Time to pick a direction for the future
At this point, the Boston Red Sox are seemingly aiming to have the best of both worlds – looking to cut payroll and somehow still contend.
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It is not that simple. Any moves the Red Sox make from their roster would simply lead to another hole. For a team that would need to completely rebuild their bullpen, find another first baseman to pair with Mitch Moreland, and still look to find depth for their roster. That is not a small task, even if they keep the roster as is.
At this point, the team is at a crossroads. The decision must be made to either augment the roster and say to hell with the Luxury Tax, or to throw in the towel and rebuild. The middle road, which is what the Red Sox are on now, leads to nothing more than mediocrity.
It is not enough to pick a direction. The Red Sox have to stay the course, regardless of what happens. If they look to contend and end up out of the playoffs anyway, it was a gamble that misfired. However, if they do end up looking to rebuild, it makes sense to go all the way, and tear down the entire roster. There are building blocks for the future, but the front office will need to determine which of those pieces should remain.
The Boston Red Sox roster as currently constructed is too good to tank, but not good enough to contend. It is time to pick a direction and stay the course.