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Red Sox: Three players key to a dominant team in 2018

By Cole Witaszek

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 07: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox runs the bases after hitting a grand slam home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning at Fenway Park, on April 7, 2018, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 07: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox runs the bases after hitting a grand slam home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning at Fenway Park, on April 7, 2018, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 08: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Boston Red Sox holds a flag as he takes the field before game three of the American League Division Series between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on October 8, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 08: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Boston Red Sox holds a flag as he takes the field before game three of the American League Division Series between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on October 8, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Takeaway

A lot can happen in a 162 game season. Maybe the Red Sox will fall apart; stranger things have happened. But barring a shocking turn of events, the Red Sox seem like a pretty safe bet to win more than the 93 games they won last season. They haven’t lost any of the core components of last year’s team, almost everyone in the lineup underperformed in 2017, and they will be adding J.D. Martinez and a full season of Rafael Devers to the mix. How much better they are though is very much up in the air.

The three players listed above, however, can push the needle for the 2018 Red Sox more than anyone else. If Price, Ramirez, and Bogaerts all revert to form the Red Sox could very well coast to a 100 win season.

Even two out of three could set the Red Sox up for a strong run at a three-peat in the AL East. But without these three performing to their capabilities, the lineup starts to look a lot thinner and the rotation loses a lot of its teeth.

Next: Devers showing talent beyond his age

The Yankees look like some fierce competition, and if the Red Sox aren’t legitimately dominant the AL East will be a dogfight. If these players fail to bounce back, the Red Sox will have a tough time staving off New York.

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