Red Sox Wild Card competition has increased this offseason
By Tim Starr
A number of American League teams have upgraded this offseason and that doesn’t bode well for the Boston Red Sox Wild Card chances.
For 2020, the Boston Red Sox should temper their expectations for a Wild Card berth. With the Los Angeles Angels signing Anthony Rendon, the Texas Rangers acquiring an ace in Corey Kluber, and the Chicago White Sox showing a strong desire to win in 2020, lots of teams will be competing with Boston.
Kluber deal to Rangers is agreed to, pending physicals
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 15, 2019
With every competitive team in 2019 sure to come back stronger in 2020 (except maybe the Athletics), the Red Sox were already outclassed last season. Now with the emergence of the Angels, Rangers, and White Sox as Wild Card competitors, the Red Sox will have to improve A LOT if they want to be playing in October.
Assuming the Yankees, Twins, and Astros will all win their divisions, Boston has seven competitive teams to deal with. Those seven teams are the Rays, Blue Jays, White Sox, Indians, Angels, Athletics, and Rangers. These teams mostly aren’t division threats, but they can be seen as the “middle class” of the American League.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays are now bonafide contenders after back-to-back 90+ win seasons. They won the AL Wild Card game in 2019 and gave the Astros a heart attack when they pushed to a Game 5. They have two names a casual baseball fan would recognize, but Chaim Bloom would attest they are no organization to mess with.
Toronto Blue Jays
Exiting a rebuild, the Blue Jays have lots of young and exciting players. If they aren’t competitive in 2020 it is fine as they have over six more years of control on their young stars. Their young stars should not be crossed however, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushed the Home Run Derby record in 2019.
Chicago White Sox
Similar to Toronto, the White Sox are exiting a rebuild. However, they are under much more pressure as they have not been competitive for a VERY long time. With the signing of Yasmani Grandal and their interest in Manny Machado an offseason ago, shows that they want to win – their GM’s job depends on it.
Cleveland Indians
The Indians trading Kluber shows that they may enter a rebuild, but for the time being, they still have the makings of a competitive baseball team. With stars remaining like Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco, they should still be a threat to snag a spot in the Wild Card.
Los Angeles Angels
Best player in the game Mike Trout is on the roster. They acquired the best free agent (in my opinion) on the market in Rendon. While the Angels still have no pitching, that lineup can’t be too far from a Wild Card, right? Right?
Oakland Athletics
Playing in the Wild Card game in 2018 and 2019, the A’s have posted more than 95 wins in back-to-back seasons. While I’m sure they could shock the world once again in 2020, they seem to be having payroll problems – forced to cut Jurickson Profar and Blake Treinen.
Texas Rangers
The newest inclusion on the list, the Rangers have now entered the conversation of Wild Card contention for 2020. Entering a new stadium, they made a big splash with the acquisition of Kluber. They are definitely a threat to the Red Sox wild card aspirations.
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Overall
The Red Sox have a lot of competition for the Wild Card next season and they will definitely have to improve the roster if they want to be able to fend off these clubs and win the 2020 AL Wild Card. Specifically, the acquisition of Kluber shows that many teams in the American League believe they can be contenders in 2020.