After winning their third World Series in a decade, the Boston Red Sox could have very easily abandoned their plans to build up their farm system and not overspend for a big name free agent. However, the kept to the plan and did not make a big splash during the offseason; but did they not do enough? While many people believe the Red Sox have been too quiet during the winter months, here are three reasons that the Red Sox offseason was wildly successful.
1) They stuck to the plan. It would have been very easy for Ben Cherington and the Red Sox to go out and chase the top free agents after winning the World Series. With most fans back to trusting the team, they could have taken advantage of their popularity at the time and made a run at someone such as Brian McCann. They could have brought back Jacoby Ellsbury for a ridiculous contract, like the one he got in New York. They could have even pursued Japanese sensation Masahiro Tanaka. But they did not. And I commend them for that. Overspending for players that you do not need is what got them in trouble in the first place. It is why they made a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in August of 2012 and why they finished in last place the same year. Instead, they stuck to their plan. They were definitely at least a year ahead of schedule; there is no way anybody, including the Red Sox executives, that believed they would win the World Series. Now, instead of spending big money or making a blockbuster trade, the Sox are utilizing something that that was once their strong point, the minor leagues. Two rookies, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr., will be starting come April, and Will Middlebrooks, another young talent, will be the starting third baseman. Even if they struggle out of the gate, just remember that Dustin Pedroia hit .182 in the first month of is rookie season. They stuck with him and now he is arguably the best second baseman in baseball. 2) They did not re-sign Stephen Drew. As of today, Stephen Drew is not a Red Sox. Hopefully it stays that way. They need to let Middlebrooks and Bogaerts show what they can do. Middlebrooks, while he struggled in 2013, had a very good 2012 campaign. Let him play and get in a groove and they very well may have their cleanup hitter of the future. As for Bogaerts, he looked great in the playoffs and is Keith Law’s number two prospect in all of baseball. He is clearly ready to play in the big leagues and has the most value at shortstop. 3) Who they signed. While they did not sign any big name players, the Red Sox made some great additions to the team. First of all, Mike Napoli is bringing his beard back to Boston on a two year, $32 million deal. While he strikes out a ton, he is a big bat that Boston needs in the middle of their lineup. The new faces this year are Edward Mujica, AJ Pierzynski, and Grady Sizemore. Yes, that is the same Grady Sizemore that was once a star in Cleveland. Mujica signed a two year, $9.5 million deal, an absolute steal. He posted a sub-3.00 ERA and saved 37 games last year. He also is a strike-thrower, walking only .7 batters per nine innings last year. Adding him to a bullpen with Koji Uehara, who walks 1.1 batters per nine, makes the Sox bullpen possibly the most accurate bullpen in the game. AJ Pierzynski is exactly what the Red Sox needed behind the plate. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was looking for a multi-year deal and the Sox have a pair of young catchers in Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart, who are only a year away. Therefore, a multi-year deal for Salty would not have made sense. Grady Sizemore was a brilliant signing. No, he has not played in the Major Leagues since 2011. No, he is not the same player he once was. Yes, he was worth bringing to Boston. Sizemore signed a one-year deal worth under a million dollars. However, he could make up to $6 million in incentives. If Sizemore can be even half of what he was early in his career, he will be a spectacular backup for Jackie Bradley Jr. in center field. The Red Sox have done everything right so far. They needed to bring Napoli back; they did. They needed find a catcher on a one-year deal; they did. They needed to let fan favorite Jarrod Saltalamacchia walk; they did. They needed to give the young guys on the left side of the infield a shot and let Stephen Drew go; they have not brought him back yet. They needed to bolster the bullpen; they did. The only other move that I would have liked to see would be to trade either Jake Peavy or Ryan Dempster, but that could still come. Will they repeat? Who knows, it is very difficult to win back-to-back championships. Nobody has done it since the New York Yankees in 1999-2000. However, they should still be a team that competes and they are building a team that will be successful for years to come.
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SAMUEL PERICOLOSam is a graduate of Assumption College where he studied History, Marketing, and Political Science and was a Co-Producer on a weekly sports talk television show. Archives
March 2018
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