Opinion

This Article was initially featured on New England Sports Online.

Most seasons, grading the Red Sox would involve the starting nine, a couple of bench players, six starting pitchers, and maybe 4-5 bullpen guys. With all the injuries the Sox have been forced to endure, however, grading the team has become a little more complicated.

Nonetheless, I’ve tried to give the players who have seen significant action on the field grades..

Starting with the pitchers:

Carlos Beltran had a mixed night in his return to action on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, although the general consensus should be that there were more positives than negatives to take from his debut.

Beltran finished 1-for-4 with a putout, and while Mets fans will be happy to have him back in the lineup, he obviously isn't back to full strength yet.

His lone hit came in the third inning, before he was subsequently thrown out trying to swipe second, and it was also apparent that he needs time to gel with his teammates in the outfield.

After being released by both the Tigers and Diamondbacks already this season, the San Francisco Giants have given Dontrelle Willis another chance, signing him to a minor league deal today .

Carlos Beltran is off the disabled list, and he'll be back in the heart of the New York Mets lineup Thursday night in San Francisco.

After 14 rehab games for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets, the five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glover will provide a big boost to Jerry Manuel's team, both in the lineup and in hopefully in the field.

Here are three different scenarios for his return...the best, worse, and most likely scenarios.

Yunel Escobar is the main player Alex Anthopoulos acquired when he dealt Alex Gonzalez away. Anthopoulos had stated that his plan to build (not rebuild) the Toronto Blue Jays is to get young, controllable players—players whose salary we can control for several years.

As we all know, the first half of the baseball season has been nothing short of a disaster for those of us who claim the Diamondbacks as our team.

As painful and embarrassing it is to admit it now, I am one of those poor fans.

Even with the shame and disappointment of the season, this second half still holds value for me as a fan.

Now, since the team is completely out of contention, the priorities change.

There is no way that they can win the division or even get close, but there are some things I wish to see in the final 73 games of the season.

After starting the season with most everything clicking, the Minnesota Twins have experienced a rough couple of months. Injuries, rotten luck, and even simple incompetence has contributed to the Twins' drop to third in the AL Central, and the future doesn't look any better.

Of course, as does every blogger, I know exactly how to fix the team. Here are three steps Minnesota needs to take in order to have a successful second half of the season.

The much anticipated return of Carlos Beltran is only a day away. The Mets, their fans, and their manager are hoping that he can contribute immediately.

Is that realistic?

Normally, I don't have a problem giving a definitive opinion to a Mets related question. This one isn't that easy though.

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The second half of the season is going to start tomorrow, so it's only fair to let the players know how they are doing right now.

Baseball’s hot stove is heating up. With two weeks left until the trade deadline and Cliff Lee already dealt, the two big names left on the rumor circuit are Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth.

The two have much in common: Both are outfielders who are among the best players on their respective teams. They both play for clubs that are fully in the thick of playoff contention—Crawford’s Rays are three games up in the AL Wild Card, while Werth’s Phillies sit just 1.5 games behind the Rockies and Dodgers in the NL.