The Boston Red Sox have built themselves a dynasty after their 2018 World Series win. Do they have what it takes to do it again in 2019? It’s never too early to talk about it.
The Boston Red Sox gave fans of all ages an October to remember, winning the 2018 World Series in dominating fashion.
Now, with dynastic implications swirling around the organization’s front office, a lot of fans will begin to wonder how their beloved team plans to repeat in 2019. Sure, it’s probably way to early to talk about this, but things tend to move quickly in this part of the country.
When something huge occurs, people move on to the next order of business. For Boston fans, winning a consecutive title would be magical. We’re never satisfied here, no matter how many championships the city has seen.
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With that in mind, since we’re all probably thinking it, here are five reasons the Boston Red Sox will repeat as 2019 World Series champions, and become the first team to win back-to-back championships since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.
1. Chris Sale’s option has been picked up
The Boston Red Sox picked up Sale’s 2019 option for $15 million. This will be his final season as part of his five-year contract he signed with the Chicago White Sox back in 2013.
The move is a win-win for GM Dave Dombrowski, notably because Sale had such an awesome 2018 where he went 12-4 with 2.11 ERA and 237 strikeouts in the regular season, before dealing with a shoulder injury in the second half. His Cy Young chances have diminished because of that, but his stellar playoff performance convinced Dombrowski enough, to the point where he at least trusts him as the ace for one more year.
Sure, he obtained a pretty mediocre 5.40 ERA in the World Series, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The lefty had ten strikeouts in only five innings pitched during that same five-game span against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and closed out Game 5 in easy fashion during a relief stint in the ninth.
His performance against New York in the ALDS also helped spark this magnificent run, specifically in Game 1 at home, where he pitched five stellar innings, recording eight strikeouts, and obtaining his first career postseason win.
This was a huge breakthrough for a player who’s never had much experience in high-stakes situations like these, even with his old squad. His only other appearance in the playoffs transpired against a very dangerous Houston Astros team in the 2017 ALDS, where Sale gave up four home runs and 13 hits in the only two contests he appeared in.
Alex Cora was definitely initially worried about Sale’s health heading into October, especially with his decreasing fastball velocity in September. Luckily, the ace got back on track, and for the most part, looked like the Cy Young candidate we always knew.
The guy is only 29 too, and if he keeps his velocity between 94-96 mph, then 2019 could be another special year for him. If he stays healthy, then Sale may just have a shot at acquiring another large contract from the Boston Red Sox organization. Either way, picking up that option was essential in maintaining success, at least for 2019.
2. David Price looked great in the 2018 postseason
While, we’re still on the subject of pitching, it’s definitely worth mentioning David Price’s contributions in the 2018 playoffs, and how that may affect the upcoming season.
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The 33-year-old carried a burden of continuously underperforming in October until now. Oddly enough, the guy who everyone made fun of for acquiring carpal tunnel from playing Fortnite, somehow managed to change everyone’s hearts with two of the greatest starts of his career.
The southpaw assisted with eliminating the Astros in Game 5 of the ALCS, tossing six shutout innings, before doing the same thing in Game 5 of the World Series. He one-upped himself in the latter, throwing seven innings of one-run ball, officially putting the Dodgers away for good.
I tasked him with solidifying himself as the clear second starter behind Sale, and he did that, despite all of the doubts throughout the entire regular season. Price found his stroke just when Cora needed him too.
Clearly, the guy felt an immense amount of pressure, especially considering the countless amount of times the camera caught him slapping his chest as if his heart was about to pop out at any moment throughout this run.
Not to mention, Price is a phenomenal teammate. NESN reported the southpaw lifting the spirits of Nathan Eovaldi after the heartbreaking Game 3 loss, in which the righty pitched six innings of spectacular relief, with nothing to show for.
Price stuck with him through postgame recovery, and even on the bus ride back to the hotel. Sure, he’s made some stupid mistakes during his career, but his dedication to the game is unfathomable, and it’s something that will hopefully carry over into the 2019 season.
3. The lineup is still young
Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi, and Jackie Bradley Jr. are all under the age of 30. They all delivered when they needed too, especially Bradley and Betts. The former hit a major base-clearing double, and two big-time home runs in the Astros series, while the latter finally broke out of his own postseason slump with a home run in the late innings of Game 5 in the World Series, helping to pad the lead.
Also, with a championship under their belt, the lineup looks to stay intact. All of them are under contract, even J.D. Martinez, who still has that five year, $110 million deal he signed over the winter last year. He turned into the much needed missing piece Cora needed.
The dude had arguably the best season of his career, hitting 43 homers while gathering a career-best 130 RBIs. He was also a few average points away from winning the Triple Crown.
Betts, the guy that probably will surpass him in the MVP voting, had an even better year on both sides of the ball. His magnificent defense led to an almost perfect year from someone who many considered to be a one-hit wonder after last year’s decline at the plate.
Thankfully, he turned it on when it mattered, and despite another underwhelming postseason, the right fielder looks to imitate what he did in 2019, notably with the monkey off of his back.
4. They are still the best team in the AL East
As far as I’m concerned, the Boston Red Sox are still better than the New York Yankees. Even with their squad at full strength, Aaron Boone’s team looked pretty terrible in the ALDS, losing in four games.
Not to mention, one of them featured a contest that ended 16-1 in Boston’s favor. Also, Giancarlo Stanton looked pretty anemic in the series, striking out in some of the biggest moments. It seems like he’s caught the “can’t hit in the playoffs” syndrome.
As far as the rest of the division goes, the Tampa Bay Rays look to be the only other formidable competition for the Boston Red Sox. Their pitching is stout, led by Blake Snell, who had his own case for the Cy Young. Their hitting is nowhere near the talent of Boston however, so I wouldn’t be too worried about them.
Both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles still need to figure stuff out, especially the latter. Baltimore’s fallen off a cliff since making the playoffs just a few years ago. They were of the three worst teams in baseball during 2018.
5. Alex Cora is still the manager
Alex Cora showed he was ready to take over a team right from the beginning. There was never a point in the season where it looked like the Sox would be vulnerable enough to lose in a seven-game series. Even their losing streaks ended up being pretty minuscule in the grand scheme of things.
His decision-making was uncanny, especially when it came to his bullpen. He made every right move throughout the playoffs and knew what the situation was before the other team did.
For 2019, he hopes to mirror Terry Francona, in the sense that he’ll try to maintain success for the next few years. Arguably, this might of been one of the most talented Red Sox teams in history, just based on consistency. I’ll probably have to update my top five championship teams at some point.
For now though, let’s bask in the glory of another title, and hope the recent success can sustain for years to come.