With Clay Buchholz ready, the Sox' 2008 rotation will only be better. The question now is, where does he fit?

The Moves They Did Not Make (But Should Have)

Reports said they were close to a deal with Todd Helton before the season began, but the deal fell through. Of course, Helton did finally make it to the World Series with the Rockies, though he could have been on the winning end.

Boston made some horrible signings, but they did win the whole thing, though I credit their success to the starting pitching and the ridiculous timely hitting they received in the postseason. Epstein chose once again to not part with prospects and it worked out for him once again, this time in the form of world champions, so it is hard to say that they should have made any moves.

Where Now?

Coming off a second title in four years, the Red Sox will most likely be the favorite to repeat in 2008. However, with the Yankees finally resorting back to the formula they used to win four championships in five years, the Red Sox will have their work cut out for them.

Their pitching staff is set as Beckett, Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, and Jon Lester all return. And with Curt Schilling signing a one-year deal today and Clay Buchholz major league ready, the Red Sox will return the same rotation that made them the best team in baseball in 2008.

The youth and talent in position players Pedroia, Youkilis, and Ellsbury has this team set to be an amazing club for quite some time and with Papelbon and Okajima in the pen it is hard to argue for a better pair of arms to close out a game in the league

If Drew can hit all season the way he did in October, and if Lowell returns at third, the Red Sox lineup will be equally as good if not better than they were this season. I wouldn’t call them the 2008 champions yet, but there are certainly going to be a strong contender.