Rasputin said:
If we just went with the best out of Holt, Middlebrooks, and Cecchini, it probably wouldn't be terrible.
It also probably wouldn't be too good.
To my eyes, Holt's worst position is probably 3B. Additionally, it's probable that we saw his ceiling this year, so some offensive regression should be expected. IMO, in 2015 he features better as a LHH utility player that can get reps in the OF/IF to balance out the starting 9s handedness.
WMB just shouldn't even be an option at this point. It can be argued that he has too much upside to sell this low on, but it's apparent to me that if they want to field a competitive team next year they can't go into the season with him trying to conquer his recent ineptitude at the MLB level.
That leaves Garin. In his brief time in Boston this September, it looks like he may have figured out how to play defense. However, until he consistently demonstrates that he can be a solid 3B, I have a hard time wanting him to work the same side of the IF as Xander. There are also potential issues with his bat demonstrated by his sub-par season at AAA this year. As HRB points out, they have enough question marks in their lineup and adding another one is a good recipe for building a team like they did this year - lot of young talent and a lot of question marks that need to work out to be competitive. I'd rather he start the season at AAA and force his way into the lineup ala Mookie in 2014 and X in 2013.
I think they need to address this position with a proven veteran. I saw someone pose a Cespedes + trade for Beltre and I think that would be interesting. Beltre would replace Cespedes production and then some. Then a Nava/Brentz LF platoon would be quite productive, plus it starts to bleed the glut of OFers we have going into next year. I like both Panda and Headley as well, but their price tags could be too rich for the player and risk they pose.