4 Biggest ‘What ifs’ of the Boston Red Sox postseason

What if Matt Barnes had been on the Red Sox ALCS roster?

This feels like the biggest ‘What If’ other than ‘What if the Red Sox offense hadn’t laid down and died for three straight games in the ALCS?’

Matt Barnes is supposed to be the Sox closer, so much so that they gave him a lucrative extension midway through the regular season. He won AL Reliever of the Month early in the season and was a first-time All-Star.

Barnes had an awful second half of the regular season, but it was still a shock when he was left off the ALDS and ALCS roster. He was ultimately added to the division series roster when Garrett Whitlock got hurt, and pitched a scoreless 9th inning in Game 2, allowing one hit and walking a pair of batters, but ultimately shutting down the potent Rays offense in a 14-6 win.

Despite his struggles down the regular-season stretch, Barnes still probably would’ve done as well, if not better in the ALCS than Darwinzon Hernandez and Hirokazu Sawamura, neither of whom had ever pitched in a postseason game prior to this series.

Barnes made his postseason debut in the 2016 ALDS and had 11 appearances worth of experience before this October, totaling a 0.87 ERA. Over 10 1/3 innings of postseason work between 2016-18, the righty held 42 batters to a .167/.286/.250 line and .536 OPS, and had only allowed one earned run.

Hernandez allowed two earned runs over 2/3 of an inning in his postseason debut in Game 2 of the ALCS, and followed it up with a scoreless 2/3 of an inning in Game 5.

Sawamura appeared in three ALCS games. Over two innings total, he only allowed one earned run, but it was in the eighth inning of Game 1, making it 5-3, Astros. The Red Sox answered back with a run in the top of the ninth that would have been a tying run, if not for Sawamura’s struggle the inning before.

What if Garrett Richards had been healthy for the Red Sox postseason?

If you had told me that I’d regret a postseason run without Garrett Richards back when he was in the starting rotation, I would’ve told you to go to the nearest hospital to get your head checked.

But his demotion to the bullpen turned out to be a glow-up. In 22 starts, he’d posted a 5.22 ERA and opponents were teeing off him to the tune of a .300/.371/.497 and a .868 OPS. In 18 relief appearances, he had a 3.42 ERA and lowered opposing lineups to .240/.319/.340 and a .659 OPS. That ERA was raised from 2.49 after an overworked Richards gave up three earned runs in his final relief appearance of the season.

Richards was originally on the ALDS roster but was replaced with Matt Barnes after one appearance due to injury. He made a brief scoreless appearance in Game 1, recording one out, but that was it for the 33-year-old righty.

The Red Sox signed Richards to a one-year deal for $10 million with a pricey club option for 2022. His brief ALDS appearance might be the end of his tenure in Title Town.

What if Alex Cora hadn’t stuck with the same lineup throughout the ALCS?

This one’s hard, because the Sox didn’t have enough bench depth to make impactful lineup changes.

However, leaving Hunter Renfroe in the lineup for every game when he literally made postseason history in the worst way felt like shooting someone who was already dead: not productive, and would only lead to a bigger mess.

Over six ALCS games, Renfroe hit .063/.250/.125 with a .375 OPS; it feels irresponsible to even call that hitting. He managed one hit, and it was in Game 1. Going 1-for-16 in the series, he walked four times and struck out eight. He ground into more double plays than he had actual hits.

JD Martinez was also a problem throughout the postseason run. He hurt his ankle on the final day of the regular season and missed the Wild Card game and beginning of the ALDS as a result. Like most of his teammates, Martinez was hot early in the ALCS, with a pair of two-hit games in Game 2 and 3, but then went ice-cold, going 0-for-6 in Games 4-6 with three walks and six strikeouts. The Sox need more from the guy who inherited David Ortiz’s heavy postseason mantle. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Ultimately, knowing that the team needs more depth off the bench should serve as an offseason guide to build better for 2022. It’s not so much a ‘What if’ as a ‘What we know we need now.’