What is the most interesting storyline at Boston Red Sox spring training?

February 23, 2014 2:00 AM

Frank Coppola Sports editor Twitter: @FCoppolaSMG Xander Bogaerts. When the Red Sox won the World Series in 2007, they had a trio of young players Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jon Lester make big contributions to their championship run. It was an exciting glimpse into the future. Six years later, Bogaerts did the same. Bostons young infielder, ranked as the No. 2 prospect in baseball, hit .296 during the playoffs and showed poise beyond his years in helping the Red Sox win it all. He eventually supplanted Will Middlebrooks at third base, but this year will start at shortstop alongside Middlebrooks unless Stephen Drew returns. For Bogaerts, the sky is the limit. He hit over .300 in the minors the past two seasons and has 20-homer pop already at age 21. Although Middlebrooks and rookie center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. also bear watching, its Bogaerts who has the biggest upside. Hopefully the Red Sox dont lose patience with their young players given the Yankees big spending in the offseason. But hey, if they do, Magic Johnson and the Dodgers are only a phone call away.

Jay Pinsonnault Asst. sports editor Twitter: @JayPinceSMG Extensions. While one player wants a long-term deal to remain with the defending World Series champs, the team patriarch just wants to re-up for a 13th season with the Red Sox in 2015. Jon Lester, who just turned 30 last month, has said he will take a hometown discount to finish his career with the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2002 draft. David Ortiz, who batted .688 in last years World Series, is making $15M this season and wants that same number next season. This deal with Ortiz, who will be 39 in November, will be done before the team heads north. Lesters extension, if agreed upon, will probably not be announced until after the season starts due to luxury tax benefits. Lester has made at least 31 starts in each of his six full MLB seasons and has won at least 15 games in five of those years. A hometown deal for the left-hander, who has a 3-0 record with a ridiculous 0.43 ERA in three World Series starts, will be in the neighborhood of four or five years with an average annual value between $20 and $22M.

Mike Zhe Staff writer Twitter: @MikeZhe603 The Empire strikes back. If there was one thing missing for Red Sox fans during last years march to a world championship, it was that it didnt go through the Yankees, who were pretty much irrelevant. That wont be the case this year. Slugger Mark Teixeira fired the first verbal salvo this month, saying that with the additions of players like Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran, the Yankees are back to being the Yankees again. Watching the Bombers drama unfold figures to be more interesting than whats going on in Fort Myers, where the Red Sox dont have a huge number of issues as they head into their title defense. Sure, well watch to see whether Jackie Bradley Jr. or Grady Sizemore emerges as the starting center fielder, and who is anointed the leadoff hitter, a spot filled so capably by Ellsbury in years past. But beyond that, its mainly just hoping that players who enjoyed career seasons in 2013 dont suffer a drop-off. If they dont, Boston will be back in the contending mix. This year, the Yankees figure to be there, too.

Ryan OLeary Staff writer Twitter: @RyanOLearySMG The pitching and catching. One issue got resolved when Ryan Dempster, one of Bostons six legit starters, announced that hes not going to pitch this season. But shine a magnifying glass on this pitching situation as a whole and youll find a bunch of mini storylines intertwined. Whats going to happen with Lesters contract? How many innings can Buchholz give you? Can Uehara continue to be historically dominant as the closer? How much are we going to see from the young, rising stars like Workman, De La Rosa and Allen Webster? And what about the integration of new starting catcher A.J. Pierzynski? To me, thats the most intriguing of all. Pierzynski is known to be a gamer but also sort of pain in the you-know-what. I was OK with letting Saltalamacchia walk in free agency, but one thing the Red Sox had going for them last season was the way Salty and backup Cody Ross handled the staff, particularly Ross late in the World Series run. It will interesting to see how Bostons new ace behind the plate fits in.

Dan Doyon Correspondent Twitter: @DanDoyon1SMG Can the Red Sox rely on three young players as regulars in their lineup? Xander Bogaerts (shortstop), Will Middlebrooks (third base) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (center field) are all projected starters, and the Red Sox will need production from all of them. The 21-year-old Bogaerts played only 18 games during the regular season, but hit .296 during the playoffs and showed poise at the plate. Bogaerts replaced a struggling Middlebrooks at third base during the playoffs, but I think Middlebrooks claims a spot in the heart of the order. Guys with 30-homer potential are tough to find. He has 32 homers and 103 RBIs in 169 career games and should blossom given a full season. Bradley is the biggest question mark. He wont come close to duplicating the production of Jacoby Ellsbury, but the Red Sox just need him to play good defense and let him grow as a hitter. Will there be struggles with these guys during the year? Sure. But this is a nice problem to have coming off a world championship. Having young players who are ready is something the Yankees wish they had.