Waiting for the BBC

Red Sox fans are a little odd. Well, I guess people are odd, so Red Sox fans are too.

Justin Upton signed an enormous deal yesterday, apparently. (Quick side note. It's wonderful how every additional signing makes the David Price deal look like the steal of the century) With the signing, some Red Sox fans commented that apparently the Sox are happy with their outfield situation.

I'm sorry. Was that ever in question?

The odd part is that I can't decide what the problem is. Could it be as simple as falling in love with the back-up quarterback? When Hanley Ramirez was in the outfield, Sox fans couldn't wait to see the kids play. Heck, some fools were actually calling for De Aza to start. So, now that the Sox have listened, fans are wondering where the veteran outfielder is. 

It's reached the point where I don't know what fans would think if the Red Sox acquired Mike Trout. I swear half of them would say his best years are behind him, while the other half would say he's so young that they need an older guy with a longer consistent history.

Yes, the outfield has some question marks. Duh. Every player has question marks. But, here's the big factor. The Sox aren't depending on those question marks. Will Mookie Betts be an MVP candidate again this year? It would be hard to expect that. But, should he be at an all star level? Most likely. If he's going to drop much farther than that, well, them's the breaks. Can Jackie Bradley Jr hit? No idea. Question mark. Can he hit well enough to be the ninth batter in the line-up? Probably. Will Chris Young be able to take some of the heat off? Maybe. Will Bradley continue to play defense so amazing that it might not matter if he hits his weight? Most likely. Can Castillo play? At an above-average level? Maybe. Question mark. Can he play as well as some of the left fielders the Sox have tossed out there in the past? Probably. 

Because, here's the thing. There should be no question marks in the field. Castillo can handle left field as well or better than any of the last, what, dozen left fielders for the Sox? Betts and Bradley might be the Best CF-RF combo in the field since Lynn-Evans, or even Speaker-Hooper.

The questions come at the plate. So, let's look at a potential line-up, shall we?

Betts
Pedroia
Bogaerts
Ortiz
Ramirez
Sandoval
Castillo
Swihart
Bradley

Are there teams out there without question marks at 7-8-9? That's why there's a bottom of the order. To place players who might not be able to hit. Sort of like a fifth starter. Sure, it'd be nice if your ninth hitter was a future Hall of Famer. But, if that's what fans are waiting for, they're going to be waiting a long long time.

So until then, let's enjoy Betts-Bradley-Castillo. It should be a lot of fun with tremendous upside.

After all, it's exactly what you wanted.