Boston Red Sox may actually surprise folks and be good in 2023
What if the Boston Red Sox are good?
The Boston Red Sox have had a generally disappointing offseason with the loss of four-time All-Star and unofficial team captain, Xander Bogaerts.
Even though he was their main priority, you could make the argument that the Sox could be competitive with a couple more minor moves.
To begin the season, Boston is going to have to try to manage without their second basemen, Trevor Story, as he recovers from off-season elbow surgery he had earlier this month. With Story being out a projected 4-6 months, that lands him right around July for a comfortable recovery.
With Story being one of the top paid players in the organization right now, it really sucks to have him gone for not only performance reasons, but for salary reasons. Boston is handicapped money wise (even though they’re a big market team) so they have to be smart with their money.
The addition of Adam Duvall provides great insurance for their outfield as well as a little bit of power, as Duvall is one season removed from a 38 HR season.
Boston Red Sox upgraded their bullpen this offseason which is a bit of relief
Even the Sox may be lacking some hitting still, if they can produce a a couple runs a game, the reliever staff looks to be significantly better than last season which ranked fifth worst in ERA and in the bottom half of saves.
The addition of two-time Reliever of the year, Kenley Jansen and World Series champion Chris Martin should help.
Last season, Jansen was in the 93rd percentile of K percentage and 88th percentile of hard hit percentile.
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Chris Martin on the other hand, was 94th in K percentage and 100th in BB percentage.
Those two relievers along with the addition of Joely Rodriguez, who doesn’t have outstanding numbers, but regardless is an upgrade at the position.
The only thing that Boston should do to really upgrade their bullpen, is to finally cut ties with Ryan Braiser, who had one of his worst seasons of his career last season, which included a 5.78 ERA and allowing nine home runs, tied for his worst in a season.
Can Christian Arroyo be trusted to hold his own this season?
Like I mentioned earlier, the loss of Trevor Story is going to be a major storyline for a good part of Bostons season. The Boston Red Sox are probably still calling to try to find another infielder, since they are most likely moving Kike to the infield, whether it be second or shortstop.
One player I am willing to roll with this season, is Christian Arroyo.
Last season, Arroyo had a career year and a main reason for that was the amount of field time he saw because of injuries. When Arroyo is able to get into a groove with the season, he can be one of the best hitters on the team as well as one of the most consistent.
Next. Boston Red Sox, Chaim Bloom can learn from the Atlanta Braves. dark
While playing in 87 games last year, he managed to work up a .286 batting average, draw 13 walks and blast six homers, all career bests.
Now, these numbers aren’t life changing and they definitely aren’t what the Boston Red Sox should plan for long term, but to stop the bleeding and wait for Story to come back or wait for a big trade to happen, I can rock with Arroyo.