Red Hot Stove

My father's friend Mark is going to Boston this weekend to attend the Annual Hot Stove meeting that the Red Sox host. This year, the meeting will feature Theo Epstein, Terry Francona, defending AL MVP Dustin Pedroia, and Peter Gammons (my father's email also said it would feature CC Sabathia, but that had to be an error, right? The guy just signed for over a hundred million dollars with the Yankees; I hardly think he's showing up in Boston for some Red Sox-organizing Hot Stove talk). My dad asked (because Mark asked) what questions I might suggest that Mark ask of the assembled stars of Red Sox Nation. So I proposed a few questions, but quickly realized that I could probably answer them (the questions I proposed and their hypothetical answers are below). If I can answer the questions, then what's the point of asking them? So now I'm asking you; if you could ask Theo a question, what would it be?

Here are my questions and answer -
"Will John Henry's recent stock market troubles (his net worth is estimated to be down to $860 million) cause Epstein to be more budget-sensitive and restrained in spending than he has in the past? What are they going to do about the catching situation, hope that Tek comes back at a discount, or is Bard really considered the solution? And I just read that Baldelli and Smoltz are close to signing; what are the expectations for these two very talented but injury-prone players? Is Baldelli going to take on the Coco Crisp role, or will he fight Ellsbury for the starting job? And is Smoltz expected to start or be used in the pen (once he's ready in June - I guess it's really too early to tell)?

Will Clay Buchholz and Justin Masterson get a chance to start coming out in Spring Training? Or will they be reserved for pen roles until they prove their ability to succeed on the Major League stage? And what other minor leaguers might step into a role with the Sox this year, the way Lowrie and Masterson did last year and Pedroia and Ellsbury the year before?



Now, for the answers:

A) "Clearly, in these rocky economic times, everyone is feeling the pinch, and we are no exception. However, we have always been careful to spend within our means, and we will still make every effort to put the Championship-caliber team on the field that Red Sox Nation expects and deserves, without burdening ourselves with overpriced free agents who will not fit in with the chemistry on the team. That's why we've been focusing so much on developing from within and then paying to lock up guys like Dustin here, who have come up with us and have proven their mettle in Boston."

B) "Obviously, we loved Tek and what he did for us, both on the field and in the clubhouse. We've been in talks with him consistently, and have told him we'd love to have him back, but we've made what we feel is a fair offer and right now the ball is in his court. In the meantime, we've signed Josh Bard, who is an experienced player who had some very successful seasons catching full-time in San Diego. We feel comfortable with Bard as the main starter, but we are definitely looking to add depth to the catching position on our roster."

C) "With Baldelli, he's someone we've had our eye on for a long time; he's obviously a local kid, and very very talented, and we're thrilled to be able to add him to our team. He certainly has the talent to start every day, and in the past few years if we have had an outfielder or two get injured, we've needed some depth at the position, which Baldelli certainly gives us."

D) "As for Smoltz, he's a great competitor, a future Hall-of-Famer, and we know the kind of leadership and talent he brings to the club. He's still rehabbing from his surgery, but our doctor's have examined him, and we think he's on course to be back with the team by June. That's still a long way away, of course, and we'll see how things progress, taking things one day at a time."

E) "Buchholz and Masterson are guys like I was talking about earlier, young players we've developed, who we want to bring along to help the Red Sox continue to succeed for the next decade. While they've both shown great potential, you never want to push them too hard and rush them, so while we expect both to be excellent starters in the long-term, for this season we will probably start them in the pen."

Now, if I already know the answers, then why ask the questions? Because maybe Theo will surprise me, I guess. Anyway, I think you told me once that lawyers learn never to ask questions they don't know the answer to."

I also just thought of one more question to ask Theo:

Do you ever reflect on your decisions and evaluate your personal successes and failures to make better decisions in the future? If so, what sort of adjustments have you made as a GM to improve the chances of success that the Red Sox have, based on those evaluations?