When the 2007 MLB trade deadline came and went without the Red Sox upgrading their offense, I was more than a little disappointed. I couldn’t see why G.M. Theo Epstein wouldn’t part with a couple of promising minor leaguers to land guys like Jermaine Dye or Mark Teixiera. I mean, these guys are proven all-stars who would make any lineup better. I thought the Red Sox wanted to win this year, not hope that these “kids” will make it to the show and provide Boston with a solid lineup for years to come. I was more interested in a 2-year rent-a-player who could help the team now. It felt like playing the stock market, hoping the future would be prosperous.

I was wrong.

Throughout this season, players like Pedroia, Papelbon, Delcarmen, Lester, Ellsbury and now Buchholz haven’t just contributed to the Sox lineup, they’ve solidified it.

Let’s take a look at the potential Red Sox lineup 2 years from now and how old each player will be:

Pitchers:
Beckett 29
Dice K 29
Lester 25
Buchholz 25
Delcarmen 27
Paplebon 29

Fielders:
1B: Youkilis 30
2B: Pedroia 26
OF: Crisp 30
OF: Ellsbury 26
OF: Moss 26

This core of players has the potential to be all-stars for the next several years. Maybe there is something to be said for having players mature and progress through your farm system, instead of selling off your talent for the high-priced flavor of the month. Just ask the Yankees how that has worked out for them.

The future is now in Boston… and the future looks bright.

Johnny Damon is the Geico caveman without the brains. I choked on my coffee this morning when I saw this quote from Damon in the New York Post. “It’s taken a number of players to replace me,” Damon said of the Red Sox. “I’m Johnny [Bleeping] Damon.”

They didn’t replace Damon. They upgraded. The last time I checked, the Red Sox didn’t have an adulterous, weak-armed, caveman lookalike deadbeat dad playing center field. They have Coco Crisp, the best defensive outfielder in the American league, at 1/3 the cost of the 13 million dollar “man.” Theo Epstein did the right thing. He knew not to waste the money on an aging, injury-prone idiot. If Johnny hadn’t played for Boston, Brian Cashman wouldn’t have even looked at him, but the prospect of playing the Red Sox 19 times a year with the opportunity for Damon to inflict damage on his former team was part of the appeal.

Once again, Damon hasn’t lived up to his own hype, and the Yankees are kicking themselves for being on the hook for another season. One home run against your former team doesn’t amount to a 40 million dollar contract. Even a [bleeping] caveman could figure that out.