Boston Red Sox: Offseason moves show change in team building philosophy
By Sean Penney
The Boston Red Sox remain among the elite class of the American League, but moves they have made this offseason show they are going about it a different way.
2016 proved to be a successful year for the Boston Red Sox, or as successful as one that doesn’t end with a duck boat parade can be.
In the wake of consecutive last place finishes, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski pulled off a series of moves that resulted in a division title and a return to the postseason. We saw a once maligned pitcher transform into a Cy Young winner, a budding superstar launch himself into the MVP conversation and a young core emerge as the future pillars of the organization. It may not have ended the way we wanted it to, but there was a lot to like about this season.
Heading into next season the Red Sox were tasked with building on that success without the aid of David Ortiz, whose retirement left a gaping void in the middle of the lineup. Big Papi wrapped up his career with a season for the ages, delivering one of the best years of his storied career.
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How would the Red Sox return to the postseason without one of the most feared sluggers in the game? The solution seemed simple – sign a free agent power threat like Edwin Encarnacion, who Ortiz himself has been advocating as his replacement. Add a bat capable of bashing 40+ homers, who also happened to tie Ortiz for the league lead in RBI, and the Red Sox can pick up right where they left off.
Splurging on a lucrative contract for Encarnacion, or any of the top free agent hitters, would allow the Red Sox to sustain their presence as an offensive juggernaut, but where did that get them this year? Boston led the majors in runs scored by a mile, yet still got swept in the ALDS when their bats fell silent against playoff pitching.
As good as Encarnacion has been, he’s no David Ortiz. Handing him $20+ million per year would send Boston soaring past the luxury tax, subjecting them to the steep penalties of the new collective bargaining agreement, while leaving no room in the budget for additional upgrades. Running back essentially the same roster with a slightly inferior substitute in the DH role wouldn’t get the Red Sox any closer to a championship.
So instead, Dombrowski have changed course. Rather than chasing a 40-homer hitter, he went shopping in the bargain bin, where he found a Gold Glove first baseman in Mitch Moreland. He’s not a flashy name, but he’s a lefty bat that helps keep the lineup balanced and brings a bit of pop, with at least 22 home runs in three of the last four years. Hanely Ramirez was surprisingly adequate at first base, but Moreland is a significant upgrade. Now Ramirez can get the bulk of his playing time as the DH, fulfilling the role we anticipated he would once Ortiz was gone.
Boston’s bullpen lost several key pieces to free agency, but none that they felt comfortable relying on in the 8th inning, a role quickly identified as a priority entering the offseason. Brad Ziegler was outstanding after Boston acquired him from Arizona mid-season, but he wasn’t utilized as a primary setup man due to manager John Farrell‘s reluctance to use him against lefties. Koji Uehara had a great run here in Boston, but they couldn’t count on him to hold up in that pivotal role at his age.
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Enter Tyler Thornburg, who the Red Sox acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers to serve as the bridge to Craig Kimbrel in the ninth. Boston has their setup man, giving them a solid one-two punch to shut down the final two innings. Plus they’ll have the returning Carson Smith, as well as Joe Kelly, who has started to emerge in his new reliever role. Those four form the nucleus of what may be one of the league’s strongest bullpens.
That’s not all though, as Dombrowski had another blockbuster up his sleeve. By trading a bounty of prospects for Chris Sale, the Red Sox now have arguably the best rotation in baseball, led by a trio of aces. The starting rotation alone is enough to consider Boston the proverbial favorites to win the division, if not the pennant.
Boston managed to bash their way to 93 wins on the strength of a powerhouse lineup, but they struggled when the score was tight. They posted a 20-24 record in one-run games before dropping two of their three postseason losses by a single run. The way to counter that doesn’t have to be with more offense, as one thing that has remained constant throughout baseball history is that good pitching will beat good hitting more often than not.
Boston was never going to truly be able to replace what Ortiz brought to this team, so they didn’t bother to try. Instead they focused on upgrading their pitching and defense in an effort to make the overall team better.
Even without Ortiz, the Red Sox still have a lineup loaded with premium young talent. The offense is going to be fine. They may not score over 900 runs again, but they won’t have to if these upgrades prevent them from giving up as many.