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Well, after trading away Adrian Gonzalez, you can't really expect much out of these lineups anymore, and frankly, that might be for the best. At 60-66, the Red Sox aren't going to make the playoffs, and right now, wins aren't worth a thing beyond a smile.
In fact, they might cost more than that. The mLB draft is always the overlooked draft, but having a high pick certainly makes a difference, especially now that the new CBA determines draft budget based on position. The Sox are currently top-15, but it wouldn't be hard at all to fall into the top-10, and they wouldn't have to go much further to run into the sixth spot.
Yeah, nobody wants to see a losing last-place Red Sox team in a vacuum, but if you're sacrificing a few smiles in a lost year for the chance to really boost the 2013 draft, that seems like a pretty good deal.
The first step? Let David Ortiz take it as easy as he needs, and start playing the kids.