The Boston Red Sox decided that they will attempt another worst-to-first run when they traded veteran pitchers Jon Lester and John Lackey, and brought back a variety of young players that would help them in the future, including OF Yoenis Cespedes. Now, they’ve taken the next step in the process, making a major splash in free agency.
Early Monday morning, it was reported that Boston had come to terms with former Dodgers player Hanley Ramirez on a four-year deal worth $88 million. Shortly after, it was also reported that former Giants’ 3B Pablo Sandoval decided to leave the Bay Area to join Boston with a five-year deal worth $100 million. $188 million is enough to spend when your offense is ailing right? Third base has been a black hole for the Red Sox since former 3B Kevin Youkilis had his last decently productive season in 2011. Sandoval should eliminate these issues, adding a clutch, switch-hitting bat to the Boston lineup.
Here’s where this gets interesting. By also bringing in Ramirez, who Boston had originally drafted and developed before trading him to the Marlins before the 2006 season, they seemingly have created a logjam in their infield. Ramirez has mostly played shortstop and third base in his career, but as recently as last week, it was reported that Ramirez would be willing to move to the outfield. This scenario makes the most sense for Boston, but also creates other questions about how the team will pursue the rest of the off season.
Do the Red Sox still have enough money to bring back P Jon Lester? I would think one of the major market teams in the Major Leagues would be able to scratch together some money for one of the franchise’s all-time great players, but it remains to be seen if the club chooses to spread money out plugging many holes, or breaking the bank to bring in superstar players.
Do the Red Sox trade OF Yoenis Cespedes to bring in more starting pitching? The reports I’m reading from many baseball writers believe this is the thought process by the team. Cespedes still has a year of team control, and its possible whatever team he is traded to could sign him to a long-term extension. There are a variety of teams with depth in starting pitching that could use Cespedes in their line up. My first thought is the New York Mets, who are looking to make a splash next season, and want to boost their offense for it to match their pitching staff. The Mets would likely push pitchers Dillon Gee, Jon Niese or Rafael Montero in a deal, but I would expect Boston to push for top-prospect P Noah Syndergaard or Zack Wheeler as the starting point of any deal. Other teams that could match up would be the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians or Seattle Mariners.
Will the Red Sox have what it takes to be a World Series contender in 2015? As crazy as it might sound, yes, they will have a chance to compete for the title next season. They have shown the ability to bounce back in the past, such as their 2013 championship showed. As of now, including believing that they will trade Cespedes, their lineup could look like this:
- Betts/Bradley Jr. CF
- Pedroia 2B
- Ortiz DH
- Sandoval 3B
- Ramirez LF
- Bogaerts SS
- Craig 1B
- Vasquez C
- Nava/free agent? RF
That’s a deep lineup that is capable of producing a ton of runs. If they are able to bring back Lester, or add another pitcher or two in free agency or via trade, the Red Sox would have a formidable pitching staff as well. By taking an early peek at the AL East for 2015, you can see that the Blue Jays and Orioles are the clear front runners of the division, with the Yankees in rebuilding mode and the Rays in their ever-retooling mode. Now is a great time to make a run at this division, especially with players that have tremendous postseason experience, which could be an advantage against less experienced teams, like the Jays or Orioles.
