Theo Epstein (AP)

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein joined the Mut & Merloni show Friday, a few hours before the Red Sox’ season-opener against the Rangers in Texas. To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page.

Asked if he felt he needed to make a splash in the offseason after a disappointing 2010 season, Epstein said no. “Making a splash never factors into the equation at all for me,” he said. “It’s a matter of trying to make moves that create a really healthy organization that allows up to put a very, very competitive team on the field. And by that I mean a team that can compete for a World Series every year. … We look at every offseason as an opportunity not to make a splash but to improve the overall health of the organization for the short and long term.”

Looking back at the loss of free agent catcher Victor Martinez to the Tigers, Epstein said it had to do with trying to find balance on the team. “I love Victor, too. I’d do that trade that we did for him again any day of the week. He’s a great player,” Epstein said. “You have to project for the long haul, too. What we want to avoid is any situation where we look down and all of a sudden our entire roster is full of guys making $10-plus million who are into their mid-30s. That’s a big part of the equation here.

“So, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez are 28 and 29 years old. Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre are going to play in the first year of what would be at least four-year contracts at 32 years old. So, that’s a big part of it. Then the positional factor is a part of it as well. You have to make hard decisions. You can’t have everybody. We feel like in Jarrod Saltalamacchia we have a younger player with some upside who fits into our payroll structure.

“You’re not going to have All-Stars at every position. You’re not going to have guys making $10 million — you better not — at every position. And you don’t want players who are going into their 30s — especially their mid-30s — at every position. You have to have young players breaking in. We’re content with what we did even though we really respect and admire Victor as a player and we know we’ll miss him.”

As for the Crawford signing, Epstein said: “That move was as much about the future as it was about the short term. If you look at our outfield situation, J.D. Drew is entering the last year of his contract. Mike Cameron is entering the last year of his contract. Ryan Kalish we feel needs more development time at Triple-A before he has a chance to be an everyday player as early as 2012. And we have Jacoby Ellsbury under control for three more years in center.

“So, we were really going to need an outfielder even if Kalish is ready in 2012 as we think he will be. We were really going to need an outfielder in 2012. If you look ahead to that free agent market or the potential trade market, we really didn’t ilk the options. So, we thought that going aggressively after Crawford was a way to not only obviously improve the 2011 club but to preemptively address a major issue that was going to be facing us, which is a lot of demand for an impact corner outfielder and not a lot of supply.”
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FORT MYERS, Fla. — Daniel Bard summed up the experience after throwing to Rays’ minor-leaguers Monday at the Red Sox’ minor league training facility.

“There was zero adrenaline,” Bard said. “It was like throwing a side session.”

While Jonathan Papelbon didn’t talk to the media after his 1 1/3-inning outing, he was undeniably thinking along the same lines. Papelbon allowed one hit and two walks while striking out a batter in his outing, showing a good slider and a fastball that touched 93 mph.

The closer threw 27 pitches. Here are the first 20 of them:

Daniel Nava made a name for himself on his first big league swing last June.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Nearly every Red Sox fan remembers how Daniel Nava broke into the majors last June.

With the bases loaded, he drilled the first pitch he saw in the big leagues – an offering from Philadelphia’s Joe Blanton – over the fence in right at Fenway.

On Sunday morning, he was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket by the Red Sox as the team trimmed three more players off the major league squad. Also optioned was catcher Mark Wagner while righthander Matt Fox was reassigned.

Such is the life of a major leaguer on the fringes. But Red Sox manager Terry Francona offered perspective Sunday in assessing where the 28-year-old in his development.

“He didn’t swing the bat real well this spring, which in the grand scheme of things means nothing,” Francona said of Nava, who batted just .205 this spring in 19 games, with three RBIs.. “I think he was fighting it all spring. He got a little length in his swing. He knows he needs to shorten it up but he’s improved so much [defensively] in the outfield.”

“I mean, last year at this time, I’m willing to bet no one ever asked me a Daniel Nava question. He’s come a long way. He just needs to go play and then whatever happens, happens. Guys play themselves into the mix. The fact that we’re talking about Daniel Nava means he’s come so far.”

Francona added that the organization still projects Nava as primarily a left fielder.

Wagner hit .167 in nine games this spring while Fox was 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five relief appearances. But Francona was quick to point out that it’s Wagner’s defensive skills – especially game managing behind the plate – the organization really values. Last year, that was stunted when he missed nearly half the season with Triple-A Pawtucket because of a broken bone in his left hand. Surgery was eventually required and now, he begins 2011 with a fresh start. Read the rest of this entry »

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Lefty Felix Doubront threw live batting practice on Friday on the field outside the left field wall at City of Palms Park.

Doubront was shut down for approximately two weeks when he felt tightness in his left elbow in late February while throwing a side session at the club’s minor league complex.

Manager Terry Francona said the team wasn’t overly concerned since Doubront has complained of the tightness in the past. On Friday, the lefty who made his Red Sox debut last year, threw for Francona and other Red Sox staff.

“I watched him. He was 25 [pitches],” Francona reported. “He felt real good, he looked real good. His next [work] will be a simulated game. We’ll take the [protective L] screen away and it’ll be just a step closer to him pitching in a game. It’ll be at least two days, maybe three days off. We’ll see.”

The highly-touted 23-year-old lefty went 2-2 in 2010 with a 4.32 ERA in 12 appearances, including three starts.

Meanwhile, relievers Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard are expected to get their work in Sunday in a minor league game. Papelbon, who got only two outs on Thursday, will go two innings according to Francona while Bard is expected to go at least one inning.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — John Lackey celebrated the news of his place as the No. 2 starter in the rotation by going out and scattering five hits and allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings as the Red Sox beat the Mets, 8-5, [boxscore] in the traditional afternoon game on St. Patrick’s Day at City of Palms Park. Carl Crawford and Jed Lowrie each went 2-for-3 with an RBI to pace the Red Sox offense.

[Lackey talks about the honor of pitching Opening Day at Fenway and being named No. 2 starter.]

Lackey, who will start the home opener vs. the Yankees on April 8, was stretched out on the sunny, 80-degree day, throwing 78 pitches (46 strikes) and was taken out with one out and a runner on in the sixth. Thursday was his longest outing of the spring, as he improved to 2-0 with 1.72 ERA in four Grapefruit League starts.

[Lackey explains his start on Thursday and how much better he feels this spring.]

The only troubling outing by Red Sox pitching Thursday belonged to Jonathan Papelbon, who gave up a three-run double after hitting a batter and walking two in the ninth. He then surrendered a run-scoring double before manager Terry Francona pulled him with two outs. In six outings this spring, Papelbon has a 12.60 ERA.

Drew Sutton homered and also had a pair of hits for the Red Sox, who improved to 12-9-1 in Grapefruit League play this spring. They will have a split squad on Friday, playing the Tigers at City of Palms at 1 p.m. and the Rays in Port Charlotte at 7 p.m.

Michael Bowden is reaching back for a little extra this spring. (AP)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Michael Bowden is not worried about his identity crisis.

After all, the writing was on the wall all winter long. With each acquisition of a high-profile reliever, the transformed righty reliever knew he was fighting an uphill battle for a big league roster spot out of camp.

With Bobby Jenks, Dan Wheeler, Alfredo Aceves and Dennys Reyes added to the group of Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard, Hideki Okajima and Tim Wakefield, Bowden certainly didn’t need general manager Theo Epstein, skipper Terry Francona or anyone else from the organization spelling out the cold hard facts.

“You’d be pretty dumb if you didn’t [figure it out],” Bowden said Wednesday morning as he prepared for another day of work at City of Palms Park. “Just by their acquisitions and what they did, I know exactly how it’s going to pan out. I’ve been around long enough so I don’t think they felt like they needed to tell me something I already knew.”

Still only 24, Bowden readily admits his sights aren’t necessarily set on making the big league roster on April 1 but rather showing the Red Sox — or any other MLB team for that matter — his value. That was evident by one scout commenting after his impressive outing in Kissimmee last week: “Don’t forget about Michael Bowden.”

But for now, the reality is there’s little, if any, room for Bowden on the 2011 Red Sox.

“As of now, it’s a very slim chance, and I know that, unless there’s injuries, but I don’t wish that upon anybody,” he said. “As of now, I’m going to go down to Triple-A and pitch as well as I can and hopefully create an opportunity for myself.”

The Red Sox thought so much of Bowden that they used a first-round pick on him in 2005. He was a starter then and he moved his way up the system, reaching Triple-A Pawtucket in 2008, when he also made his big league debut. He made 24 starts for the PawSox in 2009 and then everything changed, beginning with his role. Read the rest of this entry »

Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and other Sox pitchers from Japan helped raise money for disaster relief efforts in their homeland before Monday's game against the Yankees. (AP)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jonathan Papelbon could not hide his enthusiasm about the performance of right-hander Alfredo Aceves.

“Julian Taverez Jr.!” Papelbon yelled at his new teammate, referring to the versatile pitcher with the rubber arm and eccentric mien who pitched for the Sox as a starter and reliever from 2006-08. “Wear it!”

Aceves has been having a sharp spring, which continued on Monday. Though he was facing a prospect-heavy lineup of Yankees (only New York’s starting outfielders made the trip from Tampa Bay), he once again proved an efficient strike thrower. He went three innings allowing three hits and a run, walking one and striking out one. He threw 49 pitches, 34 for strikes, against his former team. He suggests that the back problems that limited him to 12 appearances for the Yankees last year are a thing of the past.

“I feel great. I feel 100 percent. [The back is] getting better. In spring training, it’s getting better with the days. We’re going to be in good shape in our season,” said Aceves. “My arm feels good. I’m looking forward to the season – not only spring training. It’s to have a good season, a good career. It’s not about only one thing. It’s about a lot of things.”

Aceves now has a 3.48 ERA in four appearances (10 2/3 innings) this spring, walking two and striking out two. The right-hander said that he is not concerning himself with elements that are out of his control — either the decision by the Yankees not to tender him a contract, or the looming question of whether he might make the Opening Day roster with the Red Sox.

“That’s not in my hands, that decision [about the roster],” said Aceves. “I come here and work hard. I like to play baseball. What can I say? What else can I say? I don’t make the roster. We’re trying to have a good spring training, a great spring training, and work hard and we’ll see what happens. We’re preparing for the season. It’s a long season. There’s no enemy.”

As if to prove that point, Aceves said that he went out onto the field to catch up with his former Yankees teammates about an hour and a half before the game.

OTHER NOTES

–There is a reason why the Yankees are widely considered to have one of the top farm systems in the game.

A pair of young Yankees continued to impress. Foremost, left-hander Manny Banuelos — one day after his 20th birthday — looked spectacular, featuring a 91-94 mph fastball, a sweeping curve and a nasty changeup that rendered both right-handed and left-handed hitters uncomfortable. In 2 2/3 innings against a lineup that featured eight of the Red Sox’ nine expected Opening Day players, Banuelos did not give up a run. Though he had some command issues (walking three), he allowed just a pair of singles and struck out two, while recording four outs on groundballs, and generally, the Sox proved unable to square him up.

“I hope he’s too young to make their team. I think, out of [respect] for this man’s future, they should go slow with him. Very slow,” Sox manager Terry Francona joked about Banuelos before the game.

The Yankees will heed that advice. GM Brian Cashman told reporters before the game that Banuelos is definitely slated to open the season in Double-A, but he has clearly positioned himself where the Yankees will keep him in mind as a potential call-up when need arises during the season.

“He’s going to the minor leagues to pitch in the rotation. … He is not making this team,” Cashman told reporters. “At some point, if he stays healthy and is very successful, he can push to be in the mix in New York, but that is not something we are thinking about right now.”

Another young Yankee, 21-year-old Jesus Montero, also impressed. He stayed back on an inner half fastball from Sox starter Alfredo Aceves and ripped it into the gap in right-center for a double. With Francisco Cervelli sidelined by a broken foot, Montero is expected to open the season in the majors. He hit 21 homers in Triple-A as a 20-year-old last year (a ridiculous number considering the age and level), and while there are questions about his defensive abilities, he is viewed as the most advanced hitting prospect in the game.

–Reliever Bobby Jenks continued to breeze through the spring with a scoreless inning of work in which he allowed a hit and struck out a batter. Jenks has now worked five shutout innings with six strikeouts, one walk and two hits allowed. He hasn’t been exactly sure what to make of his success.

“I don’t know what’s going on. I’m usually known for really bad springs. I’ve got nothing to say on this one,” said Jenks. “I can tell you when the bad ones happen. I’m used to those.”

Jenks was not being entirely accurate. He laid an egg last year for the White Sox in spring training (7 runs in 6 2/3 innings), but the year before, he tossed eight shutout innings during the exhibition season.

He does have specific ambitions for what he would like to work on over the duration of the spring.

“My casting ability. I’ve got to find them fish,” Jenks grinned. “We’re catching a lot. It’s been a good spring so far, all around.”

On Monday, Francona was pleased that Jenks was able to catch more than fish. After Curtis Granderson reached on a single, Jenks worked hard to hold him at first base in a potential steal situation. That, in turn, allowed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to gun down Granderson when he attempted a steal.

“If he’s pitching in the seventh or eighth innings, there’s going to be teams that try to run. … In the seventh and eighth innings, teams are more apt to try to steal a run, so it’s something we need to think about,” said Francona. “He commanded that whole at-bat when Granderson was on first, did everything we wanted him to do, understood it, handled it, came in and said I got no problem with that. It was good and exciting.”

–Red Sox pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Junichi Tazawa and Itsuki Shoda stood at the gates collecting donations on behalf of disaster victims in Japan. They collected more than $4,600 at the gates, while the Red Sox Foundation has raised in excess of $35,000.

–First baseman Adrian Gonzalez collected a single in three at-bats. True to his wish, he saw a more diverse array of pitches than he did in his first spring game on Saturday, when all five pitches he saw were fastballs. Gonzalez faced a pair of lefties (Banuelos and another Yankees prospect, Dellin Betances) who mixed fastballs and breaking balls.

–Second baseman Dustin Pedroia stole his first base of the spring (he had been caught stealing once). Manager Terry Francona said that it was hardly a landmark event that would permit him to get over a mental barrier.

“Not with him. He’s got no mental. I don’t know if he has any barriers, but he has no mental,” Francona mused. “I think Pedey is moving as good. . . If you watched our pre-game today, he was head-to-toe dirty. I think he looks great.”

–Jonathan Papelbon bounced back well from a poor outing (1/3 inning, 3 runs) on Friday. He recorded a 1-2-3 inning of work that included a strikeout of Montero on a 1-2 slider that completely fooled the prospect. He also hung a splitter on which Jorge Vazquez flied out to deep left, and got a weak pop-up from outfielder Brett Gardner. Papelbon has now made four appearances this spring, tossing perfect innings in three of them.

–Commentator Keith Olbermann spent part of the game in the Red Sox dugout, a spring tradition. Olbermann is friends with Francona.