The Boston Red Sox’s expectations haven’t plummeted, in fact.
Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA system examined Bsont’s roster and projected the Red Sox to win 85 games in the 2020 Major League Baseball season Monday, according to MLB.com’s by Daniel Kramer. Although questions surround the Red Sox in the aftermath of the blockbuster trade that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong and Jeter Downs, some mathematically inclined observers still believe the Red Sox will be among the better teams in 2020. PECOTA also gave the Red Sox a 28.5 percent chance of returning to the MLB playoffs after a one-year exile.
“The fallout from the Betts trade has Boston fans shaking their heads, but even after trading arguably the best player in baseball not named (Mike) Trout, the Sox are still in line for 85 wins, one more than their actual 2019 total,” Kramer wrote.
“That’s a far cry from their 108-win World Series season in 2018, and it took no fewer than 96 wins to reach the postseason in the AL last year. Still, Boston’s 28.5 percent playoff odds indicate that they shouldn’t be forgotten entirely, and they only trail the Angels by two games for the would-be second AL Wild Card spot. A margin of two wins in a 162-game marathon is worth more favorable merit.”
Boston has heard the doubts over its prospects for success, but interim manager Ron Roenicke is confident plenty of talent remains on the roster, and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. is among the players defiantly believes the team will make a mockery of doomsday predictions.
The Red Sox began spring training Tuesday when pitchers and catchers began working out at the Red Sox spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla. Position players will begin working out Monday in preparation for the Feb. 21 start of Boston’s exhibition schedule. The Red Sox will begin their regular season schedule March 26.
