Mike Cameron

Mike Cameron’s first season with the Red Sox was not what he had hoped for. An abdominal injury last season put the former All-Star on the DL, and eventually required surgery. The injury cut his playing time to just 48 games, the fewest games he had appeared in since 1997.

After appearing in four games this spring, he is hitting .455 and ready to play again.

Last week, WEEI's Alex Speier reported that Mike Cameron had no wish to leave Boston. Despite an offseason that clearly puts Cameron as the fourth OF on a solid outfield—both offensively and defensively—the 38-year-old vet with 16 years of MLB service is content with his role as a backup.

The Red Sox have listened to offers for Cameron and probably will continue to do so for the rest of the offseason. After all, Cameron is due a hefty $7.25 million for the remainder of 2011.

The big news today is that the Boston Red Sox massively overpaid for former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder, speed demon Carl Crawford. $126 million over 7 years. Whether or not you think that Crawford is worth that kind of money, one thing's for sure: The Red Sox are likely out of the running for Washington Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham, who once again is rumored to be on the trading block.

Being a fan of the Boston Red Sox is never easy. After spending decades of relishing in the role as the lovable losers, the Red Sox finally won a World Series ring. In fact they went on to win more than one championship and people began to expect them to win. As a fan, I also began to believe that every year the Red Sox, my team, could win it all.

Weeks ago, most of Red Sox Nation seemed to give up on the idea that the Sox could overtake the Yankees and win the AL East. The conventional wisdom was that the team was now fighting to overtake the Rays for the Wild Card spot.

But things have recently changed. 

In the last 10 games, the Yankees are 5-5, while the Rays have gone 9-1, tying New York for the AL East lead. 

Boston has long since had a reputation for jumping the gun when it comes to burying its sports teams. Historically speaking, patience in the Hub has been anything but a virtue.

So when the media vultures starting circling David Ortiz after exactly two games this spring, I was quick to defend the veteran slugger, asking for everyone to hold their horses before rioting in the streets.

But now? Hit the panic button. This team's in trouble.

Mike Nicotera, the agent for Red Sox center fielder Mike Cameron, writes that his client has returned to Boston to meet with team doctors sometime this morning after an initial diagnosis that he may be suffering from a kidney stone(s).

Nicotera wrote: “I spoke to Cam last night. Seems to be a kidney stone that he needs to pass. He’s going to follow up with doctors in Boston today.”

The Red Sox were faced with a difficult choice this winter: Sign LF Jason Bay for four years and BIG bucks or bring in someone new to fill one of the outfield slots until Josh Reddick and/or Ryan Kalish might be ready for a full-time gig in 2011 or 2012.

The front office had clearly made a decision to move towards a team built on pitching and defense, and while Bay had become popular in Boston, his defense (a -11 UZR/150) just didn’t fit with the new course the team had charted. And then there was the issue of his knees...

The Boston Red Sox have done a wonderful job of overhauling their roster this winter. After being swept out of the playoffs by the Angels, GM Theo Epstein knew major changes needed to be made, and he did just that.

John Lackey, the top free agent pitcher, was added to provide depth to the rotation as well as give a wealth of big-game experience to the staff.  Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro were brought in to retool the left side of the infield.