Let’s take a glance back to late February. Snow was on the ground. The Patriots season was over for about a month, after an embarrassing first round exit during the play-offs. The Celtics were floating their way through the regular season. The Bruins were once again a huge disappointment. With all the disappointment, everyone’s hopes quickly turned towards the Red Sox. All that hope seemed to be backed up. John Lackey was brought in to contribute to an already solid pitching staff fronted by aces Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. Adrian Beltre was signed to man the hot corner and help bolster the offense. Mike Cameron was signed to fill the vacancy in center field and balance out the bottom of the order. The main focus was on the pitching and defense. If these two were excellent, the offense would be good enough to take the Sox to the play-offs for the sixth time in seven years. Fast forward seven months. Now, we’re in late September and the Red Sox’s postseason hopes are hanging by a thread. Lackey has been average at best posting a 4.45 ERA. Beckett has been putrid with only 5 wins in 18 starts. Cameron has not been healthy all year and has only played in 48 games, hitting .215 with 4 home runs. Among the other victims of injuries are Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Victor Martinez. All have missed significant playing time. In the same season, the Red Sox lost their leadoff, second, and clean-up hitters for the season. In all honesty, it is truly amazing that the Red Sox have even won the amount of games they’ve won with players like Daniel Nava, Darnell McDonald, Ryan Kalish, Bill Hall, Jed Lowrie, and Kevin Cash all seeing significant playing time. Is this season a failure? Would things be different if everyone was healthy? What if Lackey and Beckett pitched to the level they are capable of? A lot of “what-ifs” can be thrown in when talking about the 2010 Red Sox. Looking forward, Victor Martinez, Adrian Beltre, and David Ortiz are all free agents after this year. This leaves team GM Theo Epstein with some big decisions to make. Epstein would be foolish to let Beltre go, when he was pretty much the only bright spot for the Red Sox this year. But he might have to if Beltre asks for too much. Martinez is a must sign because he is the best overall hitter on the team. His defense behind the dish is average at best, but it has certainly improved. Martinez is also versatile because he can play first base as well as DH. Current DH, David Ortiz, should also be back in 2011. After an early season slump, Ortiz proved he was back by hitting 30 home runs and closing in on 100 RBI’s. The Red Sox hold a $12.5MM option on the lefty-slugger and it would be in their best interest to pay him for one year instead of locking him in for multiple years at a discounted rate. The Red Sox do need to improve the bullpen, as well as the outfield, especially if Ellsbury moves back to center. Just be warned Red Sox fans, this year was ugly due to the injuries. Next year could be ugly due to the lack of talent on the field.