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Massarotti: Nine Questions For Red Sox Entering 2016

BOSTON (CBS) -- Years ago, when I worked for the Boston Herald, we began every spring training with a "lineup" of issues facing the team, a rather simple notion we dubbed "The Starting 9." I had at least something to do with that pedestrian idea, so I'm taking it back.

Here are nine questions entering the spring of 2016:

1. Can David Price make that much of a difference?

In a word, yes. We touched on this last week, but in Price's seven full years as a major league starter, his teams have gone an average of 19-11 in his starts each year. If that happens again – and if the Sox can play .500 baseball the rest of the time – that's an 85-77 record.

Is that good enough to win a championship or even make the playoffs? No. But it's a starting point. And based on history, the impact of Price could actually be even greater, which means the Sox should be at least contending for a playoff spot.

Given two consecutive last-place finishes and three in four years, let's start there for now. We can always adjust later.

2. Is John Farrell on the hot seat?

Most definitely. And that is true no matter what the Red Sox say publicly.

Obviously, Farrell's story is a complex one given last year's late-season diagnosis of cancer. He now has a clean bill of health, which is obviously fabulous news. But if the Red Sox struggle in the early part of the season, the team has bench coach Torey Lovullo waiting in the on-deck circle under the terms of a rather unique contract he signed late last year.

Last week, in discussing the roles of third baseman Pablo Sandoval and first baseman Hanley Ramirez, Farrell made the following comment: "If they falter, we feel we have guys who can step in. The driving force is to win the division." For a man who typically defers to veteran players – especially ones totaling contracts worth a guaranteed $183 million combined – that qualified as a warning shot. He saying to Sandoval and Ramirez – the latter probably more than the former – exactly what president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has said to Farrell: if you slip up, you're out.

Remember: Dombrowski didn't hire Farrell. And every baseball architect wants to pick his own manger.

3. Of Sandoval and Ramirez, who is the bigger problem?

Define bigger. You mean by weight? Attitude? Or ability?

Over the winter, Sandoval and Ramirez both allegedly lost weight, albeit for different reasons – Sandoval because he was fat and out of shape, Ramirez because he was too bulky. Whatever the case, both grossly underperformed in 2015, posting second-half numbers (Sandoval with a .210 average and .602 OPS, Ramirez with a .183 average and .449 OPS) that should constitute embezzlement, breach of contract or both.

Make of this what you will, but Sandoval has at least played on three championship teams. Ramirez has never been a part of a winning culture anywhere. Also, at third base, Sandoval has at least some track record of success. At first base, Ramirez has none.

And away … we … go.

4. Who's the No. 2 starter?

Tell you what: Let's take the names of every starter not named David Price and chuck them into a hat. Whichever one you pull out is the No. 2 guy. Repeat this process for Nos. 3, 4 and 5.

Among Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez and Joe Kelly, questions abound. Rodriguez has the most upside, Buchholz and Kelly have the biggest durability questions. Farrell will probably go with Buchholz second and Porcello third based on their veteran status, though it would make quite a statement (a la Ramirez and Sandoval) if the manger put Rodriguez second or even third, ahead of more veteran players.

Could any of these pitchers become a true No. 2 starter? Sure. Just about anyone can have a good year. But for the long-term benefit of the Red Sox, the performances of Rodriguez, left-hander Henry Owens and even Kelly are far more important to the club, so keep an eye on all three.

One final thing: would it kill the Sox to kick the tires on Cliff Lee?

5. What can the Sox expect from David Ortiz in his final season?

The stats tell us Ortiz is as close as there is to a 30-100 guy on this team. Last year, he finished with 37 home runs, 108 RBI and a .913 OPS. It was the ninth time in 13 years that Ortiz finished with at least 30 HR and 100 RBI. In two of the remaining four seasons, he went 28-99 and 29-96.

But we all know it doesn't work that way, especially for a 40-year-old.

Baseball is a game best measured over the long haul, but take a good look at Ortiz' 2015 season: in his first 52 games, he batted .219 with six home runs, 21 RBI and a .670 OPS. He tore it up after that, of course, but the truth is that the Red Sox were already dead and buried in the playoff race by the time Ortiz woke up.

Does that minimize his personal accomplishments? No. But it also makes it a little tricky for the Red Sox to just write him into the middle of the lineup and expect Ortiz to be the same force he has almost always been. (Thus further amplifies the issues of Sandoval and Ramirez, who were brought in to help mitigate the aging of Ortiz.)

6. How good is the bullpen?

At this stage, there is really no way to know that. But what we do know is that it has the chance to be very good, even dominant.

When Dombrowski took over the baseball operation last summer, he noted that he liked "power pitching." Nowhere were the Sox lacking it more than in the bullpen. Enter closer Craig Kimbrel (13.2 strikeout per nine innings last year) and set-up man Carson Smith (11.8), who jump ahead of 40-year-old Koji Uehara (10.5) and set-up man Junichi Tazawa (8.6) on the depth chart.

From the sixth or seventh inning on, the Red Sox now have the chance to blow opponents away. And that means a great deal on the days when Price isn't pitching.

One thing to watch: the left-handed situation. Robbie Ross looked good at the end of last season, but does anyone really feel confident there? Kimbrel, Smith, Uehara and Tazawa all are right-handed.

7. Who's going to catch?

The traditionalists want Christian Vazquez, who is rehabilitating from elbow surgery and could be among the elite defensive catchers in the game. The others want Blake Swihart, a switch-hitter who needs work behind the plate but threatens to be one of the most complete catchers in baseball. But in order for Swihart to get there, the Sox may have to sacrifice some defense now.

Is there room for both of them? Sure, and the Sox have effectively had a platoon at catcher in the past – Jason Varitek and Scott Hatteberg in 1998 – but one of them (Varitek) eventually won out. The greater upside here undoubtedly rests with Swihart, and the guess is that the Sox will ultimately err on the side of him winning the job. Maybe that means using Vazquez as a late-inning defensive replacement. Maybe it means making him the backup.

Whatever the case, the Sox are in a good position for the long term because few teams have one legitimate catching prospect, let alone two.

8. Have we seen the best of Dustin Pedroia?

Probably. Almost certainly. But that hardly means he's useless.

Earth to Pedroia: stop being so stubborn and start pacing yourself a little. In the Red Sox' last-place finishes of 2012, 2014 and 2015, Pedroia missed 21, 27 and 69 games. And for much of those seasons he played banged up. Pedroia prides himself on going all out all the time, but the truth is that his absence hurts the Red Sox.

More than anything, they need him to stay on the field.

Last summer, Pedroia turned 32. While that isn't old, it isn't young, either. Going forward, the Red Sox should be built around Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Blake Swihart, among others. Pedroia's job is no longer to drive the bus so much as it is to steer when necessary, but to do that they need him on the field and in the lineup.

Pedroia's still a good hitter, good fielder, smart player. He knows how to win. As his abilities fade over the coming years, he can still help – but only if he stays on the field.

And if he goes down? With the uncertainty surrounding Ramirez and Sandoval, the problems could get complex.

9. Have the young players officially turned a corner? Will they only keep getting better?

In theory, yes. But we all know that theories get tested.

Here's the problem with young players: growth, as major league executives like to say, is not linear. By month, Mookie Betts' OPSs last season were .658, .718, .942, .693, .857 and .998. Xander Bogaerts, on the other hand, was far more consistent but lacked the kind of power that most people believe he can produce. Meanwhile, Jackie Bradley basically has had one good month in the major leagues – at least offensively – but it was a killer month. In August of last season, he hit .354 with a .739 OPS.

All three of those players – along with catchers Vazquez and Swihart – have big league ability. But a good week, month or season doesn't necessarily mean another will follow, and it's way too early for any of them to feel too comfortable yet.

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