Red Sox red-hot stove report

As the temperature dips, the MLB free agent season heats up! And the Red Sox are linked to a couple of highly touted free agents. The Sox may have missed out on stud Blue Jays pitcher, Roy Halladay, but they inked Angels ace John Lackey to a 5-year deal worth upwards of $83 million.

The news broke today that Lackey arrived in Boston to take a physical for the team. And within a few hours it has been leaked that the deal is close to being done. The Red Sox now boast a starting rotation that's comparable, if not better, than the Yankees.

1. Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86 ERA, 199 K, 1.19 WHIP)
   
2. John Lackey (11-8, 3.81 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 1.27 WHIP)
   
3. Jon Lester (15-8, 3.41 ERA, 203.1 IP, 10 K/9, 225 K)
   
4. Daisuke Matsuzaka (4-6, 5.76 ERA, 8.2 K/9)
   
5. Clay Buchholz (7-4, 4.21 ERA, won 6 of his last 9 starts)

I'd take that starting five against any other team's. However the Lackey signing does have a ripple effect for the rest of the team. What does that mean for Josh Beckett, who is a free agent next year. He will command big time dollars, especially if the Sox go deep into the playoffs. Did they already label Lackey as their future ace? Or will they have enough money to keep Beckett in the Bean? And what about Clay Buchholz? I think he deserves a starting spot, but perhaps Francona will give the nod to the ageless wonder, Tim Wakefield. If that is the case, what will they do with Clay? Trade him for 5-tool shortstop Hanley Ramirez? That would be a very merry Christmas indeed!

This will also affect the Red Sox willingness to offer a new deal to free agent OF Jason Bay. The Sox offered him a 4-year, $60 million deal that he rejected. I love Bay. He has been the perfect fit to follow-up Manny Ramirez; a workman who just punches in, does a great job, and punches out. But if he wants to go to baseball purgatory and play for the New York Mets, then be my guest. His numbers will dip in the cavernous CitiField, he will get bit by the injury bug that resides in Queens, and will wish he had taken a few million less to be in Boston. We're doing big things, Jason, it's not to late to get back on the boat!

In other hot stove news, the Sox have offered Cuban left-handed pitcher, Aroldis Chapman, a deal worth around $15.5 million. The Sox are reportedly the one of the few teams the 21-year-old Cuban defect has interest in. Earlier in the fall he worked out at Fenway and apparently left very impressed. Chapman's fastball has been clocked at 102 mph, and he was a showcase in the past year's World Baseball Classic. Nothing has been set in stone, but the Sox have made the first move and adding a young power left-hander would be down right scary. Like the saying goes, you can never have too much pitching.