Top Offseason Priorities
According to CBS Sports, the Red Sox had the 3rd-highest payroll in baseball on Opening Day, at nearly $200 million.
If you include the money being paid to current minor league outfielder Rusney Castillo and departed third baseman Pablo Sandoval, there will be eight players on the Red Sox payroll making at least $10 million in 2018. Three of those players will make at least $20 million. This team definitely lives in the high rent district with the Yankees and Dodgers.
This is how the lineup and rotation look for 2018 based on their current roster. The salaries come from Cot’s Baseball Contracts at Baseball Prospectus. For players who are arbitration-eligible, I’ve included their projected salaries, which come from MLB Trade Rumors.
C Sandy Leon, arbitration-eligible ($2.1 million)
2B Dustin Pedroia, $16 million
SS Xander Bogaerts, arbitration-eligible ($7.6 million)
3B Rafael Devers, pre-arbitration
LF Andrew Benintendi, pre-arbitration
CF Jackie Bradley, Jr., arbitration-eligible ($5.9 million)
RF Mookie Betts, arbitration-eligible ($8.2 million)
DH Hanley Ramirez, $22 million
C Christian Vazquez, arbitration-eligible ($1.5 million)
INF Brock Holt, arbitration-eligible ($2 million)
OF Rusney Castillo, $11 million
SP Chris Sale, $12.5 million
SP David Price, $30 million
SP Rick Porcello, $21 million
SP Drew Pomeranz, arbitration-eligible ($9.1 million)
SP Eduardo Rodriguez, arbitration-eligible ($2.7 million)
SP Steven Wright, arbitration-eligible ($1.2 million)
RP Craig Kimbrel, $13 million
RP Joe Kelly, arbitration-eligible ($3.6 million)
RP Robbie Ross, arbitration-eligible ($2 million)
RP Tyler Thornburg, arbitration-eligible ($2.1 million)
RP Carson Smith, arbitration-eligible ($1.1 million)
Free agents: 1B Mitch Moreland, 3B Eduardo Nunez, RP Addison Reed, OF Chris Young, OF Rajai Davis, SP Doug Fister, RP Fernando Abad, RP Blaine Boyer
Dead Money: Pablo Sandoval, $18.6 million
The Red Sox already crossed off one item on their offseason to-do list when they hired Astros bench coach Alex Cora on Sunday. He agreed to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year. As a player, Cora was part of the Red Sox 2007 World Series championship team. He was one of three candidates interviewed by the Red Sox, along with Brad Ausmus and Ron Gardenhire.
Red Sox got their guy. The Alex Cora era has officially begun pic.twitter.com/alVtQg8AfV
— Section 10 Podcast (@Section10Pod) October 24, 2017
Cora doesn’t have any major league managing experience but has managed in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He’s expected to be a good communicator on a team with a group of young, talented players such as Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Andre Benintendi, and Rafael Devers. These are the Red Sox who will be the core performers for the next few years.
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With the manager situation settled, the Red Sox next priority will be adding a bat to the lineup. They’re one of a few teams with the money to trade for the most prolific home run hitter of them all, Giancarlo Stanton, who is coming off a 59-HR, 132-RBI season. He would be a force in the middle of the Red Sox lineup.
Stanton’s Miami Marlins team has changed ownership and are looking to shed salary. Stanton is owed $295 million over the next 10 years (including a $10 million buyout for 2028). He also has an opt-out after the 2020 season. Stanton would be an expensive addition in salary and in the prospects it would take to land him, but the Red Sox could do it.
Acquiring Stanton wouldn’t necessarily solve the problem the Red Sox have at first base. If the Red Sox didn’t trade any of their starting outfielders, Stanton would have to be the DH, which would push Hanley Ramirez back to first base. That’s not something the Red Sox want to do. Ramirez just wasn’t very good defensively when he played 133 games there in 2016.
This year’s first baseman, Mitch Moreland, is a free agent. He really tailed off hitting-wise in the second half and the team could look to upgrade there with a free agent signee like Eric Hosmer or Carlos Santana. Hosmer is younger and would be looking for a longer-term deal than Santana.
Other priorities for the Red Sox would be infield depth because of the uncertainty of Dustin Pedroia’s injured knee and pitching because every team could use more pitching. They should get a healthy David Price and Steven Wright back, but Eduardo Rodriguez won’t be ready for the beginning of next season.
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The Red Sox will be contenders again in 2018, but the Yankees are looking strong, with young talent and a good farm system. These long-time rivals will battle each other on the field and possibly in the bidding for at least one of the two premier free agents after the 2018 season, Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado. What the Red Sox do this offseason will determine what they do in the future.