The Red Sox were complacent when it came to the 2019 free-agent window and they’re feeling the pains of that now. As the rest of the season plays itself out Boston needs to begin planning their winter activity. A big name leaving for free agency after this year will be Rick Porcello.
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The veteran righty will be open to test the market and see what his value is after what is shaping up to be an awful season. Boston will need to focus heavily on gaining the services of another starting pitcher to fill the void soon to be created by Porcello’s exit. At the moment there isn’t anyone in the farm system that feels ready to jump into the starting rotation for 2020.
Boston’s bullpen is still something that needs some attention but I feel that it is the least of the worries with how the starters have performed this year. If the Sox can continue to groom Darwinzon Hernandez and then add in another reliable arm I think the bullpen will be a much stronger group come 2020.
So with another season swiftly coming to a close, we have to begin looking towards the future. As of now, Boston finds themselves on the outside looking in as far as October goes so it may be in Dave Dombrowski’s best interests to begin working towards next year. Adding in some fresh arms to strengthen the rotation while lightening the workload on the bullpen should be the primary goal this winter.