With wintry storms sweeping across the northeast this weekend, it feels like an appropriate time to talk some baseball and escape the potential two feet of snow projected in New England. I’ll take you through a projection of my own; no, not guessing how much snow Bostonian’s may get this weekend.
Instead, this is a projection of the Boston Red Sox roster come opening day, when there will hopefully be no snow on the ground.
This projection is only including current members of the Red Sox and barring any more trades or signings before opening day.
Red Sox Pitchers: Starting Rotation and Bullpen
Starters: Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Johan Oviedo, Kutter Crawford
Bullpen: Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Patrick Sandoval, Jovani Morán, Greg Weissert, Jordan Hicks
Between the emergence of young pitchers Connelly Early and Payton Tolle last season and the offseason acquisitions of Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, and Johan Oviedo, Boston now has one of the deepest pitching pools in the MLB.
So, although many want to see Early and Tolle in the Show to start the season, it’s going to end up being more of a developmental year for them in AAA, at least to start. Pitchers are obviously more subject to injury than any other position, so one of those two will be the first ones called up when someone inevitably gets hurt.
The top three of Crochet, Suárez, and Gray are pretty set in stone, but options Bello, Oviedo, and Crawford will all be competing for the final two spots through Spring Training. I would venture to guess Sandoval will also be in contention for one of those roles, though the Sox may want to transition him to the bullpen full time considering his injury history.
This depth also gives Boston the freedom to explore trades for an impact bat in their lineup. Whether that move comes before the season or towards the trade deadline is up in the air, but it’s very likely at least one pitcher is gone before the end of the season.
Red Sox Lineup: Infield, Outfield, Catcher, and DH
Infield: Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer, Willson Contreras, Romy Gonzalez, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton
Outfielders: Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela
Catchers: Carlos Narváez, Connor Wong
DH: Masataka Yoshida
The two notable omissions from this projection are Kristian Campbell and Triston Casas. I think that the organization still believes that Campbell has a long way to go, both in developing his inconsistent bat and nailing down a permanent position for him. Casas is still recovering from his ruptured patellar tendon, and likely won’t be at 100 percent come opening day.
The two biggest questions with the positional side of the roster are figuring out the outfield logjam and finding a consistent rotation in the infield, especially at second and third base.
Jarren Duran has been mentioned in trade rumors so many times that it feels like if a move were going to be made, it’d be done already. So, assuming he remains on the team, the outfield remains over capacity.
In theory, your best combination is probably Duran in left, Rafaela in center, Abreu in right, and Anthony at DH. But, of course, Masataka Yoshida still exists, and at $18 million per year, Boston won’t want him to be riding the bench or in AAA. And he does have a very good bat, especially against right-handers. The biggest problem is that he is a below average fielder among a crop of great defensive outfielders.
The most likely temporary solution is going to consist of a matchup based rotation, where one of Duran, Abreu, and Yoshida will be sitting most games.
In the infield, Mayer will more than likely be the opening day third baseman, with Gonzalez, Hamilton, and Eaton all competing for playing time at second base. Mayer struggles against lefties, so we may see Eaton or Gonzalez at third in those games.
Boston Red Sox Opening Day Roster Projection: Who Gets Left Out?