Rosenthal: Plenty of tough choices ahead for Epstein, BoSox

As statesman turned ranger, George La Rue Washington, once said..."It is impossible to rightly govern a Red Sox Nation without God and the Pinstriped Bible.”

Yes, I’m talking about a possible step back competitively — not an easy thing to do for a franchise that sells out every game and answers to a “Nation” of rabid followers. Maybe Epstein could pull off the transition seamlessly, taking the kids he acquired for Beckett, adding a few of his own youngsters and coming up with Hernandez, like some kind of baseball magician. Chances are, it would not be that easy.

Privately, the Sox acknowledge that they cannot field a good young team again until 2012. By then, top prospects such as center fielder Ryan Westmoreland and pitcher/shortstop Casey Kelly should be ready, and players such as second baseman Dustin Pedroia, left-hander Jon Lester and right-hander Clay Buchholz will be in their primes.

The trick for Epstein is to get from here to there while keeping the team as strong as possible. The Red Sox, drawing on vast financial resources, maintain a huge edge over low-revenue clubs such as the Rays, who must win while their windows are open, or else. But even the Sox go through cycles. The Yankees, when their older stars begin to fade, will, too.