Red Sox: 2017 offseason BSI round table discussion
By Sean Penney
The BoSox Injection staff gathered together to answer five key questions about free agency and trades facing the Boston Red Sox this offseason.
There is one thing we can all agree on – the Boston Red Sox need to add some pop to their lineup.
The Red Sox are coming off a season in which they finished last in the American League in home runs. They were also next to last in slugging and 11th in OPS. This remains a lineup full of talented hitters who found a variety of different ways to score, yet the lack of a true power threat left them a middling sixth in the league in runs scored after leading the majors in 2016.
The obvious explanation for this decline is the retirement of David Ortiz. Rather than attempting to replace one of the greatest hitters in franchise history, the Red Sox focused on upgrading the pitching staff to offset the expected decline in offensive production.
The result was a second consecutive division title followed by another early playoff exit. Boston boasted one of the top pitching staffs in baseball but an inability to mash their ways to victory left them short of being a championship contender.
We know that upgrading the lineup with a home run threat is the top priority this winter, yet we can have varying opinions on how to go about solving that weakness. I asked our BoSox Injection staff five questions pertaining to free agency and trade rumors to find their opinions on the various paths the Red Sox could explore this offseason.