Here's how easy it would be to replace Big Papi

We come not to bury David Ortiz, but to replace him.

Or merely, to point out how easy replacing him would be.

We're not talking about the Ortiz from 2003 to '07, one of the most dominant sluggers in the game.

We're talking about the Ortiz of '09.

The Red Sox are not ready to give up on Ortiz; nor should they be. Ortiz recovered from a slow start last season before injuring his left wrist. Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado looked finished last June, then went on a stunning tear.

Maybe Ortiz will pull a Delgado, but the signs are not good.

Ortiz, 33, has zero home runs in 116 at-bats. He curses at himself in frustration even in batting practice. Red Sox officials want to believe that he will morph back into "Big Papi," but see little actual evidence that such a revival will take place.

Ortiz's .666 OPS is the 17th-lowest in the American League. However, the league average for designated hitters at the start of the week was only .777. Last season, it was .780.

In other words, the bar is fairly low — for Ortiz, should he ever snap out of it, and for the Red Sox.

The Sox probably could not trade Ortiz, who is earning $12.5 million annually through next season. Even if they tried to be creative — say, by attaching him to a young pitcher — Ortiz would possess enough service time to block any deal.

On the other hand, if Ortiz's struggles stretch into June, the Sox would have little difficulty obtaining a left-handed-hitting alternative — and as Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon and Derek Lowe can attest, the team likely would be unsentimental about it.

Bench Ortiz? Waste a roster spot? Seems unrealistic.

Allow Ortiz to drag down the team? Even more difficult to imagine.

Left fielder Jason Bay and third baseman Mike Lowell are unlikely to hit at such high levels all season. The Red Sox could end up below-average offensively at shortstop, catcher and center field.

As one club official says of Ortiz, "If he's not hitting in June, our record will not be very good."

Removing Ortiz from the No. 3 spot would not necessarily help matters. The Sox would need him to produce even if he were hitting seventh; J.D. Drew currently is their only left-handed hitter with power.

One option would be to promote Chris Carter, who made the opening-day roster after hitting six homers in spring training, but since has hit only one in 69 at-bats at Class AAA.

The other possibility would be a trade, and there would be no shortage of candidates.

If the Sox merely confined their search to left-handed hitters in the final years of contracts, they could choose from among the following:

Rick Ankiel (Cardinals), Hank Blalock (Rangers), Jason Giambi (A's), Brian Giles (Padres), Aubrey Huff (Orioles), Adam LaRoche (Pirates), Chad Tracy (Diamondbacks).

Obviously, some of those players are more desirable than others. Johnson, while often injured, is a patient hitter in the Red Sox mold. Huff led the AL with 82 extra-base hits last season, and has 31 RBIs in his first 32 games. Giles, on the other hand, rejected a trade to the Red Sox last season, and is batting .158.

Virtually every potential trade partner would want to tap into the Red Sox's young pitching, but the glut of available talent will make for a buyer's market, enabling the Sox to practically name their price.

The Sox are still looking for a young catcher, and almost certainly will poke around for a shortstop as well. Their best solution at DH remains for Ortiz to regain his mojo. If it doesn't happen, they will be in position to strike.

The Jays: For real or not?

The Blue Jays, who built their AL-best 22-12 record without facing the Red Sox, Yankees or Rays, begin their first true test Tuesday night when they host the Yankees for three games.

The Jays are averaging six runs per game, most in the AL, and also lead the league in defensive efficiency. As their injured starting pitchers begin to return, they conceivably could grow even more formidable.

"It's hard to say it's not real," infielder John McDonald says. "We've got so many quality players on our club."

Start with second baseman Aaron Hill, who leads the majors with 54 hits, though the Jays' offense is unlikely to continue performing at such a high level. Leadoff man Marco Scutaro's .406 on-base percentage, for example, is 81 points above his previous career mark.

Then again, the pitching should only improve, and the Jays already rank fourth in the league in ERA despite having four starting pitchers and former closer B.J. Ryan on the disabled list.

Rookie lefty Brett Cecil has made two impressive starts, and righty Scott Richmond gained the respect of his teammates by pitching a complete game against the A's on Friday night after allowing five runs in the second inning.

Right-hander Ray Halladay already is 6-1, and lest anyone forget, the Jays are 72-49 since Cito Gaston returned as manager June 20, 2008 — the second-best in the majors in that time.

"Cito won two world championships. When a guy like that speaks, it does hold a lot of weight," McDonald says. "He came in last year, we played well and it carried over to spring training.

"The expectations from the outside were low. They still are. We're that team flying under the radar. And we've got the best record in baseball."

No Manny, no problem

The Dodgers need not worry about losing Manny Ramirez for 50 games. The other NL West lineups, with the possible exception of the Rockies', are downright feeble.

The Padres, Diamondbacks and Giants are the three-lowest scoring teams in the league. Their hitters are so impatient, one rival coach says, that pitchers do not need to panic when they fall behind in the count — or give in.

The Dodgers, though, are not without their pitching issues. Their biggest need appears to be an eighth-inning reliever. Ronald Belisario is too inexperienced for that role, Cory Wade is more suited for the sixth and seventh and Guillermo Mota looks like a candidate to be released.

Class AAA lefty Eric Milton, who last pitched in the majors on May 8, 2007, could be the next addition to the Dodgers' rotation, with righty Jeff Weaver moving to the bullpen.

100 steals? Not so fast

The Rays aren't necessarily enthused about the idea of outfielder Carl Crawford stealing 100 bases, knowing the toll it would take on his body.

Crawford says he would love to reach 100 if the opportunity arises, but he also talks about pacing himself, saying "I don't know what got into me," when he stole six bases against the Red Sox on May 3.

Keep in mind that Crawford plays his home games on FieldTurf at Tropicana Field. He says that after a full season on the turf, he does not even want to walk during the first week of the offseason.

Crawford, 22-for-22 in stolen-base attempts after 33 games, receives massages when his legs get sore and also makes regular use of the cold tub, particularly in the second half.

Pat just a bat — and it's fine

Imagine how good the Rays' offense will be when catcher Dioner Navarro, center fielder B.J. Upton and designated hitter Pat Burrell no longer rank in the bottom 15 in the AL in OPS.

Navarro began the week with the lowest OPS in the league, and Upton had the third worst. Burrell, the Phillies' former left fielder, admits that he is still learning AL pitching, but refuses to blame his struggles on becoming a DH.

"In my opinion, that hasn't had anything to do with it," Burrell says. "I've actually enjoyed the role — especially when you look out there and see all the balls getting caught that I wouldn't have gotten to."

Not exactly Jeter and A-Rod

It's rather amazing that the Cardinals lead the NL Central, considering that the left side of their infield is something of a mess.

Shortstop Khalil Greene has been a disappointment, particularly defensively. Troy Glaus, who underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in January, is not expected to return before the All-Star break.

The Cardinals, behind the tag team of Joe Thurston and Brian Barden, rank a surprising ninth in the NL in OPS at third — and David Freese, who is starting to hit at Class AAA, could reclaim the position soon.

Whenever I see your smiling face

Great practical joke by the Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. in response to new manager Don Wakamatsu's rule that the players must travel in coats and ties.

Griffey bought two sets of his ties for his teammates to wear — one that had his picture on them and one that had Wakamatsu's.

One scout says that Wakamatsu's tie rule is evidence that he has some of the same controlling tendencies as Buck Showalter, his former boss with the Rangers.

Mariners designated hitter Mike Sweeney, however, says that "everyone loves Wak, including Junior." Sweeney called Griffey's gesture "a sign of love and respect."

R. Ramirez: Sox's secret weapon

Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell lavishes praise on right-handed reliever Ramon Ramirez, calling him "fearless" and raving about his work ethic.

"He's a dream," Farrell says. "He's low-maintenance, self-directed and he loves to compete."

Ramirez is nothing short of an elite reliever outside of Coors Field, where he pitched for the Rockies his first two seasons.

He owns a 6.62 ERA in 46 career appearances at Coors, a 1.93 ERA in 124 appearances everywhere else.

Courtesy of FOXSports.com

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