Red Sox Going After Prize Colorado Slugger - Helton

Who are these Boston Red Sox? These are not the Sox of yester years that would watch the Yankees spend and acquire all-stars then proclaim them the evil empire. This is the second coming of that empire and the Sox do not look like they are going to slow down. A day after officially bringing in J.D. Drew for 15 million a season (Johnny Damon how mad are you? Actually how mad am I that you are not here?) the Sox are looking into bringing more high priced talent. At first I was mad at the thought of the Sox spending more cash this off-season to bring in a veteran all-star then I heard what the tentative deal was, and I turned ecstatic.

The tentative deal centers around Helton being traded for Mike Lowell (Will miss the defense at third) and Julian Tavares (the Freddy Krueger look-a-like) and a prospect (either Manny Delcarmen or Craig Hansen) in return the Rockies are looking to pay around half of the 90 million dollars left of the rest of the 6 year deal to Helton. Lowell and Tavares salaries combined equal to 12.5 million this year so the contracts would cancel out for this year. Which would leave the Sox really only paying for around 40 million for six years. That is not bad at all considering the explosion in player salaries this year.

Helton has declined the past two years and he does play in Coors but the possible lineup that the Sox could have for 2007 could look devastating to opponent pitchers. The Sox lineup could potentially look like this.

1. Julio Lugo ss- As long as he shows the Sox the same production he had in Tampa then these will be two great table setters for the middle of the lineup. If he struggles Francona could easily slot Youkilis in either the one hole.

2. J.D. Drew rf- I first thought he was brought in to provide Manny protection, now he has Ortiz possibly protecting him. Could equal a HUGE year for J.D., as long as he stays healthy.

3. David Ortiz dh- At the beginning of the off-season Sox' fans might have been nervous about the lack of protection with Manny being traded. Now Ortiz has Manny behind him (a .314 career hitter and behind Pujols the best right handed hitter in baseball) and Helton (a .333 lifetime hitter who may actually explode if he ever plays for a winner) not bad for Big Papi. He may hit 60 homers with that protection.

4. Manny Ramirez lf- Manny will be Manny again this year. All that means is guaranteed 35 home runs, 100 RBI, and

a .300 batting average. He is as wacky as he is consistent.

5. Todd Helton 1b- A five time all-star who has a lifetime .333 average and .430 on base percentage. Think Jason Giambi without the steroids.

6.Kevin Youkilis 3b- who had a good first full season in the show last year. Look for him to improve his decent numbers, .279 avg, 13 homers, 72 RBI, and his very good OBP of .381.

7. Jason Varitek c- Look for a bounce back year from the captain who struggled with injuries this year. This line-up could make Tek even better, who is already a two-time all star.

8.Coco Crisp cf- The new additions will hopefully make it easier on Crisp who was brought in to take over for superstar, Johnny Damon. Less stress could bring Coco back to hitting .300 like he did in 2005 with the Indians.

9.Dustin Pedroia 2b- The stud from Arizona State. This kid will be brought into a situation where he won't have to worry about producing right away. The Sox should be able to score fine even if he hits his weight. Anything could be a bonus from Pedroia, which is not bad for the 2004 Golden Spikes award winner.

The Sox would be losing Mike Lowell defense which will hurt but Helton is a three time gold glove winner, which should make all Fenway Faithful happy. Like Lowell, Helton, brings that same professionalism with him. If Helton produces right away he will be embraced by Dirt Dog fans the same way Bill Mueller, Mark Bellhorn, Trot Nixon, and Johnny Damon were embraced. Helton will also be able to go "Mano y Mano" with the Bronx Bombers next year.

The downside of this trade is that Helton truly has lost it. That his decline in numbers could potentially kill the team for years to come. I just have to believe that there is something about the old park and the atmosphere that the fans create that could bring the re-birth of Helton's career. The same way it brought the re-birth to Mike Lowell last year (who saw every major offensive category increase last year playing in front of the Fenway Faithful). Though only in St. Louis for a short time, Larry Walker, showed that he could be successful away from Coors even with all of his injuries.

Todd Helton has played for a perennial loser in Colorado the last couple of years. The franchise does not have the clout or excitement that comes with being a Red Sox. In this environment where he will be on the center stage every night I think that an all-star, like Helton, will deliver. With the pitching that this team has this year (despite still having questions in the closer department) and with this possible line-up there is no doubt in my mind that this team should definitely be in the running when October comes around. So Theo pull the trigger, get this gun for hire here. Please do it soon before I see Todd Helton wearing Pinstripes. Talks may have "ended", but there has been inklings in the media that suggest that this deal could be brought back to surface during Spring Training.