Last season, the AL East was a mad house: four highly competitive teams were vying for one or two playoff spots. In one of the tightest play-off races in the past five years, four teams, the Red Sox, Rays, Yankees, and Blue Jays, all finished with over 85 wins. Having learned their lesson from last season when they cut payroll and let key players leave, both the Red Sox and Yankees are looking to splash the cash this off-season. Since neither of these two premier teams finished in first place, there will be a mad dash for free agents in the AL East. Here is a preview of the Red Sox off-season plans.

Rotation:
The Sox have a large list of starting pitchers, probably their greatest surplus of talent. The top three are clearly set: Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Jon Lester; however, spots four and five are up for grabs. The Sox have Tim Wakefield, Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson, and even Michael Bowden as possible starters, making at least one, if not two, of them expandable. Wakefield is most likely to take one of the spots, with Buchholz or Masterson taking the final one. There is a chance though that the Sox sign a starting pitcher to counter-act the Yankees pursuit of aces CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Ben Sheets. The most likely candidate is Derek Lowe, who has said he would love to come back, and that he might even take a small pay cut to do it. The Sox should also be in on AJ Burnett, but probably to raise the price for the Yankees and Blue Jays. To add to the Sox surplus, recently signed 22-year old Junichi Tawaza, who will start in the minors, but who has a chance to make the major league roster later in the season. There are also rumors that the Sox have their eye on Japanese Vet Kenshin Kawakami, who is said to have mutual interest with the Sox.

Predictions:
Sox end up raising the prices for the Yankees on AJ Burnett, Ben Sheets and Derek Lowe, but do not sign any of the three. Instead the Sox sign Kenshin Kawakami, who would be the fourth Japanese player on the Sox, to a two year contract for a little under $10 million.

2009 Rotation:
1. Josh Beckett
2. Daisuke Matsuzaka
3. Jon Lester
4. Kenshin Kawakami
5. Tim Wakefield
Spot Starter: Clay Buchholz/Junichi Tawaza

Bullpen:
The Sox have clearly made good strides this off-season in addressing a weakness. The Sox already have a solid bullpen with Jon Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, and Hideki Okajima, but the Sox added another big piece, acquiring Ramon Ramirez from the Royals for Coco Crisp in late November. The Sox also acquired Wes Littleton, who is coming off surgery, but who was a solid relief pitcher two years ago.

Predictions:
I don’t see the Sox making another bullpen move this off-season, unless it is for a minor leaguer.

2009 Bullpen:
Closer: Jon Papelbon
Setup: Hideki Okajima
Middle: Manny Delcarmen
Middle: Ramon Ramirez
Middle: Javy Lopez
Long: David Aardsma

Infield:
The Sox lost a huge bat with Manny Ramirez departing at last season’s trade deadline, and they need to regain the lost power. The premier hitting free agent on the market, first baseman Mark Teixera, is very high on Sox’s list, and could be offered the biggest contract ever in Red Sox history. The problem is, the Sox are set on the corners with third baseman Mike Lowell and first baseman/third baseman Kevin Youkilis, meaning one of them has to go or be a bench player. Lowell is the obvious choice here, but coming off his hip surgery, his value has plummeted and the return value would not be too high, especially if the Sox do not take on some of his salary. The market for Lowell will not be huge, but there will be one. The Sox will also probably sign a utility infielder to replace Alex Cora. Former Mariner infielder Willie Bloomquist is on the Sox’s radar, and may be offered a one year deal if the Sox decide to keep Lugo on the bench and start Jed Lowrie at short, although there have been rumors that the Sox have slight interest in Rafael Furcal. Clearly, second base will be occupied by last season’s AL MVP, Dustin Pedroia.

Predictions:
Sox splash the cash and sign Mark Teixera to the largest deal in Red Sox history with an eight year, 145 million dollar deal. Sox trade Mike Lowell to the Minnesota Twins for a low-level minor leaguer with decent potential. Sox also sign infielder Willie Bloomquist to be the final man off the bench.

2009 Infield:
1B: Mark Teixera
2B: Dustin Pedroia
SS: Jed Lowrie
3B: Kevin Youkilis
Bench: Julio Lugo
Bench: Willie Bloomquist

Outfield:
The Sox have a loaded outfield with Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury, and J.D. Drew. The Sox do need a backup outfielder or two to fill the holes left by the departures of Coco Crisp and Mark Kotsay, although Kotsay could be re-signed. There has been interest shown in former Red Sox players Jay Payton and Gabe Kapler, and interest in hometown boy, and former Tampa Bay Ray, Rocco Baldelli.

Predictions:
Sox sign two backup, Rocco Baldelli and Gabe Kapler, making their roster complete. Along with being able to play Kapler at first, the Sox get some nice hitters who can come off the bench and make a difference in the game.

Catching:
The Sox have one catcher on their roster right now, Kevin Cash, who clearly will not be the starter in 2009. The Sox offered arbitration to Jason Varitek, hoping to get him back for at least one more year, but Varitek rejected the offer and is testing the free market but this doesn’t mean the Sox will not make a move for Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Taylor Teagarden. The Sox will most likely offer up Justin Masterson or Michael Bowden and a prospect for either.

Predictions:
Varitek signs a one year deal, getting 10 to 11 million, and trade Justin Masterson and a minor league player for Jarrod Saltalamacchia

2009 Catching:
C: Jason Varitek
Bench: Jarrod Saltalamacchia