The MLB hot stove is heating up and this holiday season Red Sox fans will be asking for a lot.
The Boston Red Sox 2019 season was a disaster. Fans were left asking what went wrong and wondered how the team could fix their problems.
It’s December, which means the Winter Meetings will be heating the hot stove as we head into the holiday season. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or any other winter solstice aligned holiday.
December is a time for your teams to shape their rosters and prepare for spring training which is coming faster than Santa sliding down the chimney.
So what should Red Sox fans hope to get stuffed in their stockings this offseason? A shiny new free agent? A blockbuster mega-trade? Probably none of the above to be honest.
As the team tries to redeem itself from a lackluster 2019, the Sox and new Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom need to field a competitive team while keeping a close eye on an exceedingly bloated payroll.
Realistically, here’s what Sox fans should be wishing for this holiday season.
We need Benny biceps
In Andrew Benintendi’s first two seasons in the big leagues (2017, 2018) he hit .280 with 36 home runs and 177 RBI. He played solid defensively and was second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 (He would lose to Aaron Judge).
More from Boston Red Sox
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
- Mookie Betts Has Humble Outlook on Returning to Fenway
- Alex Cora Reveals What He Said to Cause NSFW Response from Justin Verlander
Benny seemed to have a TON of promise, and that sweet left-handed swing and compact build reminded many fans of another left-handed-hitting Sox player to man the Monster.
Benintendi was putting up Yaz-like numbers up until the 2018 All-Star break. At the break, Benny was hitting .297 with 14 home runs and was on pace to hit close to 30 dingers. Then, the second half began, and “Benny biceps” suffered a severe power outage…he hit only two homers from July 20 to September 29.
This may not seem so glaring since the Sox cruised to a World Series victory, but Benny hasn’t been the same since mid-2018. Last season saw his numbers dip significantly in almost every offensive category. His average fell to .266 (-24 points), he hit only 13 homers for the year, and his strikeouts increased by 40. In 2020,
Andrew Benintendi needs to be closer to the .285, 20 HR guy we all hope he can be.
A definitive closer
“Closer by Committee” doesn’t work. In 2003 the Red Sox brought a bunch of arms into the bullpen mix. Chad Fox, Mike Timlin, Alan Embree, Brandon Lyon, Scott Williamson, and Ramiro Mendoza (among others) were expected to compete for the closing job and Sox brass was convinced that someone from the group would emerge and rise to the top.
The problem was, only Timlin had an ERA under FOUR. Lyon got the lion’s share (see what I did there) of save opportunities, collecting nine from April to late May before the Sox had to swap infielder Shea Hillenbrand for D-Backs closer Byung-Hyun Kim.
Kim solidified the back-end of the relief core. Filling his defined role let manager Grady Little mix and match with the set-up guys, which led to a deep run in the 2003 playoffs. A year later, the Sox traded for Keith Foulke, and we all know how important that went.
After losing Craig Kimbrel to free agency after 2018, the Sox went into spring training in ‘19 with a similar approach to 2003, and it was an unmitigated disaster.
The Red Sox were 21st out of 30 in the majors for save conversions last season and blew 31 of them. Dave Dombrowski thought he had caught lightning in a bottle with Ryan Brasier, but found out pretty clearly in 2019 that Brasier’s strong performance a year earlier was an anomaly.
Brasier blew 7 early saves and was flirting with a 5.00 ERA by season’s end. As of today, the Sox do not have a clear-cut stud reliever on their roster like Aroldis Chapman or Kirby Yates.
FanSided 250
Fansided250 Logo
Where does your fandom rank?
See 2019 Rankings
According to 98.5 The Sports Hub, the front office has free agent Sergio Romo in their sights for additional bullpen help. He does have some closing experience, and although a bit long in the tooth (36) he could provide some much-needed bullpen depth.
I say the Sox should just come right out and name Brandon Workman the closer. He’s already on your roster, so if you’re actually cutting payroll, he costs you no additional money.
His numbers were pretty darn respectable, too. He led the team in saves (16), had a .148 batting average against in late and close contests, a 0.94 BAA in tie games, and a .135 BAA in the ninth inning and a 1.88 ERA overall.
Those numbers justify his being named closer alone. Plus, all the other guys like Matt Barnes and Heath Hembree know exactly what their role is when they arrive at JetBlue Park in February.
If you’re not going to spend the money, at least be smart and name your best reliever the closer of this team to give other pitchers an idea of what their role is moving forward.
A healthy starting rotation
Eduardo Rodriguez, the team’s best hurler in 2019 made 34 starts, won 19 games, and posted a 3.81 ERA. These are the types of numbers you want to see in your rotation.
But if you’re wondering why the Red Sox couldn’t muster up more than 84 wins last year, chalk it up to injuries and ineffective performances from the rotation.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, the average, healthy starting pitcher’s “full season” is equivalent to 34 starts, so ERod more than held up his end of the bargain.
But here’s who didn’t: Chris Sale – 25 games started (9 missed starts), Nathan Eovaldi – 23 games started (11 missed starts), David Price – 22 games started (12 missed starts),
All three had ERAs over four (Eovaldi was pushing 6.00). To make matters worse here’s the wrecking crew who had to come in to replace your top three rotation pieces:
Hector Velazquez – 5.43 ERA, 1 win in 8 starts, Brian Johnson – 6.02 ERA, 1 win in 7 starts, Andrew Cashner – 6.20 ERA, 2 wins in 6 starts, Jhoulys Chacin – 7.36 ERA, 0 wins in 5 starts.
(Time to ask for a new keyboard for Christmas, as I just vomited all over this one)
I mean…you’re not going to win a pennant with those injuries and those performances. With the hefty checks John Henry is signing for Price, Sale, and Eovaldi, my biggest holiday wish is that they can get their butts on the mound to toe the rubber in 2019. Or else the Grinch will be delivering coal in the Red Sox’ stockings again next winter.