It’s over.  The Red Sox are the World Champions.  They have reached the ultimate goal, the only acceptable outcome.  A dear friend, who has a great deal more perspective than I do, said recently “ninety-five of the emotion during most seasons is agony, the other five is relief.”  This season, more than 2004, has proven that true.  There is no burden of a long winless streak lifted, just a successful ending to another season.  The first time is always the best, but the only emotion after game four was relief.  If 2004 was like bagging the hottest chick in high school, 2007 was like making out with her tom-boy twin sister.

After basking in the afterglow for a few days, we set our sights on next year with bragging rights secured for the next eleven months.  The Red Sox are in a nice position.  The loss of Mike Lowell is meager compared to years past.  If a team can position itself to have no more than two major holes to fill each offseason, they’re a well-managed squad.  This team has one.  With the resigning of Curt Schilling, the Sox can turn their full attention to the 1B/3B void left by Lowell, who shouldn’t get a four year contract.  I’m not going to get into that though.

There are two guys available that really excite me: Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera.  I’m going to assume a few things to illustrate my point, which you might disagree with:

1. Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera will put up comparable offensive numbers for the next six years.  Not unreasonable.
2. Clay Buchholz will develop into an All-Star caliber pitcher.  Also not out of the realm of possibilities.
3. Cabrera will cost the Sox Clay Buccholz.  Likely, considering other names being thrown around: Kershaw, Gallardo, Hughes.

On the surface, the two elite third basemen have different costs.  After looking into it a little further, I’m not so sure they do.  We all understand dollars, right?  A-Rod is easy, 300 million of them.  If the Sox sign A-Rod, they’ll get to keep Clay Buchholz, who will cost approximately $30 million in arbitration ($8, $10, $12mil).  So on one side we’ve got A-Rod and Buccholz around $330 million.

Cabrera will cost Clay Buchholz and approximately $40 million in arbitration over the next three years.  After that, he’d be looking for A-Rod type money, or more likely, $25 million for six years ($150 million).  So what does the loss of Clay Buchholz cost?  Its tough to say, but if he develops into a top of the rotation starter, he would be worth $18-22 million on the free agent market.  Conservatively, a Buccholz replacement would be $15 million for 6 years, or $90 million.  On this side we’ve got Cabrera and an unnamed pitcher for $280 million.

There’s about fifty million bucks on one side, but that comes with the increasing waistline of Fat Miguel.  A-Rod at third and Youkilis at first would be a better infield combo than Youkilis at third and Cabrera in the dugout, but will Clay Buccholz develop into better than a $15 million a year pitcher?  If the answer is yes, you keep him and throw as much money as you want at A-Rod.  The A-Rod sticker shock is extreme, but the dollars associated with Cabrera aren’t far off.