Is Jed Lowrie the future Red Sox shortstop?

I say "Yes, please", as does The Boston Globe's Mazz. Lowrie is decent defensively and has a nice, fluid, uppercut swing. While the youngster slumped badly at the end of last year, he was good enough at the plate to warrant starting 2009 as the Sox regular shortstop, with Julio Lugo hopefully being moved elsewhere. Surely the Sox can afford to eat quite a bit of the many millions still owed over the next two years to Lugo, as the man whom GM Theo Epstein had a major man crush on for years has been a major bust in his first two seasons in Boston.

And apropos of nothing, if Theo signs that Jason Varitek for any amount of time for any amount of money, I will be A) shocked and B) greatly disappointed.