Red Sox plan to keep Casey Kotchman around

Assuming that the Mike Lowell trade to Texas goes through as planned Casey Kotchman will temporarily move atop Boston’s depth chart at first base, with Kevin Youkilis taking over for Lowell at third base. That alignment doesn’t figure to last long, with the Red Sox reportedly making a serious play for Adrian Beltre that would leave Youkilis at first base and send Kotchman back to the bench. Despite the likelihood that Kotchman will be a backup once the dust clears in Boston and is set to get a raise from his $2.85 million salary via arbitration the Red Sox reportedly plan to tender him a contract tomorrow. Kotchman is an excellent defensive first baseman, but he’s also a 27-year-old career .269/.337/.406 hitter who batted .268/.339/.382 in 2009 and even with the Red Sox’s huge payroll $3 million is awfully expensive for a not-so-potent bench bat.