Boston Red Sox: 3 reasons why they won’t make the playoffs in 2020

Boston Red Sox 2020 Outlook

Pitching woes continue

The 2018 World Series team was carried by a relentless offense, dominant starting pitching, and one of the best relievers in the game to close the door. In 2019, the offense remained potent, but the pitching crumbled.

Without the security of having Craig Kimbrel to close out games, the Red Sox struggled to find a replacement. They blew a league-high 31 saves, and finished in the bottom half of the league in most major categories. Brandon Workman emerged as the team’s primary closer, but the lack of legitimate back-end relievers cost the Red Sox games.

Everyone expected their bullpen to decline in 2019, but no one expected their starting rotation to struggle the way they did. They produced a lackluster 4.95 ERA, which ranked 20th in all of baseball. Chris Sale was simply not himself in his 30-year-old campaign. After 7 straight All-Star appearances, the lefty posted a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts before being shut down with an elbow injury. This was the second straight year he failed to surpass 200 innings pitched, which should concern Red Sox fans.

David Price and Nathan Eovaldi also underperformed and also were shut down due to injuries. Rick Porcello has fallen from grace after winning the AL Cy Young in 2016, and their best starter was Eduardo Rodriguez.

With a lack of resources to deploy, it is unlikely that the Red Sox will find high-quality solutions to the holes in both their starting rotation and bullpen. Their best bet is to invest in their farm system, and hope that Price, Sale, and Eovaldi become healthy and return to the pitchers they were in 2018. Their offense still has plenty of firepower, but you can’t win games in the MLB without good pitching.