The 2009 Boston Red Sox are going to resemble very closely the 08 version. What the Red Sox hope is that they will have very different endings. They made some upgrades here and there, with the signing of Rocco Baldelli, and John Smoltz, but no major changes. Varitek will still be catching the pitches, though he will be spelled by newbie Josh Bard perhaps a few games more than usual. Big Papi, Pedroia, Youkilis, and Jason Bay will still be smacking the ball around the park. The real difference you might see is a bit of urgency on the part of the team. They won nothing much at all last year, and they want that to change.

The evil empire that is the New York Yankees went out and signed everyone, and spent about a billion dollars doing it. The Rays upgraded an already awesome team with the signing of Pat Burrell from the World Champion Phillies. Boston liked their chances as is for the most part. That decision will play a large role in the results of this season. Will they move up by standing pat?

The Red Sox are blessed with plenty of talent across the board. They have solid players at pretty much every single fielding position and their starting pitching and bullpen is sure to be near the top of the line as well. Jacoby Ellsbury and his development may end up being the biggest key in the whole season for the Red Sox. They need him to step up and be a powerful force on the bases. Youkilis will need to duplicate the great season of a year ago, as will Pedroia.

The starters are counting on a bounce back season from Josh Beckett. Last year was a bit of a nightmare for him mostly, and they can ill afford for him to struggle this year. A great year from Beckett will virtually guarantee that Boston will be in the mix for the playoffs. You have to figure that you will get solid work from the rest of the starters.

Here is a look at the expected lineup for the Boston Red Sox and starting rotation:

Catcher – Jason Varitek
First Base – Kevin Youkilis
Second Base – Dustin Pedroia
Third Base – Mike Lowell
Shortstop – Julio Lugo
Left Field – Jason Bay
Center Field – Jacoby Ellsbury
Right Field – J.D. Drew
DH – David Ortiz
Starting Pitchers – Josh Beckett (R) Daisuke Matsuzaka (R) Jon Lester (L) Tim Wakefield (R) Brad Penny (R)
Closer – Jonathan Papelbon (R)

1. The biggest offseason move in baseball came when the New York Yankees signed starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia to a seven year deal worth 161 million dollars. Sabathia is a solid starter with lots of gusto behind the talent, and the Yankees certainly spiked a gem here. The left hander will headline an awesome starting rotation that includes another signing found later in this list in AJ Burnett. Oddly, Sabathia could end up being a bust as well because he has pitched a ton of innings over the past few years. The Yankees have 161 million reasons to hope not.

2. Again the Bronx Bombers headline the list with the signing of Mark Teixiera to an eight year deal worth 180 million bucks. This sweet swinging switch hitter is going to be a brutal addition to the already potent Yankee lineup. Nobody will look forward to going down that murderer’s row this year. The price was steep, but this was the best signing the Yankees have made in a long time.

3. The Oakland A’s actually made a play for scoring some runs for a change when they acquired slugging Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies. They continued to upgrade the offense later, and it is sure to pay dividends in the runs column. Holliday however, is going to find that the air in Oakland is not as friendly as Colorado’s space shuttle launching pad. The numbers do not lie. Holliday is not even close to the same player away than at home. Still, he is a huge upgrade for an anemic Athletic lineup last year.

4. The Cleveland Indians make the list with the signing of Pitcher Kerry Wood as well. He signed a two year deal worth 20.5 million in the offseason. The dog days of high ERA bullpens seem to be a thing of the past if they can keep Wood healthy. He will be the most effective closer they have had in a very long time. The Indians was near the bottom in bullpen ERA last season with a sparkling 5.13. That has to get better with Wood in the mix.

5. AJ Burnett is yet another of the offseason additions for the New York Yankees. It is something when a player of Burnett’s caliber is brought to town and it is the third biggest story for your team. The Yankees just went wild spending money in the offseason this year. Burnett’s contract? Five years….82.5 million. The odd thing about Burnett is that he is potentially the best of the three signings, even though he was the cheapest.