Forget tinkering, the Boston Red Sox need an extreme makeover

The Boston Red Sox need a haircut and a clean shave and not just a trim around the edges of this last-place team. After another season of futility, Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom has to take charge and transform this bunch into a top club again.

To do so will require the financial backing of the absentee ownership that resides evidently more on Merseyside in England than they do on the banks of the Charles in the city of Boston. For the sake of argument (???) let’s assume they snap out of their lethargy and go all in.

The good news is opportunity is knocking. Several big-money players may come off the books for 2023. The team should make hay with this golden opportunity and refashion this moribund outfit into a winner again.

Let’s offer a few suggestions as to how they may accomplish this if Chaim Bloom’s hands are untied and the Fenway Sports Group’s coffers are opened.

The Boston Red Sox need to be bold and aggressive in free agency

While Chaim Bloom was seasoned in penurious Tampa Bay among the palm trees, the Red Sox aren’t and should never be that sort of outfit. Allowing this big-market team with its gilded history to act like a third-rate club and again crash to the bottom of the AL East is a downright disgrace.

Yet, while we hear nothing from the ownership, it’s left to commentators to suggest what this crew should do.

First things first, this is not a team that’s close to winning the AL East. That delusional thinking should be thrown out with the bath water. Major changes are essential.

The first step, go all-out and pilfer the best player on the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge. And if that means ponying up whatever it takes, including $50M per for a decade if need be, just do it.

A friend suggested it may just take a bit of the sting out of the awful sale in 1919 of a certain George Herman Ruth to the Bronx Bombers. He’s right. It would help, but in reality, nothing will fully ever make up for that boneheaded move by Harry Frazee. But it would be a darn good step in the right direction.

Judge should just be the start. Then maybe sign Shohei Otani too! Clean house and free up cash.  Allow Xander Bogaerts to walk. Trevor Story slots right into the shortstop position. As for Rafael Devers, either sign him to an extension or trade him this offseason.

If traded, Devers should bring a big return and forget the dead-end prospect trail. The botched Mookie Betts salary dump should be lesson enough. The Sox got back one average major leaguer, Alex Verdugo (who is eminently dispensable), and two prospects that have basically done nothing.

Dave Dombroski was given a raw deal and summarily kicked to the curb for thinning the farm system. He won a World Series. How has focusing on the farm worked out for the Red Sox since? ‘Nuf said.

You trade top players, you get back established major-leaguers. Teams like the Dodgers and Twins took Chaim Bloom to the cleaners. Bloom traded a great player in Betts to LA. The Sox would up with Verdugo and two unremarkable prospects.

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The Twins got a very good player in Hunter Renfroe and the Sox returned Jackie Bradley Jr. who was DFO’d before the season ended and two more prospects. Wonderful.

Unfortunately, the Sox are stuck with the contract of Chris Sale (who can’t stay on the field) for another three years and $70M or so. That one’s on Dombro, but who among us didn’t like that deal when it was made? It was bad luck. It is what it is.

On the plus side, the contracts of J.D. Martinez and his nearly$20M, Nathan Eovaldi and his $17M, along with Bogaerts’ $20M are likely off the books. Let them walk. Use that money for Judge and a starting pitcher who can actually pitch.

Never-seen pitcher James Paxton (a complete disaster from Mr. Bloom of the highest order from day one) can be bought out for $4M it is believed and his full $13M shouldn’t be an albatross in 2023. The team can part ways with Rich Hill who earned $5.5M last season, as well.

So there’ll be money to spend and the owners should make available whatever else Bloom wants to remake this club. It’s also time for a drafted player or two to actually contribute. Who the heck was the last drafted starting pitcher to actually produce, Jon Lester? Great.

Those are some initial thoughts on how the offseason should shape up suggesting the Sox thin out the roster that totally flopped in 2022. The team needs a big-time makeover and the fireworks should begin right after the World Series.