Red Sox Bargain Offseason

The Red Sox have been quiet in free agency, and one has to believe that is part of the plan for Chaim Bloom.

In many respects, 2021 will be Bloom's first season as the head of the Red Sox baseball operations.  2020 was an abbreviated disaster at Fenway Park and Bloom's only success was prying promising outfielder Alex Verdugo away from the Dodgers when he was forced to dump Mookie Betts' salary.

Bloom comes from Tampa Bay, who have been notorious for being successful in finding cheap options in free agency to build teams that consistently contend.  It's not time to expect the Red Sox payroll to be slashed to under $50-million annually, but the days of the Red Sox handing out nine-figure roster band-aids to the likes of Carl Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, and David Price are likely (hopefully) a thing of the past.

Looking at the 2021 Red Sox, there is a need for starting pitching.  Chris Sale will not be back until mid-season and it's fair to question if he will ever again resemble the dominant ace he was just a few years ago.  Eduardo Rodriguez missed all of 2020 due to a Covid-caused heart issue.  Nathan Eovaldi does not have a history of being healthy.  Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck and Bryan Mata are too young to be relied upon to carry a playoff contender's pitching rotation.

In past years, the Boston Hot Stove would be cooking with rumors of signing Trevor Bauer, Marcus Stroman, or Kevin Gausman to a big contract.

That's not the Tampa Way.  Now, it's also not the Boston (Bloom) Way.

Instead, expect Bloom to ink several (relatively) low cost starters to build depth.  Jon Lester, Rich Hill, Anthony Desclafani, Carlos Rodon, Chris Archer, JA Happ, Jose Quintana, Mike Minor, and Corey Kluber all are likely to be considered by the Red Sox to build their rotation.

In terms of building a bullpen, cheap options include Brad Hand, Archie Miller, Blake Treinen, Mark Melancon, and Greg Holland.  Building a bullpen on a budget can be risky, but the Rays have had great success in using statistics to identify effective relief options at a low price.

The Red Sox do have the core of a high-scoring offense with J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Andrew Benintendi and Verdugo.  Kolten Wong and Tommy La Stella could provide affordable options to take over at second base.  David Dahl, non-tendered by the Rockies, could add power to the lineup at a team friendly cost.  Finding a lefty to platoon at first base with Michael Chavis or Bobby Dalbec is another need, and could be filled cheaply by the return of either Mitch Moreland or Travis Shaw.

It will take time for Bloom's vision to produce results.  Expect 2021 to be a bridge year as he builds a team of statistical analysts in the front office and continues to alter the roster without putting the franchise into the dreaded luxury tax position that forced their hand to trade Betts.

By 2022, expect the Red Sox to be like the Rays with a larger payroll.

By 2023, expect the Red Sox to be back in the World Series hunt.