Only one real position battle in camp

Terry Francona hasn't put his left hand on the Bible. He's not in any sort of courtroom. He has no obligation to tell anyone the truth.

But that doesn't mean we can't call him on it.

So far this spring, Francona has used the phrase "wide open" when talking about the competition between Jed Lowrie and Julio Lugo to start at shortstop. Francona also has said, about young pitchers Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden, "I'm not saying they can't make the ballclub, but we don't have to rush them and can use them when they're ready to win."

And when reporters asked Francona about the three catchers competing to back up Jason Varitek behind the plate, he responded, "We definitely need to take the six, seven weeks that we have down here and try to get a better understanding of where we are with all three of those guys."

In only one of those cases, however, can we be expected to believe that Francona was telling the truth.

The shortstop job is not wide open.

Buchholz and Bowden, in fact, cannot make the ballclub.

Only at backup catcher -- where George Kottaras has turned down a chance to represent his country in the World Baseball Classic to improve his chances of impressing the coaching staff -- is there a true competition in which the best man will win.

Just look at the evidence.

Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald made the deduction earlier this week that Julio Lugo, barring injury, will open the season as the Red Sox's starting shortstop. His reasoning was fourfold:

1. Lugo isn't comfortable playing anywhere other than shortstop, meaning he can't settle into a role as a utility infielder the way Lowrie can. Francona has said he's going to play Lugo exclusively at shortstop this spring "in fairness to him and Jed," but he's going to give Lowrie some starts at third base when Mike Lowell needs a day off. Out of fairness. Right.
2. If he's healthy, Lugo has shown in the past he's a better player than he's been in his two season in Boston.
3. Lugo will make $9 million for each of the next two seasons, and even the Red Sox aren't going to want to shell out $9 million for 200 or 250 at-bats.
4. Even if the Red Sox wanted to trade Lugo, they have to play him to showcase him.

Lowrie might back the Red Sox into a corner with a sensational spring. But if the Red Sox don't want to turn Lugo into a utility infielder, they have two choices: Start him or cut him. The $18 million left on Lugo's contract makes that a no-brainer.

Here's the thing: In the same way Lowrie is out of luck no matter how he performs this spring, so too are top prospects Buchholz and Bowden. Both have big-league experience; both are at the stage in their development when they should get 20 or 25 starts in the big-league rotation.

And both, barring at least one disabled-list-caliber injury, are going to start the season at Triple-A Pawtucket.

The Red Sox have three Cy Young-caliber starting pitchers in Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Those three, in a to-be-determined order, will start the season-opening set against the Tampa Bay Rays.

After that comes Tim Wakefield, to whom the Red Sox have committed $4 million this season. And after that comes Brad Penny, to whom the Red Sox have committed $5 million as well as performance bonuses that could earn him another $3 million should he pitch 200 innings.

Neither Wakefield nor Penny is going to end up in Pawtucket. Neither Wakefield nor Penny is going to end up in the bullpen. The Red Sox have the same two choices with Wakefield and Penny -- and John Smoltz when he returns from his surgery -- that they do with Lugo: Start them or cut them. Wakefield is far from dominant, but his recurring $4 million option remains one of the best bargains in baseball so long as he can pitch 150 innings and deliver an ERA south of 4.75 or 5.00.

The Red Sox aren't averse to eating contracts; they did so when they released Julian Tavarez less than a year ago. But it doesn't make much sense to cut a player and still have to pay him unless the team know for a fact it's going to get more value from that player's replacement. Buchholz was a disaster last season; Bowden has all of five big-league innings under his belt. There's no way of knowing if either would outperform Wakefield.

Even Lowrie, for all of his successes last season, can't be considered a sure thing at shortstop until he proves he can hit better than .222 against lefties. The Red Sox would have to eat so much money if they released Lugo they have no choice but to play him,

Josh Bard, Dusty Brown and George Kottaras all have an equal chance to win a roster spot; Brown appears to be the underdog simply because he can be optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket without having to clear waivers. The other two, however, have to make the roster or be designated for assignment -- and that means the best man really will win the job.

Hey, look: An actual competition! What a concept!