ESPN Pinpoints ‘Pivotal Issue’ That Could Impact Red Sox ‘Revival’

Are the Red Sox legitimate World Series contenders?

Maybe. Maybe not. The jury remains out as Boston navigates a new campaign after an offseason that drew outside skepticism.

But ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle identified a “pivotal issue” that could go a long way toward determining the Red Sox’s success, or lack thereof, in 2024.

“The Red Sox need their youngest players to take steps forward. It’s really as simple as that, given the dearth of external additions,” Doolittle wrote in a piece published Tuesday on ESPN.com. “Triston Casas needs to approximate his sterling play in the latter stages of 2023, Jarren Duran needs to improve and stay healthy, and Ceddanne Rafaela needs to establish himself. More needs to happen elsewhere on the roster, especially in a thin rotation, but this is the starting point of a Red Sox revival.”

Doolittle divided MLB teams into five tiers while evaluating each club’s chances of winning the 2024 World Series. The tiers, based on projections and probabilities, offer a glimpse of the league landscape, with the ultimate goal, of course, being to separate the contenders from the pretenders.

The Red Sox fell into the third tier, a group Doolittle described as, “We’re saying they have a chance.” The odds definitely are stacked against Boston this season, but a playoff berth is within reach.

Other teams in Boston’s tier: the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres.

Each of the aforementioned franchises has its strengths and weaknesses. And the Red Sox are fascinating in that one of their perceived shortcomings (the starting rotation) actually looks like a possible advantage to open the season.