According the Globe’s Tom Masseroti, don’t expect the Red Sox to sit idly by this offseason.  As the author points out, the other upside to Manny’s departure from Boston is that the Sox now are flush with cash to spend in the free agent market:

For now, know this: According to a team source, the Red Sox already have had some internal discussion about free-agent-to-be Mark Teixeira, the most desirable hitter available on the open market and a player for which the bidding will be fierce. Coupled with the strength of Boston’s player development system, the real benefit of Ramirez departure is that the Red Sox will have a truckload of money to spend this winter. All signs point to a spirited run at Teixeira, a switch-hitting, slugging first baseman with the good defensive skills, exceptional baseball acumen, and the kind of discretionary plate discipline that Sox officials so covet.

As Maz points out, acquiring Teixeira would create a logjam with Youkillis, Lowell, and Ortiz of four players for three places.  But Lowell is getting up in age, and according to the article, some in the Boston organization wonder if David Ortiz will ever be close to the fearsome hitter he was over the past 3-4 years.  Could he be in line for a Travis Hafner-esque fall off? Get the whole story »