So much can change from here until spring training and Sox General Manager Theo Epstein has a few other items to tend to before he can open the wallet for the big fish.
For those of you itching for some new blood in the lineup, just know that those other chores might make signing Werth or Crawford an impossibility. If that winds up being the case, and knowing the outfield will still need some help, we wonder what bargain outfielders would be a good fit in Boston if the Red Sox don’t land Crawford or Werth?
The names may not be sexy, but here are 10 potential outfield bargains that could help on a full- or part-time basis, in no particular order:
1. Pat Burrell
He is a career .216 hitter in Fenway Park, provides little in the way of defense and fizzled in his one stint in the American League (.218, 16 HR, 77 RBIs in 146 games with Tampa Bay), so why would the Sox have interest? The 34-year-old still has some pop in his bat and the Red Sox’ outfield had the 11th-ranked OPS in the American League in 2010. A free agent who made $9 million in 2010, Burrell will cost a fraction of that and could be a good option vs. lefties.
2). Brad Hawpe
A 2009 National League All-Star, Hawpe flamed out this season, hitting just .245 with nine homers in 103 games split between Colorado and Tampa Bay. He had batted at least .283 with at least 22 home runs and at least 84 RBIs in his previous four seasons. Could he be completely done at the age of 31? The Sox seemed to think otherwise when they considered signing Hawpe this August after the Rockies released him.
3. Magglio Ordonez
Although he is no longer mentioned among the elite offensive outfielders, Ordonez remains a fantastic hitter. He has hit .292 or better in every year since 1999 and has topped .300 four straight seasons. Injuries cut short his 2010 season but he was batting .313 with 11 homers and 56 RBIs at the All-Star break. The 36-year-old made $18 million last year but will have to take a huge cut somewhere.
4. Marcus Thames
The Yankees received a huge bargain when they signed Thames to a minor league deal last offseason and saw him hit .288 with 12 homers in 212 at-bats. Could provide significant pop off the bench and, like Burrell, in a part-time role against lefties (career .505 slugging percentage).
6. Johnny Damon
Took $8 million to go to Detroit for a year. Would he take much less to return to Boston and play left field? Would the Sox even go that route?
7. Xavier Nady
Has sunk like a stone since a stellar 2008 campaign split between Pittsburgh and New York (.305, 25 HR, 97 RBIs). Would command very little in the way of cash but is not far removed from being a pretty productive player.
8. Austin Kearns
Never lived up to the hype he generated early in his career and was just a bit piece with the Yankees down the stretch in 2010. Still, Kearns is a solid defensive player with some power. Not a bad guy to have around.
9. Scott Hairston
His brother, Jerry Jr., is a better all-around player and could fill a Bill Hall-like role with the Sox, but Scott is another potential bat off the bench that can hit lefties. Or maybe not.
10. Manny Ramirez
Gotcha!
Five other names to consider: Rick Ankiel, Corey Patterson, Andruw Jones, Jim Edmonds, Reed Johnson.
Each day of November, we will explore a different issue facing the Red Sox this offseason.
Nov. 13: Will the presences of Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek be missed in the clubhouse?
Nov 15: Should the Red Sox go after Cliff Lee?
