The World Series is over, and not a week later, the stove is already hot. Michael Silverman of the Boston Heraldprovides Red Sox Nation with their first major rumor of the offseason, regarding the Red Sox' right field situation:
Yesterday, Grady Sizemore became an intriguing option that the Sox are expected to explore, according to a team source
With the Indians declining their team option on Sizemore, the outfielder is now available to the highest bidder.
Obviously the Red Sox' right field situation is by no means set. While Josh Reddick settled into the starting role in the second half of the season, he quickly cooled down after a fast start and now would seem a risky choice for the Sox to start the 2012 season with.
Of course, Grady Sizemore is also quite the risk. After three All-Star seasons from 2006-2008, Sizemore has fallen off hard, playing in only 210 games over the past three years as injuries have kept him off the field time and time again. Hernias and a bad knee (which required the dreaded microfracture surgery of Greg Oden infamy) have been particularly costly.
That being said, any deal for Sizemore would likely be in the same vein as Adrian Beltre's: low-cost, short, and possibly incentive laden. With two potentially strong backups in Josh Reddick and Ryan Kalish, adding Sizemore to the mix as a third option with higher upside could end up proving a coup.