Red Sox Prospective Outfield-2011

In case you missed it, the Red Sox were officially eliminated from post-season contention last night, after both the Yankees and Rays won their respective contests. With that, it's officially time to start looking towards what the Sox can improve upon for next season.

Injuries, obviously, were the main reason for the demise of the Red Sox in 2010. In no area was this felt more than in the outfield, where opening day starters Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron played in just 66 out of a possible 324 combined games.  This left Boston depending on career minor leaguers such as Darnell McDonald and Daniel Nava to pick up the slack, which obviously produced less than outstanding results.

While Ellsbury figures to be a key part of this team's future, I have never understood why GM Theo Epstein decided it would be a good idea to invest over $15 million in a 37-year-old outfielder who was very clearly on the downside of his career with diminishing defensive skills.  Cameron should be bought out for the 2011 campaign, and Ellsbury should be moved back to centerfield where he rightfully belongs.

As for the corners, it gets a little tricky. There has been speculation that right fielder JD Drew will retire at season's end, with one season left on his contract. While quite frankly I'd be doing backflips, as I've always found Drew to be massively overrated (not to mention overpaid), this would create a gaping hole in right field, where prospects Ryan Kalish and Josh Redick are certainly not ready for full-time major league duty. Due to the Los Angeles Dodgers tumultuous ownership situation, it has been rumored that they are looking to slash payroll heading into next season. If the Red Sox could somehow manage to pry Andre Ethier away from Chavez Ravine,  it would do wonders towards getting them back to the top of the AL East in '11. Ethier, who would be 29 shortly after opening day next season, is batting .285 with 23 HR and 85 RBI with an .847 OPS for the Dodgers this season.

Ethier could be a fixture in the Sox outfield not just for next year, but for years to come.

In left field, which is considered much easier to play at Fenway than right, the Red Sox should take a look at soon-to-be Washington Nationals free agent Adam Dunn. He may not be the most fleet a foot in the outfield, but neither was Jason Bay during his year-and-a-half stint here, and we all know the adventure that was Manny Ramirez for the better part of the decade. Esptein preached "run prevention" heading into the season, indicating the Sox would rely on pitching and defense to win games, but that turned out to be a massive load of BS. Before injuries struck to Kevin Youklis and Dustin Pedroia, the Sox were near the major league lead in runs scored. But back to Dunn. Since breaking into the big leagues in 2001, Dunn has averaged an astonishing 40 home runs per season per 162 games played. At just age 30, he is almost a lock to join the 500 home run club later on in his career. Dunn had 5 consecutive 40+ home run campaigns in 2004-2008, and since moving to the spacious Nationals Park in Washington he has still managed 38 in both 2009 and this season, with a few games left to play.

C'mon, after watching Manny Ramirez for 8 years, how bad could Adam Dunn be under The Monster? The man hits bombs

With David Ortiz, Victor Martinez, and Adrian Beltre all slated for free agency, the Red Sox could be void of a true power threat heading into 2011. Adam Dunn would cure those ills, and then some.

So come next April, if the Red Sox outfield features Ellsbury, Ethier, and Dunn, just remember: you heard it here first.