Boston Red Sox: 3 positions of need heading into the offseason

If there was one overarching takeaway from the Boston Red Sox 2021 season, it would be that this team is back. After winning a World Series in 2018, struggling through a hangover of sorts in 2019, and then looking like one of the worst teams in baseball during the shortened 2020 season, the Red Sox spent 2021 defying the odds, and nearly made it all the way back to the World Series.

Expectations have been increased as a result, setting the stage for a very interesting offseason in Boston. Last offseason, the team was just trying to find their way back to a respectable status. This offseason, the front office will be tasked with turning a team that came up just two wins short of a World Series appearance into a bonafide championship contender.

Whether it be bringing back current members of the team, signing new ones in free agency, or pulling off a couple of trades, it is expected that Boston will be busy this offseason. They certainly have a winning core in place right now, but it’s time to figure out what needs to be added to that core in order to push it over the final hump and turn it into a legitimate championship contender.

That starts with identifying your key weaknesses, and figuring out how to turn them into strengths. The Sox were lacking at a couple of positions this season, and it ended up being the difference between playing in the World Series and watching it from home. Let’s take a look at the three biggest positions of need heading into the offseason, starting with a group that was simply too inconsistent during the regular season.