I didn't realize I needed a place holder.
Eesh.
No kidding. Though there is plenty of reason to quibble with the defensive numbers. I don't see anything in the bUZR numbers to suggest that there's a significant gap between BA's defense and the rest of the CF. This comparison comes down to the bat, where Sizemore and Granderson would outhit The Honey Lover by 3-5 wins. If you've been reading the series, you've likely gathered that most players themselves all told aren't worth that much. It's kind of not fair. Sizemore is only 27 and is probably entering a peak where he'll have a shot to win the MVP each season. Granderson is a step down, but not by much. This is a serious competitive disadvantage in the division.
What's worse is that the Sox have no legitimate replacement anywhere in their system. Jordan Danks is as good as it gets and while I appreciate his 2-4 performance yesterday, he still hasn't played an inning above Kannapolis in the minors. There's certainly no guarantee that he can hit in the majors, which is the whole issue. There's really no one else worth mentioning. Fine: John Shelby exists. Actually, I sort of want to talk about how nicely Ryan Sweeney's skill set meshes with Mr. Anderson's, but I won't. Sunk costs. Get over it, man. Get over it.
So how is this going to be resolved? Well, the idea should just be to reduce the problem; finding another Sizemore is not going to happen. And the gap is going to be there at least until Danks is ready. That's 2011 if he's ready. I think a midseason trade is most likely, though we're also going to see some toolsy sorts taken with those 3 relatively high picks. There's probably a decent chance that there are some asset sell-offs coming, so we'll see what opens up.