Everybody wanted him back, so guess what? He's back! The Red Sox signed Mark Kotsay to presumably be a backup first baseman and 4th/5th outfielder:

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein continued his busy week by filling the backup first baseman's job with a familiar face. The club has agreed to terms with Mark Kotsay on a one-year deal.

Kotsay was acquired by the Red Sox on Aug. 27 of the 2008 season in a waiver deal with the Atlanta Braves, and wound up starting all seven games of the American League Championship Series following the right hip injury to Mike Lowell.

The Boston Herald reported the re-signing of Kotsay for $1.5 million plus incentives late on Thursday night, but the Red Sox aren't expected to announce the deal until Kotsay takes a physical next week.

It's a great deal. Kotsay proved his worth late last season and in the playoffs by playing a great first base. He's a gutsy player and I think he's been solid in the clubhouse. I will admit I've never been a fan of Kotsay, but after what he did with the Sox last season, he has turned me around. I am excited to see another year with him.

Suddenly, within two days, the Red Sox have a very strong bench:

MIF Julio Lugo
OF Rocco Baldelli
OF/1B Mark Kotsay
C George Kottaras

Just a couple days ago I wrote how bad the Red Sox bench was. Theo Epstein has completely turned that around. The Red Sox now have depth. All these signings look minor on the surface, but when you add them together it's a great equation for the Sox. It's like having a beautiful wall, but no nails to hold it in place. John Smoltz, Rocco Baldelli and Kotsay are those nails.

Happy, happy, joy, joy. (via cache.boston.com)

OTM's coverage | B-R.com box score | Globe's 'Anatomy of a rally'

It was the biggest comeback in postseason history, so how could it not be Over The Monster's No. 1 moment of the 2008 Red Sox season? Numero uno, baby.

It was Oct. 16, 2008. Game five. Fresh off of two beatings (9-1 and 13-4) the Red Sox were down 3-1 after winning the first game. Nothing looked good for the Sox. It certainly didn't get better when the Sox went down 7-0 in game 5. Most had lost all hope.

But you all remember what you were doing during this game and when "it" started to happen. Me? I was celebrating at the local bars. I went out with some friends and watched the first few innings at a sports bar. My buddy, the biggest hater of them all, said it was all over when the Rays went up 5-0 through three innings. I didn't cave in

"Anything can happen. It ain't over yet."

As the night got longer, it didn't get any better for the Sox. Down 7-0 in the 7th, there was a chance, but no one was betting on it. And then it happened

BOTTOM OF THE 7TH (Rays, 7-0):
Lowrie double to RF, Varitek FO, Kotsay, FO, Crisp single to LF, Pedroia single to RF (Lowrie scores), Ortiz home run to RF (Crisp, Pedroia score), Youkilis FO.

TOP OF THE 8TH (Rays, 7-4):
Papelbon domination

BOTTOM OF THE 8TH (Rays, 7-4):
Bay walk, Drew home run (Bay scores), Lowrie FO, Casey SO, Kotsay double to CF, Crisp singles to RF; out at second (Kotsay scores)

TOP OF THE 9TH (tied 7-7):
Masterson struggles, but allows just one hit.

BOTTOM OF THE 9TH (tied 7-7):
Pedroia GO, Ortiz SO, Youkilis single to 3B, Bay IBB, Drew single to RF (Youkilis scores)

And that's the game. Once again, thank you J.D. Drew.

The only thing that would have made this better would be for the Sox to actually win game 7 and win the World Series. But hey, that didn't happen, but we still have this great moment to remember.

I guess the best part about this is that this is the Red Sox. When the Sox went down in the series 3-1, it just didn't feel right. Everyone knew the Sox were better than that. If they were to go down in that fashion, it would have been a huge blow going into the offseason. But they fought and pushed it to seven games. That seventh game didn't go the way Red Sox Nation wanted, but at least they made it.

There was no World Series for the Red Sox in 2008, but who knows what lies ahead in 2009.

According to The Globe's Extra Bases, John Smoltz and Rocco Baldelli are the newest members of the Boston Red Sox:

Smoltz, 41, will sign a $5 million guaranteed deal with Boston that includes the possibility of earning another $5 million in bonuses. The Smoltz deal was expected to be finalized later today according to a source familiar with the negotiations, the AP reported.

The Red Sox did not announce terms of Baldelli's contract, but a baseball source told the Globe that he will receive $500,000 guaranteed, and can earn another $1.75 million in bonuses solely for remaining on the active roster -- in other words, his salary would be $2.25 million if he remains on the active roster all season.

On top of that, the 27-year-old also has significant bonuses based on plate appearances that could elevate the value of the contract to as high as $7.5 million, though that number is attainable only if he makes 600 plate appearances, which is highly unlikely.

If Baldelli and Smoltz are healthy, the Red Sox are making out like bandits. Both of these moves give the Sox a lot of great depth. Smoltz won't be ready until June, but he should give the Sox a great veteran leader in the pitching staff. Baldelli, if healthy, should be one of the most talented 4th outfielders in the bigs.

With more information about these signings, OTM will have more analysis to come.

Over the past few weeks you have seen E-Coli, Allen and myself putting up the Top 10 moments of the Red Sox's 2008 season. It hasn't been the most consistent schedule, but I just wanted to update everyone on the status of this and where we are heading with OTM once this project is done.

Here's how the Top 10 has looked so far, heading into No. 1 tomorrow

10. Rumble in the Fens (Sox defeating Rangers, 19-17)
9. 'Being' being 'Being' (Manny's high five and double play in Baltimore)
8. Manny hits No. 500 (Manny hits his 500th career home run)
7. Clean-up hitter of the year (Pedroia's amazing 4-hole streak from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3)
6. Bay in Boston: A star is born? (Bay's debut with the Red Sox is a walkoff win)
5. Beckett, Varitek heroics (Game 6 of the ALCS, Beckett battles through injury, Varitek hits go-ahead home run late)
4. Drew's HR sinks Angels (Game 2 of the ALDS, Drew hits game-wining home run off K-Rod)
3. Lester in da Bronx (Lester shuts out Yankees during pivotal point of season)
2. Lester's throws no-hitter (self explanatory)

All we have left is the top spot, No. 1. You can probably guess what that will be, but you should still stick around see our fancy little write up for it.

You might be wondering where we are heading next and I can tell you: see the prospects list on the left sidebar? We're blowing it up! It's that time of the year to redo our list. I thought about possible ways we could do it, but I settled on a community vote. Why? Because this is a community. OTM thrives as a community, so let's make this list reflect the community's ideas, not just mine.

So the plan is to hold a vote for each position on the top 20 chart. We'll start with No. 1 and work our way down the list. Look for the prospects list to start either this weekend or Monday.

And, as always, if you have any ideas or suggestions for OTM, please e-mail me at rbooth AT overthemonster DOT com.

via graphics.boston.com

B-R.com box score | Allen's post-game recap | Randy's analysis

The reason I am writing up No. 2 of the top 10 moments of the 2008 Red Sox season instead of Allen, E-Coli or SoxDevil is because, well, I was dubbed the "biggest Jon Lester fan of the group."

I don't even think that's really true, but there's no question that what Lester did on May 19 is a great moment in Red Sox history.

He had cancer, beat cancer, won a World Series and in 2008 added to his resume by no-hitting the Kansas City Royals on May 19. After the whole cancer hiccup, the no-hitter was just a pretty little cherry on the top of a tasty banana split.

Lester's line was his best as a pro: 9 innings, 9 strikeouts, 2 walks and zero hits. A big, tasty zero. Here's what Allen had to say after the game:

Jon Lester has had his doubters.

I was one of them. 

Don't get me wrong. I never felt like Jon Lester couldn't pitch in the big leagues. But Lester was once thought to be the best pitching prospect in a system containing Clay Buchholz, Jonathan Papelbon, Anibal Sanchez, amongst others. And while the first three have distinguished themselves in their own spectacular ways, Lester seemed destined to never really deliver on the promise he showed, rising quickly through the system upon being drafted out of high school in 2002. His stuff, experience, and pitching maturity seemed like they'd never quite come together all at once. Thankfully, the doubters have been proven wrong tonight.

It's easy to compare Lester's no-hitter to Clay Buchholz's in 2007 (which, ironically, was OTM's No. 1 moment in 2007). Both are young pitchers with a lot of potential, but considering the circumstances Lester has battled, his seems just a little more special.

Shortly after the game, I wrote an article about the importance of Lester's no-no:

This no-hitter should be about where Lester is going, not where he has been. Game four of the World Series was Lester's breakout game in my opinion, but it was once again overshadowed by his victory over cancer. While everyone is looking back on what he has done, let's look forward to see what else this young lefty can provide with many more years in the Red Sox rotation.

With or without the no-hitter, Lester was the ace of the of the Red Sox pitching staff in 2008. And let's all remember something: he's going to be 25 next year. We have many, many more good years with one of the best lefties in the American League.

With the Rocco Baldelli news comes the Sox might sign veteran starter John Smoltz as well:

The Sox are also trying to hash out an agreement with veteran free-agent right-hander John Smoltz, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. Smoltz, 41, would likely not be able to play until late May, but the Sox normally overstaff their starting rotation to account for injuries as they did with Bartolo Colon last season.

As of last night, sources indicated that Smoltz was leaning toward Boston's offer which was said to be somewhere in the vicinity of $5.5 million guaranteed with the opportunity to earn a few million in incentives which could hike the salary up to $10 million. The Sox and Smoltz have been talking since before the Winter Meetings. The Sox do not anticipate that Smoltz will be ready until later in May, but one of the incentives being discussed would be a roster bonus if he's with the team by June 1.

It doesn't matter which way you slice it at this point, because the Boston Red Sox bench -- as it's looking right now -- is uglier than Hank Steinbrenner at a toga party.

With an assumed seven relief pitchers, this is what I think the bench will look like if there are no changes before Opening Day:

You might have beefs with this list, but I think it's the best thing the Sox could put out there without a change between now and April 6. Julio Lugo is a lock if Jed Lowrie earns the shortstop job. George Kottaras, most likely, will be the backup as of today because Josh Bard is slated to be the Sox's No. 1 catcher (scary thought, isn't it?). Jeff Bailey would be a good option for first base and perhaps relieve in the corner outfield positions and Jonathan Van Every is the 4th outfielder as we speak.

Pretty ugly, isn't it?

Other alternatives for the bench: Chris Carter, Dusty Brown, Nick Green or Gil Velazquez, just to name a few. I told you it doesn't get any better.

I'm fine going into the season with Lugo and Kottaras as backups (but not necessarily Bard as the starting catcher). Lugo is an above-average backup and could play some outfield while I'd like to see Kottaras get a good chunk of time in the bigs. The real issue is the slots that Bailey and Van Every consume. With those two guys on the 25-man roster, it just screams "NO DEPTH!"

So let's look at what purposes Bailey and Van Every would serve. Bailey is a backup first baseman with an average glove; a little worse in the corner outfield positions. Bailey actually has a pretty strong bat and is one of the best in the Sox system in terms of getting on base. As a bat off the bench, Bailey isn't that bad. As a defender off the bench, the Sox could improve over Bailey.

Van Every would be the fourth outfielder. He can play any outfield position, but would be especially be a suitable backup center fielder. He played 119 games there for Pawtucket in 2008. Van Every is a very solid defender off the bench, but the Sox shouldn't expect much out of his bat. Like Bailey, Van Every is solid at getting on base and has a little bit of power (26 HR in 380 for Pawtucket in 2008) but probably isn't anything more than a .250 hitter in the bigs.

If we want to replace Bailey and/or Van Every, let's look at who's available on the free agent market. Here are some intriguing names, according to MLBTradeRumors' list of current free agents, for primarily the outfield:

There are a couple of familiar names on the above list. Mark Kotsay is still an option for the Red Sox's bench. He's versatile and played a very good first base last last season and in the playoffs. Eric Hinske was a Ray for a season, but he'd fit the mold of a corner outfielder and backup corner infielder for the Sox. Gabe Kapler may never be a Sox again, but he was always loved when he was here. He had a strong season as a Brewer and would fit a corner outfielder role. Jerry Hairston Jr. is a very versatile player who could provide the Sox with wheels off the bench. The most popular name has been Rocco Balddeli. The New England native may not be able to play every day, but he's probably the best player of the bunch.

For the infield, here are a couple intriguing names:

More familiar names. Okay, you probably think I'm crazy for putting Nomar up there, but why not? Sure, he was a jerk when he left Boston but he could play both first and third base for the Sox. And let's just admit it: you'd like to see No. 5 back on the field in Fenway. You know it. Kevin Millar -- yup, that guy -- would be a pretty good power bat defensively at first base. Doug Mientkiewicz is still a very good defensive first baseman, but wouldn't deliver much in terms of the bat. Joe Crede can play third base (not well, though) and also provide good pop off the bench. The last name is Willie Bloomquist, a guy that can play anywhere and has nice speed.

There are no easy solutions for the Sox's bench, but if I was Theo Epstein I'd try and nab a couple of guys on these lists. Baldelli's name has obviously been thrown around a lot, but I would also like to see the Sox grab Bloomquist. He can play both the infield and outfield pretty well and his speed would give the Sox some options late in games. Finding a decent backup third baseman would be nice considering the uncertainty of Mike Lowell's health. Crede anyone? The defense wouldn't be that great but he's got some power.

I like Bailey and Van Every, but the Sox need better options off the bench. Without a doubt, this is the biggest hole on the Sox's team -- yes, even more so than behind the plate. If this isn't fixed, the Sox could have a long season ahead.

[Note by Randy Booth, 01/07/09 11:28 AM EST ] Jerry Hairston Jr. signed with the Reds last night. He will be the starting shortstop at the beginning of the year.