In the middle of a crazy, and quite unthinkable offseason for the Red Sox that has landed them both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, they have indicated they will likely hold onto the man that Crawford will be replacing in the outfield: soon to be 38-year old Mike Cameron.
Cameron has expressed a desire to stay with the Red Sox, according to GM Theo Epstein:
"This role is something he can embrace and really make the most out of and have a tremendous impact on this club with all the left-handed hitting that we have," the GM said of the right-handed hitter.
Cameron was signed to a 2-year contract last offseason by the Red Sox and was supposed to be the team's everyday center fielder, but was limited to just 48 games by a rash of injuries. He battled groin problems all season, which forced him to play only every other day when he was not on the disabled list.
Even with the addition of Crawford, and with Jacoby Ellsbury likely to man center again, the Red Sox could have good use for Cam. With right fielder J.D. Drew struggling horribly against lefties, Terry Francona could choose to platoon Drew with Cameron, a right-handed hitter in right field. Cameron has some familiarity with the position, having played there for 500 innings in 2005 with the New York Mets.
Cameron has been known to be a great leader, and could also fill the role of mentor to the 29-year old Crawford and 27-year old Ellsbury, similar to that of Jason Varitek, who was likely brought back in part to mentor Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Cameron is caught in the Mike Lowell stage, as he will likely take a spot on the bench and will see limited action at the most. But he's certainly a guy that is worth rooting for this season.