John Lackey

The Red Sox front office decided not to give free agent LF Jason Bay a four-year contract due to a suspicion that he might experience a knee or shoulder injury during the life of the contract; yet, in the next breath, the Sox gave RHP John Lackey, who HAS suffered injuries during each of the last two seasons, a five-year deal worth $85 million.

This article was first reported at Boston Sox Journalism.

The Boston Red Sox certainly proved one thing this offseason: there is no such thing as a "bridge year" in Beantown.

The Red Sox opened their wallet, made investments, and acquired players either through trade or free agency that could be a huge help to the team in 2010 and for years to come. Today, I will be running down each acquisition and what it means for the Red Sox starting in April.

Roy Halladay is in Philly. John Lackey is in Boston.

Now is the winter of the Angels' discontent.

Just days after baseball's Winter Meetings ended, after which GM Tony Reagins claimed his team had laid “groundwork,” the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim watched their hard work melt away like snow in the coming spring.

For those unfamiliar with the situation, or if you've just been living under a baseball-free rock, let's recap the events of the Angels' Black Monday:

Lackey Signs with Boston

If you were listening very closely, you would've heard a determined cheer from a small group of San Francisco Giant fans when John Lackey signed with the Boston Red Sox.

When the 31-year-old right-hander decided to take the (most) money and run to the East Coast, the last hanging chad from that brutal 2002 World Series was clipped and the October cluster-fornication could be forgotten, once and for all.

(Aaron Torres is a journalist whose work has been published by Sports Illustrated and syndicated by USA Today and AOL.com. To read all of his work, including this article in its entirety , please click here, or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com )

Out of every sport, baseball is the one I go furthest back with.

The signing of John Lackey to a five-year deal is a curious decision for Theo Epstein. The Red Sox GM has typically stayed away from long term deals with 30-something pitchers who come with a history of injury or obvious risk.

Since Epstein became general manager before the 2003 season, he has signed just one free-agent pitcher for more than three years—Daisuke Matsuzaka. Given his age (26), good health, and success in international competition, that was perhaps a special circumstance.

This time around, there are greater risks.

“How are the Red Sox any better than the Yankees?” It’s a question I hear often when I walk the streets of Cleveland dressed in Boston paraphernalia.

Most of my fellow Indians fans see the two big-market clubs as equally evil; as long as they both buy our players and beat us in the playoffs, it doesn’t matter who is worse.

Knowing that trying to convert my peers to dual fandom would be futile, I usually respond by explaining to my questioner why the Red Sox are the lesser of two evils.

The Boston Red Sox have the lead, so to speak in the American League East.

With the signing of pitcher John Lackey and aging outfielder Mike Cameron, the Red Sox sent two strong messages. First, they intend to field the toughest rotation in the American League, and they are willing to sacrifice some serious offense to do it.

As it stands right now, Boston's lineup pales in comparison to that of a certain Bronx rival. Gone are the days where Manny and Big Papi lurked in the middle of the order, terrifying opposing pitchers. With the departure of Jason Bay a near certainty, the Sox lack even one true power hitter.

(Originally posted on 4SportBoston.com )

In two moves shocking to both the fans in Boston and Major League Baseball alike, the Red Sox inked starting pitcher John Lackey to a five-year, $82.5 million deal. This evening, the Sox made a second splash of the day with a two-year, $15.5 million deal.

What direction is this team heading in?