Boston Red Sox payroll situation heading into pivotal offseason
By Jacob Anes
Dave Dombrowski was fired recently, leaving behind a large payroll with little flexibility for whoever the Boston Red Sox replace him with.
In 2018, the Boston Red Sox rolled to a World Series title by going 108-54 in the regular season and 11-3 in the playoffs, crushing anyone who they matched up against. However, questions rose shortly after about the long term sustainability about the success.
The payroll was already sky high, and the farm system was rather weak. With players like Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts not far from free agency, and World Series heroes Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce becoming free agents, it was worth wondering how the Red Sox could sustain their success.
They ultimately re-signed Eovaldi to a 4-year, $68 million contract and Pearce to a 1-year deal, while extending Bogaerts shortly into the season. It seemed like the team would at least continue to be in the upper echelon of teams for the near future.
Fast forward a year later, and there are now more questions than answers. Spotrac has the Red Sox payroll estimated at over $241 million.
The offense continued to produce, ranking 4th in runs scored, 5th in wOBA, and 6th in wRC+ this season.
The pitching, is where the problems arise. The starting rotation, an expected strength of this team opening day, has $88.425 million committed to them. Rick Porcello has struggled greatly, Eovaldi has dealt with injuries and has struggled while Chris Sale and David Price have dealt with injury problems. The only consistent reliable starter has been Eduardo Rodriguez, the guy being paid just $4.3 million. That is not a recipe for success.
Now with the off-season looming, it seems the Red Sox will likely be moving one of their key offensive players. Let’s break down what the Red Sox can do to salvage this.