Boston Red Sox: Who will make 30-man Opening Day roster?
Predictions for the Red Sox Opening Day roster.
Finally, we can now say there will 100% be a baseball season in the year 2020. While at some times it seemed impossible to happen, the MLB and MLBPA have essentially settled all disagreements. There will be a 60-game season that starts July 23 or 24, with players reporting to Spring Training 2 as early as July 1.
Teams will have the ability to start the season with a 30-man roster instead of a 25-man roster for a normal baseball season. Major League teams will have to trim their 30-man roster to 28 by the 15th day of the season and to 26 by the 29th day of the season.
While injuries or COVID-19 might settle some of the competition to guarantee a spot on the 26-man roster, others will have to battle it out until the very end of the first month of the shortened season.
With the Red Sox 2020 Opening Day 30-man roster not confirmed yet, let’s take a look at who I think will make the team to start the 2020 season on July 24th:
Rotation (5): Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Ryan Weber, Collin McHugh
Bullpen (10): Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Josh Taylor, Darwinzon Hernandez, Heath Hembree, Marcus Walden, Colten Brewer, Austin Brice, Josh Osich
Catchers (3): Christian Vazquez, Kevin Plawecki, Jonathan Lucroy
Infielders (7): Mitch Moreland, Michael Chavis, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, Jose Peraza, Tzu-Wei Lin, Jonathan Arauz
Outfielders (4): Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Pillar, Alex Verdugo
Designated hitter (1): JD Martinez
Red Sox starting rotation
With the starting pitchers, Rodriguez, Eovaldi, and Perez would be considered locks. Rodriguez had a 19-win season so he will definitely be the ace. The Eovaldi closer experiment failed in 2019 so he will come out of the rotation. Perez started 29 out of 32 appearances for the Twins last season which means he will also start for Boston.
The Red Sox are very high on Weber after a strong Spring Training. As of right now, he will probably start. It is unknown if he will be used as a starter or just an opener. He only started three games in 2019 but in Spring Training this year, he started three games and gave up 0 ER in 9 combined innings. Things can definitely change during this go round of Spring Training, but Weber will most likely be the 4th/5th guy in our rotation to start the season.
In early March, the Red Sox signed McHugh to a 1-year deal. Previously, he played with the Astros. Despite being used mostly as a starter, he only started eight games out of 35 appearances in 2019. With a lack of starters, the Red Sox will most likely use McHugh in the rotation. He did not play at all in Spring Training for the Red Sox so there is a chance that McHugh wouldn’t be ready to pitch by the end of July. Assuming he is, he would be in the rotation. If not, the Red Sox could look to Brian Johnson as another option.
Red Sox bullpen
For the bullpen, the majority are locks. Workman will return to the bullpen as the closer. Guys like Barnes, Brasier, Taylor, Hernandez, and Hembree will also pitch for Boston in 2020 if none of them opt out or get hurt.
Walden is also probably considered a lock after pitching in 70 games with a 3.81 ERA in 2019. He started last season in the minors so there is a slight chance he doesn’t make the big league squad out of the gate if others outperform him in Spring Training 2. He gave up 3 ER in 4.2 innings combined in three games during Spring Training 1.
Brewer has less of a chance of making the bullpen compared to Walden, but still has a good shot. He spent a portion of the 2019 season in Triple A, but did come out of the bullpen 58 times, finishing with a 4.12 ERA. In Spring Training this year, he made five appearances, going 2-0 after giving up 2 ER in 8.1 innings After a strong showing in Fort Myers, Brewer will look to stay hot in Spring Training 2.
The other two spots in the bullpen could change by the time Spring Training 2 ends in July. Right now, it looks like the newly acquired duo of Brice and Osich have the best shot of making the bullpen for Opening Day. Brice made five appearances in Spring Training 1, giving up 0 ER in 6.2 IP combined while Osich made four appearances, giving up just 3 H and 1 ER in 4.2 IP.
Other options for the Red Sox include Chris Mazza, Matt Hall, Jeffrey Springs, and Mike Shawaryn. In Spring Training 1, Mazza made three appearances (1 start), giving up 7 ER in 4.2 IP. Hall gave up 4 ER in 3 IP total (three games). Spring had four appearances (one start) and gave up 6 ER in 6 IP. Mike Shawaryn gave up 0 ER in 2.1 IP.
The Red Sox have many arms available that have a chance to pitch out of the bullpen when play returns. Either way, with roster spots decreasing from 30 to 26 by the end of the first month of the season, playing for bullpen spots is only going to get more competitive.
It would be more than likely that the Red Sox carry two fewer bullpen arms by the time September rolls around. Players like Walden, Brewer, Brice, and Osich would likely fight for the remaining spots as the Red Sox would have to send at least one or two of them down to the minors. A lot will be determined in the next couple of months.
Red Sox infielders
For catchers, Vazquez and Plawecki are locks for the Opening Day Roster. Vazquez had a solid 2019 season, batting .270 in 138 games. He had 23 home runs and 72 RBI. He will definitely be the Opening Day starter. Plawecki will backup for Vazquez this season. He played 59 games with the Indians last year, finishing with a .222 batting average.
It is more than likely that the Red Sox carry three catchers to start the season, just in case. The third spot will probably go to Jonathan Lucroy, although Juan Centeno is another option. Centeno had 1 hit in 7 at-bats this Spring while Lucroy had 6 hits in 20 at-bats.
No matter who makes it, the third catcher will have to compete for most likely two spots as roster size shrinks at the beginning of the season. If Lucroy outperforms, he could possibly claim Plawecki’s spot as our backup.
Devers, Bogaerts, Chavis, and Moreland will likely serve as our starters. Jose Peraza can also look to compete with Chavis to start at second base. Peraza is a lock for a roster spot.
Lin isn’t considered a lock, but he did play well in Spring Training 1. He went 9 for 24 (.429 average) in 10 games. He will serve as a backup, who can play third, shortstop, and second base.
Arauz is another new face for the Red Sox. They selected him from the Astros in the Rule 5 Draft. He was sent to Houston from the Phillies in the Ken Giles trade. He is just 21-years old as he looks to make the active roster. In Spring Training, he went 6 for 28 (.214 average) in 14 games. He can play third base, shortstop, and second base as well.
Arrauz has a good chance to make the major league roster, although Bobby Dalbec, Marco Hernandez, and Dustin Pedroia (if he is somehow ready for the season) are other options. It is likely that the Red Sox decide to carry one less infielder by the time the roster gets cut to 26. Therefore, Lin and Arrauz among others would have to fight for one spot.
Red Sox outfielders
For the outfielders, Benintendi, Bradley Jr., Pillar, and Verdugo (assuming he is healthy) are all considered locks. The only competition will be for the starting spots. If Verdugo is healthy, Pillar will probably come of the bench. If Verdugo isn’t ready for the Opening Day although he already said he is, Pillar would start.
If the Red Sox somehow decide to add another outfielder for the Opening Day roster, Marcus Wilson is the only other outright outfielder not named JD Martinez that is on the 40-man roster. Wilson went 5-for-19 in Spring Training, but Wilson will most likely play in Triple A. Peraza can also play in the outfield if need be.
Martinez will be our designated hitter after another great 2019 season. He made the All-Star team after hitting .304 with 36 home runs and 105 RBI in 146 games. He played 18 games in the outfield in 2019, but with so many options in the outfield, JD will probably serve as the designated hitter for most, if not all, of his appearances in 2020.
dark. Next. How Boston Red Sox benefit from shortened 2020 season
With a lot of unknowns and new faces going into the 2020 season, Red Sox fans have a lot to be excited for. There are no expanded playoffs for 2020, so the Red Sox will look to secure one of the two AL Wild Card spots if they can’t beat out the Rays and Yankees for the division. Either way, baseball is coming back and we no longer have to deal with the owners and players association disagreeing.