The Red Sox have clearly made a significant number of moves this offseason—both to bolster an anemic offense and populate a vacant rotation. And, while there's plenty of off-season to go, how does the
current make-up of the team project in the AL East? The additions of
Pablo Sandoval and
Hanley Ramirez add length and depth to the line-up—even with the departure of
Yoenis Cespedes. Boston should score a
lot more runs—helping to recover from the
pathetic 3.9 runs per game they scored in 2014. One can envision a line-up of (something like):
Rusney Castillo,
Dustin Pedroia, Ramirez,
David Ortiz, Sandoval,
Mike Napoli,
Xander Bogaerts,
Mookie Betts, and
Christian Vazquez. Pretty big upgrade over last year. Now, the rotation. Are
Rick Porcello,
Clay Buchholz,
Wade Miley,
Joe Kelly and
Justin Masterson going to strike fear into the hearts of AL East line-ups? Not bloody likely! In our view,
Ben Cherington still needs to acquire a
number one starter—either through trade or free agency. As the team stands now, it looks like a third place finish—behind Toronto and Baltimore. And if, as expected,
The Evil Ones land another top starter and
Chase Headley,
The Olde Towne Team might finish
fourth. Out of the cellar—but hardly meeting fan expectations.
