The clock continues to tick before the 2022 Boston Red Sox season door officially closes.
Entering Friday’s road matchup against the New York Yankees 19 games behind the American League East leaders, the Red Sox missed their shot at October contention with a wild card race getting away from them.
With the series opener serving as more of an Aaron Judge home run watch party than anything, all that’s left for the Red Sox at this point is to focus on blueprinting their next World Series contending team this upcoming offseason.
Former Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals executive Jim Bowden, who currently serves as a senior MLB writer for The Athletic, released his perspective on the 2022 Red Sox season and where the team currently stands while also noting a few key offseason priorities for the front office to consider.
“Suffice to say, if you can’t pitch and play defense, you won’t be popping champagne at season’s end and playing meaningful games in October,” Bowen wrote in his latest. “The Red Sox need to prioritize those areas this winter. Their to-do list also includes dealing with the likely opt out by Xander Bogaerts, addressing Rafael Devers’ unsettled contract situation and engaging in negotiations with their impending free agents.”
Bowden added: “The Red Sox need to have one of their most aggressive offseasons in years. They have the financial might to play ‘checkbook baseball’ and the front office to make bold trades. But it’s time for fewer ‘value’ moves and more big-market ‘tidal-wave’ transactions.”
The Red Sox have 13 games remaining — including Friday’s — until the season officially concludes.
