Deep leagues (Round 16 or later)
Rick Porcello: He’s been a disaster in two of the last three seasons, ruining the ERA and WHIP of anyone unfortunate enough to draft him. Sandwiched in between those duds was a Cy Young campaign. He won’t repeat his 2016 season but can’t be as horrible as what we saw last year. His lack of wins was partially due to a baffling amount of bad luck with run support which won’t be a problem with Boston’s upgraded lineup. He’s durable and piles up a decent amount of strikeouts. Worth a shot late in your draft to see if he can bounce back.
Hanley Ramirez: A shoulder injury hindered his swing last year but Ramirez produced 30-homers and 100+ RBI the previous season. He’s capable of returning to that type of hitter but his platoon role with Mitch Moreland will prevent him from getting the necessary playing time to accumulate those stats.
Eduardo Nunez: As the starting second baseman while Pedroia recovers from knee surgery, Nunez will provide value for at least the first month of the season. He can hit for average, steal bases and score runs. He also showed an uptick in home run power following the mid-season trade to Boston. Once Pedroia returns, Nunez will be relegated to a utility role. His sporadic playing time makes him a risk, although if he hits the way he did in the second half last year then the Red Sox will find a spot for him more often than not. His positional flexibility makes him an ideal candidate to stash on your bench. If you pay close attention to ensure he’ll be in the lineup, you’ll be able to pick your spots of when to plug in Nunez.
Next: Red Sox 2018 team MVP candidates
If you are intent on having some exposure to this roster, chances are you’ll be able to land at least one Red Sox player on draft day without having to overpay.