Red Sox may face glut in the outfield.

Byline: Paul Jarvey

COLUMN: BASEBALL

BOSTON - If the Red Sox trade for Johan Santana they will surely include a center fielder in the deal, Jacoby Ellsbury or Coco Crisp.

But what if they don't make the swap? Can Ellsbury and Crisp - both of whom see themselves as starters - be happy?

Sox manager Terry Francona thinks he can make it work. He's already had a chance on a limited basis to do it when he played Ellsbury over Crisp in Game 6 of the ALCS and through the rest of the playoffs.

"I know it was hard for Coco, but he handled it pretty well," Francona said before Thursday's annual Boston Baseball Writers Dinner. "He knew the season would be over in like five days. This would be different. I'm not sure if it's the worst thing in the world every once in a while to play the guy who is doing the best. That might not sit well with everyone every time, but at the same time, it might make us a pretty good team."

Having both players on the roster wouldn't necessarily mean Crisp or Ellsbury in the lineup either. If J.D. Drew struggles like he did for much of last year, he might be the one on the bench.

Competition for playing time could be good. But such a setup has considerable risks as Francona knows all too well. Jay Payton didn't think of himself as a reserve in 2005 and made life miserable for everyone before being traded to Oakland for Chad Bradford in midseason.

Crisp assumed he would be shipped from town when he packed up his things after the World Series, but the Santana talks have put everything on hold and not just for the two center fielders.

Bobby Kielty is still waiting to see what the Sox do. He would like to return as the fourth outfielder, but that won't happen if both Crisp and Ellsbury are on the team.

Of course, the Sox could very well trade Crisp - for some bullpen help perhaps? - even if they don't make a deal for Santana.

Francona said he has sent Crisp some text messages, but hasn't talked to him directly. Third base coach DeMarlo Hale has had conversations with the outfielder, though.

As spring training draws closer and it becomes more apparent that both outfielders will be on the club, Francona will step up his communication.

"Those are things we always do," he said. "If things aren't perfect for somebody, we talk to them, explain what we're going to do, and we go out and try to do it the best way we can. We're going to play the best team we can. If it ends up that there's some type of competition, I'm not sure that's bad."

Unless you're the player sitting on the bench.

Clay committed?

It appears the Sox weren't entirely happy with Clay Buchholz's commitment last year - why else would he be sent to the rookie orientation program for the second time - but team officials are pleased with what he did this winter.

Buchholz was supposed to spend some time working out with teammate and fellow Texan Josh Beckett, but he has been at the Athletes' Performance Institute in Pensacola, Fla., for most of the offseason, and his efforts have paid off with increased weight and strength and praise from management.

"We felt he really needed structure this winter because he's an important part of us going forward, and the kid did a good job," Francona said. "He looks stronger. We thought that needed to happen."

None of this means he will open the year with the big club. Barring injuries, it's more likely he'll start with Pawtucket.

"If he starts the season at Pawtucket, it gives us the ability to manage his overall workload and avoid that September shutdown," said pitching coach John Farrell, who also praised Buchholz for his offseason work.

The Sox might want to limit his innings early on so he'll be strong later when they need him.

The club is hoping he'll move up to the 180-190 inning range this season, but definitely no more than that.

Jon Lester, a full year removed from cancer treatments, has the inside track for a spot in the rotation, unless he gets traded, of course.

"He looks to me like he's taller," Francona said. "I know that's not true, but he looks big and strong and healthy. I think that's great. You watch him run the first week of spring training, and I bet he won't be playing catch-up. He'll be right at the lead of the pack instead of trying to keep up."

Francona and Farrell believe Lester may have turned the corner at the end of last season and they expect big things from him.

They're not worried that the rumors he'll be traded as part of a package for Santana will worry him.

"I would be very surprised if he doesn't understand how well he's thought of here," Francona said. "He's a smart kid."

100 percent sure?

Mike Lowell said he would absolutely be willing to have blood drawn for a Human Growth Hormone test, but with one proviso - he would have to be assured it would be 100 percent accurate.

"You have to understand that if it's 99 percent accurate, there are going to be seven false positives in the big leagues," Lowell said. "What if those names are one of the major names? You scar that person's career for life. You can't come back and say, we made a mistake because you just destroyed that person's career."

He said that's why Donald Fehr, head of the players' union, must insist on absolute accuracy before agreeing to HGH testing.

Unlike a lot of Major Leaguers, by the way, Lowell doesn't list hunting as one of his hobbies. Beckett, who is a big hunter, has invited the third baseman to join him, but he won't go.

"If I go hunting my wife will have a gun ready for me when I get home," Lowell said. "She thinks we're killing Bambi. So, I don't think hunting is in my future."

Dice-K eyes more work

The Sox tried to rein in Daisuke Matsuzaka's workouts last year so he wouldn't wear himself out, but he has told Farrell that he wants to pitch even more in spring training than 2007. He apparently didn't feel he was strong enough at the start of the season, but Farrell thought that wasn't the case. ... Pedroia played against Jed Lowrie when he was at Arizona State and Lowrie was at Stanford and says the Sox' prospect "can flat out hit." ... Craig Hansen, who has seemingly fallen off the radar since pitching for the big club in 2005 and 2006, is throwing again following offseason surgery to fix a nasal passage. ... Attending the Holy Cross-Bucknell game on Friday at the Hart Center, Francona learned that the sports passion in New England isn't limited to his Red Sox. The SRO crowd, mostly purple-clad students, was loud and intense. Francona showed up well before the start of the game and hung around afterward. He wasn't besieged by autograph seekers either, the HC fans mostly focused on pulling for their team and harassing the Bison.

Contact Paul Jarvey by e-mail at [e-mail].

Tito rules

After winning seven straight games in the 2007 playoffs, Terry Francona now has the highest postseason winning percentage in Major League history among those who have managed at least 20 playoff games.

Manager Record Pct.

Terry Francona 22-9 .710

Joe McCarthy 30-13 .698

Tom Kelly 16-8 .667

Bob Lemon 15-9 .625

Sparky Anderson 34-21 .618

NAME: BOSTON RED SOX 

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) Terry Francona (2) Clay Buchholz was supposed to spend some time working out with teammate Josh Beckett.