The Boston Red Sox are back. With the MLB lockout officially ending this afternoon, baseball fans are rejoicing to see the sport making a return to their lives. It was 99 days too long in this writer’s opinion, but that’s in the past now.
The focus quickly has to shift to the upcoming season, which is just a month away now. Things are going to move at rapid pace from here on out, as the offseason has been siginificantly reduced. Free agency will open back up later tonight, and a shortened Spring Training period will get under way over the weekend.
While all this is extremely exciting, it’s game on now. After getting a nice three month vacation, the Red Sox, as well as every other team in the MLB, are going to have to quickly get their offseason plans back on track. Last we saw Boston, they brought on three new pitchers (Michael Wacha, James Paxton, and Rich Hill) and pulled off a shocking trade that sent starting outfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Milwaukee Brewers in return for Jackie Bradley Jr. and a pair of prospects.
The initial moves from Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom haven’t exactly inspired confidence to this point, and now is the time to fix that. The Red Sox are going to need to quickly find their footing in what is bound to be a chaotic finish to the offseason if they want to repeat their successful 2021 campaign. With that in mind, here are three things the Sox need to do now that the lockout is over.
Boston Red Sox offseason to-do list item No. 3: Find some infield depth
For the most part, Boston’s infield is in a good place for the upcoming season. Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts still occupy third base and shortstop (although that could change shortly) while Christian Arroyo and Bobby Dalbec are currently in line to slot in at second and first base. Dalbec struggled at times last season, and Arroyo missed a good chunk of the season with a slew of injuries and a bout of COVID, so neither guy is set in stone there.
This isn’t a horrible infield unit by any stretch of the imagination, but it could certainly be upgraded upon. Devers and Bogaerts are both defensive liabilities at times at their positions, Arroyo lacks durability, and Dalbec struggled to get on base for long stretches of last season. Kike Hernandez lurks as a do-it all infielder when needed too, but his capabilties are needed in the outfield for now (more on that in a minute).
There have been rumors that Boston is lurking as a dark horse candidate for big name free agents such as Carlos Correa or Freddie Freeman, but that seems quite unlikely at this point. While thier infield has some flaws, there are other areas on the roster that need more help than here. So while it would be nice to fantasize about adding a guy like Correa or Freeman, I wouldn’t count on it happening.
The more likely option is adding a bench player or two to fill out the roster. A candidate for this role would be Jose Iglesias, who hit .356 with Boston over 23 games late in the season. Iglesias can play all over the infield in a pinch, and he showed some life with his bat during his short stint with the team last season.
The other move that will most likely happen at some point in the season is the arrival of Triston Casas. Some folks have clamored for the team to re-sign Kyle Schwarber, but it seems more likely the team will hand the role to Dalbec for now and eventually call up Casas, especially if he struggles. An Iglesias-Casas combo would cover all four infield spots off the bench, and do so for virtually no cost.
Boston Red Sox offseason to-do list item No. 2: Find a starting caliber replacement for Hunter Renfroe
Boston has a gaping hole in their outfield as a result of the Hunter Renfroe trade mentioned earlier. Having Jackie Bradley Jr.’s glove back is nice, but Bradley hit .163 last season. He’s not a starting caliber outfielder at this stage of his career, and it’s clear the front office needs to get one before free agency closes if they want to make playoffs again this season.
The good news is that there are still some solid outfielders available of the free agent market. Nick Castellanos and Michael Conforto are two of the top names who are still available, and you could conceivably pursue a guy like Schwarber or Kris Bryant and sacrifice some defensive productivity for another solid bat in the lineup. And with Bradley on the bench as a late innings defensive replacement, that wouldn’t necessarily be the worse idea possible.
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Another outside-the-box candidate is Seiya Suzuki, who is making the jump from Japan to the MLB. There were rumors a couple months back that Suzuki had a deal in place with the Red Sox that would see him sign with Boston once the lockout ended. There were also reports saying he hadn’t made his decision yet that came out shortly after. Either way, Suzuki would be a perfect replacement for Renfroe in right field.
Player’s like Castellanos and Bryant are probably going to be more expensive than Conforto, Schwarber, and Suzuki. Suzuki would be the biggest risk, but he has shown the potential to be a true five-tool player while in Japan, and if he can play like that in the majors, that would be a huge game changer for whichever team he ends up on.
As of right now, it seems like either Suzuki or Schwarber would be the most likely addition to the outfield group, and that’s not saying much. Schwarber’s market has expanded significantly thanks to the addition of a universal designated hitter, and Suzuki’s status is very much up in the air. Either way, Boston has to bring in another outfielder, and they would be wise to choose from this list of five guys to fill that need.
Boston Red Sox offseason to-do list item No. 1: Figure out the bullpen
The Red Sox bullpen, as currently constructed, is a mess to say the least. They were a makeshift unit last season, and no additions were made before the lockout took place. It’s clear some extra arms are going to be needed to fill out the bullpen, and a closer needs to be decided upon after Matt Barnes fell apart last season.
The most logical in-house option for closer would be Garrett Whitlock, who was superb last season. He gradually worked his way into some clutch late-inning situations in the postseason, and his performance in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays may have saved Boston’s season. He was a stud in every situation last season, and he showed no fear of taking on those late-inning roles deep in the postseason. Make him your closer.
There are some salvagable pieces throughout the bullpen still, but it’s not enough. Josh Taylor emerged as a dominant lefty reliever last season, and Ryan Brasier finally seemed to figure things out again after struggling ever since Boston’s 2018 World Series win. There’s always hope Barnes could find his form again after dominating during the first half of the season, but you cannot count on that to happen.
Boston desperately needs a setup man or two, but their options are slim on the market. Their best options available would probably be Ryan Tepara, who was deadly last season, or Archie Bradley, who also has experience closing. The middle part of the bullpen is OK, but it’s clear some more late-inning arms are needed.
Figuring out the bullpen is the most important piece of Boston’s offseason agenda. The bullpen was the team’s biggest liability last season, and while they ultimately fell short in the ALCS because their lineup went cold, their bullpen did them no favors. Fixing the bullpen is going to be a tough task right now, but if done correctly, it can turn the Sox into a powerhouse team this season.