The 4th team in the AL East I will be previewing is, the Boston Red Sox. Boston is coming off a disappointing 5th place finish last year in the AL East, ending the season with a 24-36 record. Last year, was just not a good year for Red Sox fans. They had little to no pitching, there line-up was practically non-existent, and not to mention, they started the year by trading away arguably, the second best player in baseball, Mookie Betts. But in all seriousness, last year started a rebuilding phase for Boston as ownership wanted them to get under the luxury tax threshold. I expect them to be better than they were last year, but not good enough to make the playoffs.
| Additions | Departures |
| LHP Martin Perez (Re-Signed) | RHP Zack Godley |
| RHP Matt Andriese | RHP Collin McHugh |
| RHP Adam Ottavino | RHP Steven Wright |
| RHP Garrett Richards | Infielder Jose Peraza |
| RHP Hirokazu Sawamura | Outfielder Andrew Benintendi |
| Outfielder Franchy Cordero | Outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. |
| Outfielder Hunter Renfroe | |
| Utility Marwin Gonzalez | |
| Utility Kiké Hernandez | |
| Utility Danny Santana (Minors) |
The Red Sox definitely look like a better team than they did last year. Not to say last year’s team wasn’t good on paper. It’s just they didn’t have pitching whatsoever, and their lineup was non-existent. The one thing to point out, the Red Sox now have gotten rid of their entire outfield core. Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr and Andrew Benintendi are all gone now, which is a shame for fans as all three players were great and should’ve stayed longer. Moving on, for Dodger fans a name may pop out to you. That is, Kiké Hernandez. One of the main reasons Kiké chose Boston is because he wanted an everyday role. Had he had stayed with Dodgers, he would’ve been the utility guy we all appreciated. Now in Boston, Kiké has an opportunity to win an everyday role in Spring Training as the every day 2nd baseman, since Red Sox legend Dustin Pedrioa has now retired. Here’s hoping he gets that opportunity and runs with it.
Projected Starting Rotation
| 1 | Eduardo Rodriguez |
| 2 | Nathan Eovaldi |
| 3 | Martin Perez |
| 4 | Garrett Richards |
| 5 | Nick Pivetta |
The Red Sox have some bright spots in terms of their rotation. First and foremost, I’m glad Eduardo Rodriguez is back and healthy. For insight, he missed all of last year because of COVID. No, he did not sit out the season out of precautions. Rather, he got COVID early in Spring Training 2.0 and from that was diagnosed with a heart condition called Myocarditis. It was so bad that he couldn’t walk for some time. In fact he had to learn how to walk again. So, I’m glad he’s back and again he’s one of those guys you want to root just because he’s a good guy and nearly got his life nevertheless his career taken from him. The Red Sox also have some options when it comes to the rotation. They are having a competition in Spring for rotation spots. I think Garrett Richards and Nick Piveta win those spots. Garrett is a reclamation project as his career has been derailed due to injuries. Piveta was one of the few bright spots from Boston last year after he came over from Philadelphia. I don’t expect this rotation to be the rotation for the entire year, as veteran starter and ace Chris Sale is expected to be back mid-summer. I also expect rookie standout from last year Tanner Houck to make some starts this year as well. He made 3 starts last year, but those 3 starts where good and he lead the team in wins.
Projected Line-Up
| 1 | CF Alex Verdugo | L |
| 2 | 3B Rafael Devers | L |
| 3 | SS Xander Bogaerts | R |
| 4 | DH J.D. Martinez | R |
| 5 | C Christian Vasquez | R |
| 6 | RF Hunter Renfroe | R |
| 7 | LF Franchy Cordero | L |
| 8 | 1B Bobby Dalbec | R |
| 9 | 2B Kiké Hernandez | R |
In regards to the line-up, the Red Sox have a lot of talent. They have hitters that are legitimate threats, but they are coming off horrible seasons. The one standout who had a rough 2020, was J.D. Martinez. The guy had one of his worse seasons since his playing days in Houston. He had a .213 batting average while only hitting 7 homeruns and driving in 27 RBIs. But, a lot of people, myself included, are throwing out the down years stars like J.D., Christian Yelich, and Javy Baez had. The addition of Kiké can be beneficial from more than just a baseball production standpoint. One of the key reasons Kiké is regarded as a key piece to the Dodgers World Series team, is because he kept everyone in the clubhouse loose. He is a great morale guy. And that is needed especially when you’re looking at the other teams in the division. Kiké will more than likely take the poor record the Red Sox are expected to have, and make people forget about it. Lastly, a name to keep an eye out isn’t on the lineup. That is former prospect, Michael Chavis. The dude is a stud and just needs a definite home. He has big power, but in recent years he has bounced around from position to position. he’s played 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and left and right field. He’s blocked at 3rd by Devers, 1st by Dalbec, and so on. I assume he’s going to be battling Hunter Renfroe for that 3rd outfield spot, and he may win it. If he doesn’t then he may start the year in the minors and come up later in the year.
2021 PECOTA AL East Projections
Looking at the PECOTA projections, I sort of agree with where they predict the Red Sox will finish this year. I don’t think they will finish in last place again like they did last year. But, I also don’t expect them to win the AL East or even make the playoffs. I believe they will make a run for 3rd place, but in the I don’t see Boston finishing ahead of the Blue Jays in the standings. So, I predict Red Sox will finish in 4th place. In terms of wins, and their over/under, I will say Boston will finish just under 79.5 wins. This is tough because I can see them winning 81-83 wins, but I can also see them winning only 75-79 wins.
