As New England creeps closer and closer to The Annual Sports Depression, that dark and frigid time of year in between the football and baseball seasons, the speculation to news ratio tends to increase, as things are somewhat quiet in the baseball world (except, of course, for Hank Steinbrenner). As we wait for the other cleat to drop in the Johan Santana sweepstakes, among other things, let’s take a look at the current Red Sox depth chart, position by position. Keep in mind, this is extremely preliminary. Some positions are set in stone, while others…not so much.

DH - David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez
Ortiz, the league’s premier DH and a personality orbiting somewhere near the Bobby Orr/Larry Bird stratosphere of Boston sports folklore, will return. His health is a slight concern, but he is coming off of a career year in which he led the league in OBP. Posted a 196 OPS+ in the second half of 2007 with a tender knee, a pretty good sign. I list Manny as the #2 option, because I would like to see him occupy this spot when Ortiz needs a rest. Both players will need occasional time off, and ideally their breaks will be staggered, optimizing the team’s offensive potential.

C - Jason Varitek, Kevin Cash, George Kottaras, Dusty Brown
Varitek, now in the final stretch of his tenure as starting catcher of the Boston Red Sox, will likely provide one more year of league average play as the Sox management prepares for the Post-Tek Era. Interestingly, the Red Sox have not yet brought back he of the ravenous chicken parmesan appetite, Doug Mirabelli, to back up Varitek and act as Tim Wakefield’s caddy. Kevin Cash, defensive stud that he is, might be the worst hitter in recent MLB history, and Dusty Brown is a poor man’s version of Cash. Kottaras might have a future, but he’ll need 1 more year at least. Expect the Sox to sign a veteran backup in the mold of Brad Ausmus and Mike Lieberthal.

1B - Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Chris Carter, Brandon Moss
Youkilis will bring his unique brand of offensive production and stellar glove back to first base, and the Sox will also likely sign someone to fill the Eric Hinske role within the next few months. David Ortiz will typically play 1B in National League parks only, keeping his important bat in the lineup. I have Chris Carter penciled in here out of default, but he has yet to show much offensive prowess out of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League (posting a .627 OPS in a small Pawtucket sample last season), and will likely return to McCoy Stadium. Moss played a handful of games at 1B last season, but I’ll go into more detail on him when we cover outfielders.

2B - Dustin Pedroia, Alex Cora, Joe Thurston
AL Rookie of the Year Pedroia will retain his spot and look to avoid the sophomore slump. Alex Cora (Stephen Hawking with better range), is the lone infield reserve from 2007 currently signed, and Joe Thurston is an interesting AAAA type with good speed and a decent bat. He’s a hard luck case who was drafted in the 45th round in 1997, and in 2002 hit .334/.361/.506 in AAA at the tender age of 22. While one might assume the next step would be The Show, it never happened for Joe, as he spent the next 5 years in AAA, playing respectable baseball but still not busting his MLB cherry. The odds of him ever making his long-awaited debut in Boston are very long, but he should keep the fans at McCoy stadium happy with his electric brand of play.

3B - Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, Keith Ginter, Chad Spann
Much to the joy of New England women over 40 years of age, Mike Lowell will bring his salt-and-peppery play back to the hot corner for next season and beyond. I swear, every middle-aged female Sox fan I talk to has a schoolgirl crush on Mike Lowell. However, he’s much more than cougar-bait: Lowell is coming off arguably his best season at age 33. Even if he declines, he should still be one of the better third-basemen in the AL in 2008. Ginter is a lifelong AAAA guy with a skill set not unlike that of Mark Bellhorn, and Spann is a fringe prospect attempting to rebound from an off-year (.223/.295/.307 in AAA last season), both will be plying their trade in Pawtucket. Should anything happen to Lowell, Youkilis would slide over to 3B.

SS - Julio Lugo, Alex Cora, Jed Lowrie
Lugo was one of the few disappointments for the Sox in 2007, as we were expecting a bit more at the plate than an OPS+ of 65. He should improve a little in that department, and continue to be solid defensively. Jed Lowrie has recently been a much-discussed prospect with his ballyhooed combination of gap power and plate discipline, and would be a key piece in a Johan Santana deal. If Lowrie isn’t traded, he’ll be Pawtucket-bound.

Next up: Outfielders and Pitchers

Unrelated note: of course I referenced the annual February Sports Depression, but in these parts the Celtics are certainly making things interesting, with arguably the best NBA team in the past decade. However, another basketball team has my attention, and should have yours: The Rams of the University of Rhode Island. URI (Jeff’s alma mater) is currently ranked #22 in the ESPN poll and #23 in the AP, with a 14-1 record. Good luck to the kids as they lock horns with their toughest opponent yet on Wednesday: 12-1 Dayton.