Red Sox going for pitching and defense.John Lackey wasn't the only move for the Sox today as Mike Cameron will also be joining the team on a 2 year, $15.5 million deal according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports. The 36-year old will be in Boston tomorrow to take a physical and the deal is expected to be completed after he passes his examination. This effectively spells the end of Jason Bay's tenure in Boston.
The right-handed Cameron hit.250 BA/.342 OBP/.452 SLG last season for the Brewers, while adding 24 HRs and 32 2Bs in 544 ABs. Is he a suitable alternative to Jason Bay? Well, kind of. Cameron absolutely rakes against left-handed pitching. His .271/.420 /.534 line with 7 HRs in 118 ABs (1 HR per 16.5 ABs) stands out. He is the perfect player to platoon with Jeremy Hermida, who the Sox acquired earlier this off-season. Hermida, a lefty who can't hit LHP (a la Trot Nixon), handled righties last year to the tune of .282/.368/.418 in 323 ABs. The Sox will rely on this platoon to be the answer in left field next season as FA Jason Bay will seemingly move on to another club.
The Sox continue to try and improve their team defense which was second worst in the majors last year. Cameron's presence (a three time Gold Glove award winner) in the OF will be better than Bay's suspect range and hopefully the 36-year old's legs can hold up over the length of his deal.
The only real question left for the Sox as far as their starting line-up is who will be manning the corner infield spots. Mike Lowell has not been traded yet due to questions about his thumb, but if he is moved, what will the Sox do? Another spectacular defender in Adrian Beltre? A dream acquisition like Adrian Gonzalez? Time will tell and you can bet the Red Sox will be making some noise in the coming weeks.
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