Boston has been on top of the sports world for years now. The Patriots are football's greatest dynasty, the Celtics look like a dynasty in the making and the Red Sox have won two of the last four World Series. Running any one of these franchises in the year 2008 would be a great pleasure due to their tremendous talents, but perhaps the Red Sox stand out as the most successful of the three franchises in recent years. In fact, could things even improve much for a club overflowing with so much ability?

A moment must be taken to mention how good the team is this season. On top of their great accomplishments the last four years they are currently third in runs scored in either league, playing slightly above average defense and sporting a pitching staff that is a combined .245 BAA, also third in all of baseball.

If I ran the Red Sox my top priority would be getting another quality relief pitcher. This is an extremely strong team overall but that does not mean it is perfect. While it is going to be a surefire playoff contender this season has had its share of ups and downs, mainly at the hands of an uncertain relief pitching corps.

Obviously there are not many high quality relievers out there to be had at this point. Teams are quick to lock quality relievers up long term. But with a player like Justin Masterson going out, questions arise. I think their bullpen just needs time to get their rhythm in place but you can never be too careful with a team poised to make a championship run.

Hideki Okajima is obviously a superstar releiver but the team might need to send him to the DL for a stint to mentally and physically recover. The fact is that he has been called upon far too often and this team needs to think long term. Resting him should be their top priority because when a healthy Hideki Okajima is in the game late and the Sox have the lead, it is over.

The only other change that stands to be made is replacing Julio Lugo at shortstop. One possible solution is bringing the talented Lowrie up to the active roster. He has shown great defensive talent and this is Lugo's weakness. He is very overpaid for his lackluster production and is a strain on the salary cap. One way or another he needs to be replaced if this team wants to be strong across the board.

Still, those two changes are not vital and this team is going to have success this year regardless of a few weaknesses. No team is perfect but these Sox in 2008 are closer than ninety percent of them. The Curse of the Bambino has gone the way of the DoDo and fans in Boston could not be happier.

Learn more about this author, Royce Radcliffe.
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