The Major League Baseball season finally is underway, so let’s speculate about what might happen six months from now, shall we?
The Boston Red Sox won’t play a game until 4:10 p.m. ET on Monday, but that doesn’t take away from all they did this offseason to put together a World Series contender. And even though everything could change by September, or even by the All-Star break, the Red Sox still have what it takes to make a run toward the Fall Classic.
First, let’s start with the obvious: David Price. The Red Sox acquired the 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner and last year’s runner-up on a seven-year, $217 million contract this offseason, and it’s almost unnecessary to say Price will provide an immediate impact. But behind Price is where things get a little dicey and where the Red Sox’s other, less-talked-about offseason pitching moves come into play.
The Red Sox traded prospects Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, Carlos Asuaje and Logan Allen to the San Diego Padres for four-time All-Star (and he’s only 27) Craig Kimbrel, whose presence alone took Boston’s bullpen from one of the worst in the league to one of the best. Beyond the talent Kimbrel brings — he has a career 1.63 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings — the fact that he is a capable closer takes the pressure off the rest of the Red Sox’s arms, which were extremely overworked in 2015, thanks to poor starting performances. Koji Uehara, who turned 41 on Sunday, won’t be needed to close out every game, and Junichi Tazawa, who posted poor numbers by the end of 2015 because of overuse, can get some much needed rest.
Carson Smith also was a fabulous pick-up for the Red Sox, as the 26-year-old posted 92 strikeouts in 70 innings last season for the Seattle Mariners. He’s starting his season on the disabled list with a forearm injury, but he isn’t expected to miss extended time. The Red Sox also will have Steven Wright back as a long reliever once Eduardo Rodriguez returns to the rotation.
Boston doesn’t look half bad on the offensive side of the ball, either. Some combination of Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez in the Nos. 1 through 5 spots isn’t exactly a dream for opposing pitchers. Behind that crew, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Travis Shaw enjoyed spring training success, Blake Swihart has been emerging as a solid hitter, and Brock Holt, well, he always seems to find magic somewhere.
The 2016 Red Sox don’t look like a team you’d bet your life savings on, but the 2013 World Series champion team didn’t necessarily look like one in April, either. Boston very much looks like it could surprise a lot of people this year, and Ortiz and the gang certainly will do all they can to make sure the slugger goes out with a bang in his final season.
Still, don’t bet your life savings on the Red Sox, or any team, for that matter. That would be wildly irresponsible.
