The Boston Red Sox head into 2018 with World Series aspirations but now a new manager will be tasked with getting them to that next level. The Red Sox had high hopes for the 2017 season but a star-studded roster couldn’t deliver. Manager John Farrell took the blame, getting fired following Boston’s loss to the Houston Astros in the American League Divisional Series. Now Alex Cora takes over the managing duties and he’ll have a talented team to work with.
While the Red Sox are a little disappointed with how 2017 ended, this year’s goal is the same as usual: win the American League East and hopefully make a run at the World Series.
2017 Season Recap
The Red Sox won the American League East with a 93-69 record, but they lost to the Astros (who went on to win the World Series) in four games and two of those games, they were beaten by a score of 8-2. The Red Sox were 76-53 as a favorite in 2017, and 18-19 as an underdog, and they were $+413 in terms of profitability. Boston was 48-33 at home last season and 45-36 on the road, and they trounced the National League, going 16-4 in interleague play. In the over/under standings, the Red Sox were 71-85-6 in 2017.
What Went Wrong
The Red Sox weren’t really a power team last year as they were 26th in slugging percentage at .407, and Mookie Betts led the team with 24. The Red Sox were always going to struggle to fill the power void left by the retired David Ortiz, and they never really did that, so they’ll be in the free-agent market this winter. The Red Sox also didn’t do themselves any favors in the field as they were 26th in fielding percentage at .982, and they committed 107 errors as a team. Xander Bogaerts (who also declined in home runs, RBIs and batting average) led the team with 17 errors, while Rafael Devers had 14 errors in just 56 games and that is not going to fly, even though he is very talented offensively. Then, in the playoffs, a talented pitching staff had a 6,35 ERA and Chris Sale, who finished second in the Cy Young voting to Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians, was 0-2 with an ERA of 8.38. That basically sunk the Red Sox’s season.
What Went Right
While it was a disappointing ending to the Red Sox’s season, it was a successful season overall as a lot went right. Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. both had solid seasons after slow starts, although they can’t afford to start slow again. The Red Sox were also sixth in the major leagues with 106 stolen bases and while they didn’t hit for power all that well, they still managed to finish 10th in the majors in runs scored, so they can generate runs in other ways. Andrew Benintendi had a great rookie season with 20 home runs and 90 RBIs, and the Red Sox will need more of that this season. The pitching was fantastic during the regular season, finishing fourth in ERA at 3.70, fifth in WHIP at 1.25 and ninth in batting average at .245, and they were second in quality starts with 88. Sale led the American League in innings and strikeouts, he was second in ERA and fourth in wins with 17. Drew Pomeranz also had 17 wins and the Red Sox needed it as former Cy Young winner Rick Porcello was awful, losing 17 games. David Price came back to be a solid pitcher out of the bullpen, although that isn’t what the Red Sox are paying him for. Craig Kimbrel had 35 saves, which was third in the American League. During the regular season, the Red Sox had one of the top pitching staffs in the major leagues, however, Boston fans want postseason success and that is when they struggled.
Key Free Agents
The Red Sox have a few free-agent questions that need to be answered after picking up options for Sale and Kimbrel. Mitch Moreland played through injuries last year and hit 22 home runs, but he is 32 as of September. Chris Young got a few games in the postseason, but he is 34 years old. Addison Reed came over from the New York Mets and he had 11 holds, so the Red Sox would do well to hold on to him to serve as the bridge between the starters and Kimbrel. Kyle Kendrick is probably gone and the jury is out on Doug Fister, who was terrible through June and July after returning from injury, but he was better over the second half of the season and gave the Red Sox some very good outings.
Where They Need To Find Help
The Red Sox figure to be pretty active in the offseason, and the rumor is that they’re going to make a big push for J.D. Martinez, who hit 45 home runs for Detroit and Arizona last season, including 29 in 62 games for the Diamondbacks after he was traded. Again, the Red Sox have been trying to fill the power void left by Ortiz and at 30, Martinez should have a few big years left at the plate. Justin Upton and the Kansas City duo of Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas are also in play, and they could move for Jay Bruce of the New York Mets. However, it is widely believed that the Red Sox are targeting Martinez, so that is something to watch. On the mound, the Red Sox could look to Alex Cobb of Tampa Bay or Lance Lynn of St. Louis. Cobb is well known to the Red Sox from his time with the Rays, but he can’t stay healthy and he just turned 30 in October. Lynn is also 30, but he has been very durable with 30-35 starts over each of the last four seasons (although he did undergo Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2016). It all depends on what the Red Sox decide to do with Pomeranz, who will never have a higher trade value than he does right now, so that is on the table. But look for the Red Sox to focus on offense during the offseason.
The 2017 MLB season has come to a conclusion as the Houston Astros were crowned champions. The 2018 World Series futures are already posted, so if you’re looking at betting lines, click here to bet on MLB (or any other sports) at BetDSI!
