The End of the Red Sox Dynasty

OK, so maybe a dynasty might be a bit of an overstatement, but aside from their rivals, the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox have been the team in baseball for the past 10 years. This season though, things are seemingly different, as Boston has a 17-16 record, good enough for 4th in the AL East, and is miles from the Yankees and the Rays. However this should not come as that much of a surprise. Looking back on the key contributors of this Red Sox run, it is easy to see why the Red Sox are fading. Here are the top figures in this Red Sox era:

A.) Curt Schilling
Best known for his bloody sock and post-season success(both with Arizona and Boston), Schilling recorded 11 career post-season wins, including 6 wins for the Red Sox. Curt was a part of two World Series wins with the Sox, but he retired after the 2007 season.

B.) Pedro Martinez
Whether it was his "brawl" with Yankee coach Don Zimmer, or saying "the Yankees are my daddy", Pedro was right in the middle of all the Red Sox drama. However after leaving the Red Sox following a World Series win, he became a Met, and is currently a free agent. Hopefully the Red Sox don't make the mistake of signing another washed up starter (See John Smoltz).

C.) David Ortiz
Big Papi was once looked upon as one of the top players in the game, and his clutch hitting won many games for the Sox. From 2003-2007, Ortiz finished in the top 4 in AL MVP voting each year. However, he has fallen quite far from those times. After it was revealed that Ortiz had used steroids, a cloud was cast over the Red Sox' World Series wins. Ortiz has seen his average drop to .264, .238, and now .185 over the past three seasons. It's pretty safe to say this guy is old and misses the juice.

D.) Manny Ramirez
Manny being Manny. Weren't we all tired of hearing that? His antics were as crazy as his hair, but Manny was one heck of a hitter. Manny was an all star in all 8 full seasons as a Red Sox, but like Ortiz, the steroids cloud hangs over his head as he was suspended in 2009 while a member of the Dodgers.

E.) Dustin Pedroia
Pedroia is a home-grown product and has established himself as one of the better second baseman in the majors since his arrival in 2006. He even won the MVP in 2008. Still it was a fluke of an MVP as he hit a great .326 but only hit 17 HRs. 2009 was a dose of reality, as Pedroia hit .296, but his 2010 numbers seem to have a power increase, already hitting 7 homers. Still, can a second baseman carry this team? I'd say no.

F.) Josh Beckett
After winning a World Series with the Marlins, Beckett came to the Red Sox and was a key piece to their 2007 championship, winning 20 games in the regular season. Beckett has been the undisputed ace for years now, but in 2010 things have began to go south for the pitcher. A 1-1 record with a 7.46 ERA raises concerns about Beckett's effectiveness. Now 30 years old and struggling with injury issues as well, is his career on the decline?

G.) Jason Varitek
The man behind the plate and the captain of this squad is really getting up there in years. No one is questioning Varitek's ability to call games, catching 4 no-hitters in his career. The 3-time all star has been on the Sox since 1997, but 2010 marks the first time where he is not the go-to catcher, as aging veteran Victor Martinez gets more action. At age 38, it is likely that the captain doesn't have many more seasons left in his career.

H.) Tim Wakefield
The iconic knuckleballer has been on Boston since 1995, and has been bouncing in and out of the rotation for years. Unfortunately, Wakefield may be best known for giving up the game 7 ALCS homer to Aaron Boone, but Wakefield last season surprised many with an All Star appearance. Despite going 11-5, Wakefield found himself as the odd-man out this season and remains the 6th starter in case of injury.

I.) Jonathan Papelbon
The closer for the 2007 champs, Papelbon has been one of the game's elite closers since he took the role in 2006. Papelbon is still young and will remain the closer for the team for years to come. This season he is a perfect 9 for 9 in save opportunities and will have to remain stellar to keep the Sox competing.

J.) Kevin Youkilis
Lastly we have Kevin Youkilis. One of the scariest looking guys in the bigs, Youkilis has had over 25 homers and over 90 RBIs the past two seasons. Youkilis is 31, so he isn't that young, but like Papelbon, he will be the face of the team for the next few years.

So it is easy to see by the previously mentioned players that the faces of the Red Sox franchise for the past decade are either retired, playing elsewhere, or on the decline. Other players on the roster including JD Drew and Mike Lowell, and off season signings of players such as Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre only add to this problem. The Red Sox have the money and the scouts to do well, but I just don't see it happening right now.