The Boston Red Sox finished with the best record in the American League East a year ago when they registered 93 wins. However, Boston stumbled in the postseason and that led to the decision to make some bold moves in an attempt to put this team over the top. The Red Sox acquired Chris Sale to bolster a talented rotation and then brought in Mitch Moreland in an effort to negate the loss of David Ortiz at first base. If they can get a boost from the return of a healthy, rejuvenated Pablo Sandoval, this team will be tough to beat. All eyes will be on Boston to see if they did enough to contend for a World Series title in 2017 and they’ll enter the 2017 campaign as the favorite to win the American League Pennant.
Key Additions: SP Chris Sale, 1B Mitch Moreland, RP Tyler Thornburg
Key Losses: DH David Ortiz, RP Koji Uehara, RP Brad Ziegler, SP Clay Buchholz, IF Yoan Moncada, C Ryan Hanigan, 3B Travis Shaw
Strengths
The big three of Sale, Price and Porcello could lead one of the best rotations in the majors and they have some quality depth at the tail end of their rotation as well with Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz. The concern won’t be in the regular season; the issue will be in the playoffs where Price has a big monkey on his back and Sale and Porcello have some things to prove.
Boston bolstered its bullpen with the addition of Tyler Thornburg so the pitching staff as a whole should be solid. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia each reached the 200-hit and 100-run marks last season and should lead a talented and deep offense that could be just fine despite losing Ortiz. Betts, Pedroia, Xander Boegaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. will need to take on even bigger roles while Moreland does his part to help bridge the gap for the Boston offense.
Weaknesses
Ortiz’s retirement led to the Red Sox signing Moreland to help plug the hole at first base. Moreland can bring a lot to the table but he can’t be expected to deliver what Ortiz did last season. The Red Sox will also give Pablo Sandoval another chance at third base after he cut down his weight and got in to shape in time for spring training. Sandoval has the potential to bring some solid depth to the offense but he needs to prove he can still hit at a high level while staying healthy for a full season. Meanwhile, the revamped bullpen must prove it can hold its own with closer Craig Kimbrel back in the spotlight. Kimbrel can be one of the best in the game when healthy but his control was an issue in 2016 and he will need to bounce back to regain his dominant form.
Boston Red Sox Depth Chart
| Catcher | Sandy Leon | Christian Vazquez | Blake Swihart | ||
| First Base | Mitch Moreland | Hanley Ramirez | |||
| Second Base | Dustin Pedroia | Brock Holt | Marco Hernandez | ||
| Third Base | Pablo Sandoval | Brock Holt | Josh Rutledge | ||
| Shortstop | Xander Bogaerts | Brock Holt | Josh Rutledge | ||
| Left Field | Andrew Benintendi | Chris Young | Bryce Brentz | ||
| Center Field | Jackie Bradley Jr. | Andrew Benintendi | Chris Young | Brock Holt | |
| Right Field | Mookie Betts | Chris Young | Brock Holt | Bryce Brentz | |
| Designated Hitter | Hanley Ramirez | Pablo Sandoval | Mitch Moreland | ||
| Starting Pitcher | Rick Porcello | Chris Sale | David Price | Steven Wright | Drew Pomeranz |
| Relief Pitcher | Tyler Thornburg | Matt Barnes | Joe Kelly | Robbie Ross Jr. | Fernando Abad |
| Closer | Craig Kimbrel | ||||
Projected Win Total: 90.5
World Series Odds: +550
Outlook
Boston is the favorite to win the AL East and among the teams most likely to challenge for a World Series title. However, they will need improve play from their bullpen while also getting solid contributions from Moreland and Sandoval on offense. Their star power both in their rotation and at the plate should still be good enough to carry this team to an AL East title in 2017 but anything more will depend on their depth players and bullpen performing at a high level and helping to put this team over the top as true World Series contenders.
Prediction: 92-70
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