Time To Tweak Sox?

Are the Red Sox suffering the same kind of World Series hangover that plagued them down the stretch of the 2005 season or is this the beginning of the end of a great run with these core players? The Sox have been inconsistent in many areas of the game this year and with 57 games left in the season, it doesn't look good for them to defend their Championship title.

The Sox have one of the worst road records for a contending team in the history of baseball and are 3-5 since the All-Star break. Unlike last season, their set-up and middle relief have been horrendous and both the defense and starting pitching unreliable at times this year. After strong starts, Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz seem to be approaching 'Sophomore slumps' and both Coco Crisp and Jason Varitek have been struggling at the plate all year. The bottom of their batting order is one of the worst in the league and even Manny Ramirez is showing his age lately.

In contrast, the Yankees are one of the hottest teams in baseball. Despite injuries to Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui, they are 8-0 since the All-Star break and recently have been bolstered by the additions of top hitting Outfielder Xavier Nady and left-handed relief specialist Damaso Marte. The Yankees were 9 games out of first place on July 4th and 6 games behind the Red Sox and now they are tied with the Sox in the loss column. Oh yeah, let's not forget that the Sox still have been chasing the Tampa Bay Rays in the standings for almost 2 months and it's the LA Angels that are the best team in the AL this year. Not only that but they've been swept by both the Rays and the Angels already this season.

With the Yankees moving into a new ballpark next year, there is no way Boston will be able to compete with New York in the future financially, so you can't blame Red Sox Management for wanting to see what the younger players can do. Plus, I'm sure Sox GM Theo Epstein is a bit gun-shy after the Eric Gagne for David Murphy et al trade fiasco last year. However, with a rabid fan base and by far the highest ticket prices in the game, the Red Sox also cannot afford to rebuild and aside from Dustin Pedroia and John Lester, it doesn't look like the kids are stepping up. This means that with aging stars and lackluster production, it could be time to make some big time moves and change the club to keep the momentum going into the future.