With spring training only a few weeks away, it’s time to start looking at the 2010 version the Boston Red Sox. The theme of the winter has been “run prevention.” The Red Sox believe in it. Red Sox Nation has its doubts.

This team is obviously built around pitching and defense, but will that be enough? That is yet to be seen, but one thing that bothers me is the concern about whether this team will be able to hit “good pitching.” Here’s the answer to that question: Nobody hits good pitching!!!

Hitters don’t make a living going up against the league’s elite. They beat up on the bottom-of-the-barrel guys. I was looking at what the Sox did against some of the “best” in the American League and to be honest with you, it wasn’t pretty. The best pitchers shut down the Sox for the most part.

In the end that’s what separated the Sox from the the New York Yankees, right? Guess again.

Like I said before, nobody hits good pitching. Let’s take a look at some of the best pitchers in the AL and how they did against both teams.

To me, those were the six best pitchers in the AL. As you can see, the mighty Yankees couldn’t hit good pitching either. What the Yankees did do is what good hitting teams have done for years: beat up on everyone else. If you have concerns about this Red Sox offense, that’s fine, but please, enough with all the talk about how this team can’t hit good pitching. That’s just the way it is with all clubs and that’s the way it has been for years.

For a look at how both teams did against starters with a sub-4.00 ERA, click here.

I must admit, I am a little surprised that this story hasn’t taken over the airwaves on sports radio.

When I first read Rob Bradford’s piece on the contract negotiations between Jason Bay and the Red Sox, my first thought was, “This could get ugly.” Maybe it’s because I am a former player and I can’t fathom being asked to have surgery on something that doesn’t hurt. Maybe it’s because I have a tough time with a team using surgery as part of negotiations. Maybe it’s because I know, from my own past, how a player feels when a team doctor tells you something that you don’t agree with.

We all understand that the Red Sox are trying to protect their investment. They have doctors who they trust, and regardless of what anyone else says, it’s their doctors who have the final say. But there were second opinions, third opinions, even the insurance company’s doctor (who didn’t have a stake in either side) who disagreed with the Red Sox’ belief that Bay required surgery on his knee. If you throw in the New York Mets, that makes five opinions. Only one doctor said that Jason Bay’s knee was a concern. Only one doctor said that surgery was required.

I’ve heard people disregard the Mets team doctors because of past signings, Pedro Martinez in particular. I understand that this Red Sox medical staff called for Pedro’s breakdown and is credited for not giving the future Hall of Famer a long-term deal, but keep in mind that doctors have been calling for Pedro’s breakdown from the day that he entered the league. That’s the reason why the Dodgers traded Pedro to Montreal in the first place. Los Angeles didn’t think that he could withstand the wear and tear of being a starter in the big leagues. Eventually someone was going to be proven right.

Pedro’s breakdown was no surprise. It happened right here in front of our own eyes. He lost 7-8 mph on his fastball. He wasn’t the same guy by the time he left. We all knew it and the Mets did, too, but they were looking to make a splash in the hope that Martinez would help them win a World Series in the next year or two.

If we credit the Red Sox medical staff for the call on Pedro, then who do we blame for Curt Schilling? I don’t want to hear that “they gave him that one-year deal as a reward for winning the World Series.” We all know this is a business and throwing away $8 million is not good for business.

The biggest problem that I had with the Bay situation was the Sox’ change of heart. Why come back in November and no longer require surgery? It was the same MRI. Nothing changed with the player. If a doctor feels that surgery is required, why would he change his mind three months later? Did the Sox really use surgery as a bargaining chip in negotiating a deal with Bay? I don’t think that they are that cynical, but it does raise the point of how badly independent medical staffs are needed when it comes to dealing with evaluating players’ injuries. Neither side trusts the other, especially when so much money is involved.

I was never the type of player who had multi-year deals on the table to choose from. I had to go to spring training and fight for a job each and every year. But I did have to decide which team I thought was the best fit for me, and usually I just went with my gut. I can tell you one thing: if a team had told me that I would have to have surgery on a part of my body that wasn’t bothering me, I would consider that a red flag. It would be in the back of my mind no matter where the negotiations went from there. In the end, Jason Bay saw a safer, more guaranteed deal in New York, and I don’t blame him one bit for taking it.

Getting Adrian Beltre for one year is a strong move for the Sox. (AP)

I’ll be the first one to admit that I wasn’t too excited earlier in the offseason when I heard about the possibility of the Red Sox acquiring Adrian Beltre.

It was reported that Beltre was seeking a multi-year deal of at least three or four years. To me, that was too much of a commitment, a deal that eventually would hamstring this club down the road. But when I heard that all it took was a one-year deal and a player option, my opinion changed.

Let’s face it, it’s only going to be a one-year deal. Unless Beltre goes out and gets hurt, there is no way he will accept $5 million next year. Leaving pitcher-friendly Safeco Park while playing for a high-profile team like the Red Sox, you would have to think that his value will only go up.

It obvious that the Mike Lowell ship has sailed. That being the case, Beltre is replacing Casey Kotchman in the lineup. Even though I do think that people aren’t giving Kotchman enough credit for the hitter he is, I think that Beltre is an upgrade over him.

Beltre has intriguing upside. I know that a lot of people are going to look at his year last year and wonder what the hell happened, but keep in mind that he was dealing with a sore left shoulder that eventually needed surgery.

As a right-handed hitter, it is awfully tough to hit when your front shoulder is bothering you. Look more at his previous years in Seattle. Even though he underperformed from what the Mariners thought they were getting when they signed him, Beltre still put up some power numbers in a very big ballpark. Making even more of a case for Beltre, his numbers away from Safeco are drastically better over the last five years than they were in Seattle.

Overall, I’m still not crazy about the signing, but it does line the Sox up to be one of the best, if not the best, defensive team in baseball. Beltre’s a nice addition.

That is especially true given that the deal keeps Kevin Youkilis at first base. A lot of people feel that just because Youk is a Gold Glove first baseman, he will automatically be gold at third. That is yet to be seen and a big assumption. I think he’d be fine at third, but why mess with a good thing?

So how does this affect the possible acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez in the future? I don’t think it does.

I think it’s obvious to everyone that Gonzalez is going nowhere before the season starts. But if the Sox feel like they can acquire Gonzo come trade deadline, you do it and worry about shuffling guys around later.

No way you pass on Gonzalez “because you don’t have a spot for him” after signing Beltre. You make a spot for Gonzalez. At year’s end, Beltre will be gone and if you pass on Gonzalez, you’ll be kicking yourself for the next six or seven years.

I’m sure that there are a lot of you out their asking how this Red Sox team lines up against the Yankees. After all, that’s what we do anytime either one of these teams makes a deal or signs a free agent.

The truth of the matter is that there is no way the Sox are going to match up against the Yanks’ lineup. But if you watch enough playoff baseball, you know that anything can happen in a seven-game series.

The Sox don’t need to beat the Yanks over 162 games, just in a short series (assuming both make it to the playoffs and through the first round). Is it inconceivable to think that Beltre could possibly outhit A-Rod over 20 at-bats? Or that Mike Cameron could get hot for three or four games? Like I said, anything can happen. We are not comparing the Oakland A’s to the Yankees. This Sox lineup is still capable of out-slugging anyone for 7 games.

The Sox have gone from being one of the worst defensive teams in the game to one of the best. You pair that up with this starting rotation and the end result just may be better than last year’s 95 wins. Give this lineup a chance and let’s see what happens. You just may be pleasantly surprised.

I’m still waiting for someone to explain to me why there’s so much urgency for the Red Sox to trade Mike Lowell. When did Lowell enter Julio Lugo or Edgar Renteria status, a guy that the Sox will pay to get rid of because he’s killing them?

My head is spinning this winter hearing all about UZR and defensive metrics. I watch the game. I saw a guy who lost range and wasn’t the same guy defensively, but that was because he had surgery on his hip! While everyone was taking ground balls and taking batting practice down in Fort Myers trying to get ready for the season, Lowell was in right field just trying to jog. He went into the season able to play, but completely out of baseball shape.

There was no way he was going to be able to stay healthy for seven months with what he was — and was not — able to do during last offseason. While recovering from hip surgery, Mike was unable to do any cardio work or strengthening of his lower half. He solely worked on stabilizing his hip. Going into last year, if you told me that Mike would play in 119 games, I would say that that sounds about right. If you told me that his first day off would have been May 26th (technically, he had a game off on April 22nd, but he played in the other half of the double header that day, so it wasn’t an off day), I would have told you that you were crazy.

But it was. You have a guy who missed basically all of spring training coming off of hip surgery and you don’t give him a day off until May 26th? Then when he breaks down, we should be surprised? We label him as a guy who’s “old” and can’t stay healthy. That’s a crying shame. He played hurt. He played because other guys in that clubhouse couldn’t play hurt and now he’s paying the price. He’s been labeled.

Now, we are being told that this Sox team will be better without him. Casey Kotchman is now the everyday first baseman. He plays a great first base. But how many times do you see a manager put out a lineup based on defense? He looks at offensive matchups. If this team is better off with Kotch at first, then why wasn’t he playing there against the Angels in the ALDS? If it’s all about defense, then why was Lowell playing against the Angels back in 2008?

He couldn’t even walk, but all we heard back then was that they are a better team with Mike in there. You know why he was in the lineup: because he can hit. He always has and he always will.

By now I’m sure you can tell that I don’t like the idea of letting Mike Lowell go, but I have to admit, the damage is done. There’s no way he can return to the Sox. This is now the third time the Sox have talked about trading Lowell. The first time was for Todd Helton. OK, very good player. Last offseason his name was thrown around in order to potentially clear room for Mark Teixeira. Another very good player. But this time, the Sox basically said we want no part of Lowell anymore. They were willing to eat $9 million to trade Lowell to the Texas Rangers for Max Ramirez. Ironically, Ramirez has often been described as a guy who can hit but lacks a position he can play defensively. I guess defense isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be after all.

Mike Lowell’s days are numbered here in Boston, but before he goes, let’s take a moment to appreciate the way he played the game and only hope that it rubbed off on a few others in that clubhouse. As for the “old” man who can’t stay healthy, look for him to have yet another productive year in 2010, wherever that may be.