Boston Red Sox 2020 Outlook
Depleted farm system makes the future grim
The Boston Red Sox went all in to make themselves a championship team in 2018. They gave up key prospects to acquire the likes of Price, Sale, and Eovaldi and focused their resources on signing major league talent rather than building up their farm system. Now, the future looks grim.
The Red Sox’ farm system lacks significant talent on all levels. Based on their prospect points system, MLB.com ranked the Red Sox’ farm system dead last in the league. Teams like the Yankees, Astros, Braves, and Dodgers have proven that long-term success requires a large investment in the farm system of an organization, and the Red Sox failed to do so under the leadership of Dave Dombrowski.
Michael Chavis was their top-rated prospect heading into the 2019 season, and he proved to be a serviceable major league player. He will need to improve his strikeout tendencies if he wants to take his game to the next level. However, Chavis left a noticeable hole at the top of the Red Sox’ prospect rankings.
According to MLB Pipeline, the Red Sox only have one prospect in the top 100. That would be 1B/3B Triston Casas. The 19-year-old Florida native is ranked 85th, although he has never played in a level higher than high A ball. After Casas, the list gets increasingly weak the further you go down. There is some talent, including RHP Bryan Mata, and 1B Bobby Dalbec, but they are incredibly thin in legitimate depth.
It will be tough for the Sox to compete with the Yankees and Rays, who each have top-10 ranked farm systems unless Chaim Bloom is able to make some magical, franchise-altering trades this offseason, or at the deadline in 2020.
With a lack of money, expensive, tough-to-trade contracts, and a horrible farm system, the Boston Red Sox appear poised to disappoint again in 2020. It will be hard for Red Sox fans in the coming years, as the Yankees and Rays will constantly remind them of how they failed to build for long-term success beyond 2018.