the series. Chip Caray is working the Yankees-Twins series this year (suckers!) and working the Sox-Angels is none other than NESN play-by-play man Don Orsillo. Sure we have have to contend with Buck Martinez mispronouncing Ortiz’ name again, but at least this will only happen every few innings.

The season is winding down and the playoffs are looming. The Yankees have all but wrapped up the division despite several Red Sox fans still insisting they go all out for the last few games. The Sox do have the Wild Card and will play the Angels again in the 1st round.

Yesterday, Jon Lester took a liner off the side of the leg—the right quad to be exact—and he is listed day-to-day. This is terrible news considering he was just named the Game 1 starter in the postseason. The good news is that he does have time to recover before the playoffs, but just how healthy he will be is a giant question mark. The rest of the rotation is iffy right now. Josh Beckett hasn’t been as dominant recently as he was earlier in the year, which is why Lester was named the Game 1 starter in the first place. Clay Bucholz has been lights-out as of late, but he has never pitched in October. Daisuke Matsuzaka was huge in the ‘07 postseason, but he is still returning from injury that has drastically shortened his year. How he pitches today against CC Sabbathia could be a big sign of what he may be like in the playoffs.

The lineup is not a problem at all for the Sox, as 1 through 9 have been producing, not including Jason Varitek. The two guys in the lineup who will be key are David Ortiz, who’s 2nd half stats do not reflect those of the first few months, and Alex Gonzalez, who has given the team much more out of the 9-spot than Gold Glove defense at short.

Jason Varitek on the other hand is a black hole in the lineup and he isn’t worth it defensively. While he calls the game better than most catchers in the league, it’s not like Victor Martinez can’t hold his own behind the plate, and against a good hitting team like the Yankees, the Sox can’t afford to give away outs like Varitek that could be avoided. I have a feeling this might be Tek’s last year in Boston and the talks with Texas over Jarrod Saltalamaccia and/or Taylor Teagarden will start back up and get deeper this offseason. As good as he has been in his long tenure with Boston, it just doesn’t seem like Vartiek will fit with the Sox moving forward. But as bad he has seemed to Boston fans this year, he would still be a valuable addition to a young playoff contender like the Marlins to give their pitching the boost it needs.

With a month to go in the season, the Red Sox have put together a successful season so far. Considering all the team has had to go through with injuries, inconsistencies, and David Ortiz, adds to the impressive performance.

At 76-54 and leading the wild card, the Sox are meeting pre-season expectations—at first glance. However, if David Ortiz had been hitting all season, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield were healthy, and Brad Penny and John Smoltz actually paid off, the Sox’s record might be even more impressive. Although if that did happen, we most likely wouldn’t have Victor Martinez and Alex Gonzalez now, which could have hurt in the postseason.

Since were on the topic of mid-season acquisitions, I think I’ll break down the new guys. Victor Martinez has added depth to the Sox and gave David Ortiz the slugger he asked for in the offseason. Defensively he’s no Jason Varitek, but his big bat more than makes up for that. Alex Gonzalez has been giving the Sox much more than they ever asked for. After claiming him from Cincinnati, their goal was to plug up the defensive hole that was shortstop. He’s clearly the one for the job, seeing as how he is the best defensive shortstop the Red Sox have ever had—he set the club record for fielding percentage at shortstop in 2006. Offensively, he has been a bonus from the number 9 spot and has become a big part of the Sox for the final month. Billy Wagner still has to prove himself though, and if he’s anything like Eric Gagne, the Sox could be in trouble. Thankfully, Okajima has emerged as one of the game’s top setup men, so Wagner won’t be a necessary part of the ‘pen for the postseason. Paul Byrd is also worth noting, as he was seen as Theo recycling another old pitcher, but his return to the Majors last night was impressive as he shutout the Jays over six innings.

The Red Sox’ upcoming schedule is tough, wtih the Rays, Angels, and Yankees as the top foes. They do have a few easy series against the Orioles, Royals, and Indians, but by the time those games come around, the playoff picture may very well be determined.

As every baseball fan has most likely already heard about, it was leaked that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were among the players who failed the 2003 drug test. It wasn’t as much as a surprise with Ramirez, who was suspended earlier this year, than it was with Ortiz, who has repeatedly denied taking PEDs and criticized the use of them.

The post before mine has already analyzed the situation, but from an extremely anti-Red Sox position. Therefore, I would like to clear things up a little bit:

For the first time, we know that a World Series Championship was won by using steroids.  Two actually.  The Red Sox champions of 2004 and 2007 were built around Ortiz and Ramirez.  Without them the Red Sox don’t even contend, let alone win.

Actually, if Ortiz and Ramirez don’t produce in ‘04, Nomar is traded for offense instead of defense. Plus, saying that the Red Sox are the only ones to blame is very untrue, as explained by a recent quote from Pedro Martinez: “There’s no crying in baseball. We won in 2004. That’s it. Are you going to tell me that the other guys, who used it on other teams are now whining? They used it, too.”

Should their championships be rescinded and awarded to the National League teams?  If I were a Cardinal or a Rockies fan, that’s the remedy I would be demanding.

Do you think the Padres, Braves, and Mets deserve the Yankees’ late 90’s championships? Those great teams could have had more than a few juicers.

Have the Red Sox cheated in other ways?  Why are they such a good team at home, but a sub-.500 team on the road (except when playing the moribund Orioles)?

Wow. That is a very hollow accusation. The Red Sox are 27-25 on the road. The Yankees are 28-25 on the road. Both teams are 35-17 at home. So do the Yankees cheat at home too? What about the Rays, who are 34-18 at home? The 37-21 Rangers?

What is clear is that doubt will now surround everything that happens in Fenway Park.  The suspicion will grow that a culture of corruption permeates the Red Sox clubhouse.  Major League Baseball needs to confront this problem before it infects all of baseball.

Definitely. The most consistent team of this decade must have done something to cheat. The team that won four World Series in five years is completely innocent though.

Left Field: While he isn’t the hitter that Manny Ramirez was, everything else Jason Bay does is an upgrade. He is faster, smarter, a better fielder, and more committed than Manny was (and still is). His offensive production is good on the surface with 20 home runs on the season, but he is hitting just .252. Overall though, he is still providing more than most people expected him to. GRADE: A-

Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury has had a better season so far than he did in his last two. Ellsbury produced well in the bottom of the order. He has been getting on and stealing bases to set up the top of the order for most of the season. Recently he has been moved back to the top of the order where he should still be able to set the table for the heart of the order, but with Boston’s best hitters up after him, he will probably have fewer opportunities to steal bases. GRADE: B

Right Field: The difference between JD Drew and Julio Lugo is that Drew actually deserves some of the outragous amount of money the Red Sox shelled out in 2007. While he has been plagued by a few injuries and a tough ‘07 season he has been a good contributor in Boston’s lineup. This year has been no exception, with Drew putting up decent numbers in both the middle and top of the Red Sox’ lineup. GRADE: B

Backups: Rocco Baldelli is playing well as Boston’s 4th outfielder, and showing few signs of his muscle disorder which limits his playing time. He has been putting up adequate numbers and has been playing solid defensively. Mark Kotsay has been the only other player to backup the outfielders, but he has been used mainly at First Base. With Adam LaRoche coming over from the Pirates, Kotsay may be used more in the outfield now. Chris Duncan coming over from St. Louis also gives the Sox more depth in the outfield, but he most likely won’t be in Boston until the rosters expand in September. GRADE: C

Catcher: A long off-season for Jason Varitek hasn’t seemed to hurt the captain for the first half of 2009. After a poor season at the plate last year, Varitek has been off to a better start this year and is putting up adequate numbers for a 37-year-old catcher. He has also been terrific as always behind the plate, contributing to much of the pitchers’ success. Rookie George Kottares has been good catching Wakefield’s Knuckleball so far and has been valuable behind the plate for the other pitchers. His .213 average isn’t superb, but it isn’t much worse than Tek’s last year. GRADE: B

First Base: Kevin Youkilis has been an All-Star both in the field and at the plate since his conversion from Third to First in 2006. He has also been backed up well by Mark Kotsay and Jeff Bailey at times. The recent acquisition of Adam LaRoche from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chris Duncan from the St. Louis Cardinals now gives Terry Francona more options with Kotsay if he needs another outfielder. GRADE: A-

Second Base: After winning the AL MVP last year, Dustin Pedroia’s numbers are below what he expected of himself, but still they were worthy of an All-Star nomination this year. His glove has been just as steady as before, but with five errors already (he made 6 in both 2007 and 2008) he hasn’t been quite as strong as in past years. GRADE: B+

Third Base: Mike Lowell’s hip hasn’t fully healed, and it has been reflected on his play this year. Offensively he’s been solid but he hasn’t been able to generate the power of his Marlins and early Red Sox days. Defensively he is still reliable, but his range is gone and he hasn’t been able to play everyday. Youkilis will be the Third Baseman as soon as Lars Anderson is ready for the big leagues, but with the acquisition of LaRoche, the Red Sox have the option of putting him at First and Youk at Third should Lowell be unable to produce. GRADE: B-

Shortstop: Baseball’s version of the lottery, Shortstop at Fenway Park has been a revolving door of players since 2004. The Red Sox have used 10 different players consistently at Shortstop since that time, with Julio Lugo being the only player since Nomar Garciaparra to be in the starting lineup on Opening Day twice. The nightmare that was Lugo is now gone, with the underachieving player being sent to St. Louis for Duncan, and Nick Green is the current starter. Jed Lowrie is back from injury but it appears that he will be used in utility to back up Second Base and occasionally Third with the impressive play that Green has shown. He has been good offensively, and he has greatly improved defensively, equipped with one of the strongest arms in the game. GRADE: B+

Pitching rotation: Thanks to two smart acquisitions in the off-season, injuries and inconsistent pitching from Daisuke Matsuzaka haven’t hurt the Red Sox heavily. Tim Wakefield, the Red Sox’ best statistical pitcher from the past few seasons, pitched well enough in the first half of the season to make his first All-Star appearance at age 42. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett shrugged off slow starts to return to their dominant forms, with Beckett joining Wakefield at the All-Star Game. Brad Penny is pitching well as the number 5 starter while John Smoltz is getting better since coming back from injury. GRADE: A-

Bullpen: With Coco Crisp expendable in an overcrowded outfield, Theo Epstien shipped him to the Kansas City Royals for Ramon Ramirez to bolster an already strong bullpen.  He also brought in Takashi Saito to serve as another 8thinning guy to compliment Hideki Okajima as the bridge to Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon on the other hand hasn’t been as dominant as he was in years past, yet he still has converted 23 of 25 saves. Pap has been much like Matsuzaka was last year, getting in, then out of jams. GRADE: A

It’s hard to believe it was five years ago that the trade that sent Nomar Garciaparra to Chicago and a World Series to Boston. It’s also hard to believe that over the span of those five years he hasn’t played a single game in Boston. In his return Nomar displayed his affection for the fans before his first at-bat in the 2nd inning, and voiced it after the game to the media.

In his prime, Nomar was one of, if not the best player in the game. Most people believed he would be in the Hall of Fame one day, before multiple injuries took their toll on the star. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1997, won two batting titles, and was a five time All-Star during his stint with the Red Sox. After his trade to the Cubs in ‘04, Nomar never produced the All-Star numbers he put up in Boston. After the Cubs, Nomar moved on to the Los Angeles Dodgers for three years in which he was also plagued by injuries, and he has also lost time this year, his first with the Oakland Athletics, to injury.

The Fenway Faithful gave Nomar a lengthy ovation as he stepped to the plate and cheered him as he ran back to the dugout after grounding out to third base. On his way back to the visitor’s dugout, Nomar also pointed to and thanked the Red Sox in their dugout. He went 2 for 4 with an RBI in his return.

The Yankees came into Fenway Park with a one game lead in the division and with something to prove. They left Fenway down two games and without a single win against their biggest rivals in 2009.

Game 1 was all Red Sox. David Ortiz hit a bomb into straight away center field in the 3rd inning for his 3rd home run of the year. AJ Burnett, normally a dominating pitcher against the Red Sox, couldn’t get out of that inning. Josh Beckett gave up just one hit—an infield single that Pedroia almost prevented—over six innings en route to a 7-0 shutout.

Game 2 started similarly, with Chein-Ming Wang failing to get out of the 3rd, much like Burnett the night before. New York’s offense would get them back in the game, but Jonathan Papelbon shut the door in the 9th to secure a 6-5 victory.

The final game of the series marked the first start for CC Sabathia against the Red Sox in a Yankees uniform. He gave up an opposite field home run to Ortiz in the 3rd, but shut the Red Sox down for most of the game after that. The Yanks got three runs in the 8th to take the lead and were set up for the win, but Joe Girardi sent Sabathia back out for the 8th, who gave up four runs. Papelbon came in for the 9th and set down Jeter, Damon, and Teixeira for his 16th save of the season.

David Ortiz hit two home runs in the series, a very good sign to Red Sox fans. Jacoby Ellsbury did not play in any of the games after injuring his shoulder on Sunday against the Rangers. The Red Sox have won nine straight games against the Yankees dating back to last year, their longest streak since 1912 when they won 14 straight against New York.

In other news, the Sox loaded up on more prospects in the First-Year Player Draft. The draft has been the key to the Sox’ recent success, as they have stocked up their minor league teams on bright young prospects. Some notables include thier first round pick Reymond Fuentes, a left handed center fielder who is the cousin of Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran. Another one is Luke Bard, the brother of Daniel Bard, who topped 100 MPH in the 9th inning of the Sox-Yankees game on Tuesday. They also drafted Micheal Yastrzemski, the grandson of Red Sox legend and Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.