One of the Red Sox stars who was facing free agency has now re-upped with the club. Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Rick Porcello are still yet to commit their futures to the team, but for now, Chris Sale is staying with Boston. All offseason the discussion has been central to Mookie Betts and his extension. But when Chris Sale said “My phone is on”, in reference to extension talks, Dombrowski knew what he needed to get done.
In the couple months since Sale’s comments, the two sides were working hard on a new contract. Dombrowski gave up a lot to bring Chris Sale to Boston, and wasn’t going to let him just walk away. He was facing free agency at the end of this season, a luxury Sale has never experienced.
Entering 2013, Sale agreed to a deal to buy out his remaining arbitration years. He signed an incredibly team friendly deal of 5 years and 32 million in total. In three seasons with the Red Sox, he’ll have made roughly just 30 million with incentives. This is absolutely nothing relative to how good he’s been since he’s got here, and all the leadership he’s provided (especially in a certain World Series comeback).
Sale Gets Breaded Up:
Which brings us to his new deal, finally paying Chris Sale what he deserves. The deal was agreed upon between the two sides Friday afternoon. It’s a five year deal stretching from 2020, through 2024, with a value around 150 million total. This would make the average annual value about 30 million. Certainly not a bargain, but for one of the top 5 or 10 pitchers in the league, it’s a reasonable price tag.
Questions will be asked about the durability of Sale. Or if the fatigue he’s experienced in cohesion with arm issues will subdue. The hope for the Red Sox is that it does. The hope is that he can put these issues behind him. Also the hope is for him to use his off-speed pitches to help himself become more of a finesse pitcher. With a guy who has faced issues with falling off later in the season, this much money is slightly concerning.
He absolutely has earned every penny of it, and more. But for the Red Sox, this deal is certainly a risk. They now have close to 100 million tied up in four starting pitchers (Sale, Porcello, David Price and Nathan Eovaldi).
What this Means for Boston’s future
The hope is Sale keeping his form and maintaining consistent seasons with an ERA around 3. If this happens for the next few years, this contract will be completely justifiable. Could Sale have tested the open market and/or pushed for a contract with 35+ million a year? Sure he could’ve. He decided to stay faithful to the team that had faith in him, and I think he’s going to reward this team for locking him up. The deal allows the team to still be flexible enough to sign Mookie, and hopefully Xander, while still keeping a huge piece in Sale around.
Does he possibly have a Cy Young in his future? Find out!
In the World Series run of 2018, the Red Sox got away with using three catchers on their active roster. With only 25 spots, carrying a third catcher is a rarity in today’s game. Despite the team’s success, this roster style is unlikely to carry over into 2019. Alex Cora already said it’s likely that Boston trades one of the three before the season starts. This is a team that could really use that extra roster spot for an extra arm in the bullpen, so one of the catchers has to go. But who?
All three catchers have both pros and cons, it’s just about finding the right balance between the two that stay. Between Blake Swihart, Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez, there is a mixture of power, contact and defense. Keeping two that can work cohesively is crucial for Dombrowski and the Red Sox, and it’s going to be very interesting to see what path they choose to go down.
Blake Swihart
The most promising of the three options is Blake Swihart. Blake is a former first rounder who has been thrown at various positions throughout the field, but has yet to stick. Now, he finds himself with a chance to become an everyday catcher again. Being the youngest of the three certainly works in the favor of Swihart, however, his time is running out. If he can’t carry his hot spring into the regular season or stay healthy, and improve on his .678 career OPS, he could see himself traded.
If the team really wants the most value from a trade of a catcher, this may be their best bet. Teams like the Royals and Athletics are still in need of a starting catcher, and could be tempted by the upside of the former top prospect.
Verdict: To me, I’m keeping Swihart and riding with him as my starter. He showed flashes of a solid bat down the stretch in 2018, and I’d at least want to take the chance on him as one of the two catchers on my team.
Christian Vazquez
Certainly the most perplexing of the three options. Vazquez seemed to take strides by hitting .290 in 2017, which is excellent for a major league catcher. He’s always been a good defensive catcher, with a fantastic knack for throwing out runners. However, in 2018 he regressed heavily. He signed a contract heading into the year with an average annual value of around 4.5 million, so expectations were raised after his successful 2017. The expectations weren’t met, as his average fell to .207 and his OPS fell almost 200 points.
At times his focus appeared to be elsewhere, and staying in shape was brought into question. As someone who loved Vazquez as a prospect, I think he can get past these things. I do believe he has a solid .270-.280 perennial average in him, and he could be a solid starter or a reliable backup.
Verdict: He has been ice cold in the spring, but Vazquez still offers plenty of upside for a Boston team yet to settle on a starting catcher. Being locked in with him through 2022 gives the Red Sox some incentive to be persistent with Vazquez. I think that earns him the second catcher spot on this team, at least to start the season.
Sandy Leon
One time a folk hero for Red Sox fans, Sandy Leon’s fall from grace has been quick and hard. In 2016 he hit .310 with an OPS over .840. These numbers came out of absolutely nowhere, as he hit .184 and .156 the two seasons prior. Everyone knew he wouldn’t replicate his 2016 again, as those numbers are just absurd for a catcher. Especially one who was always known as a defence-first backstop. The average fell to .225 in 2017, then under .180 last season.
I was very much an advocate to cut Sandy at many points throughout the season. However, the Sox’ front office felt differently. They felt him being the strongest defensive catcher of the three was worth holding onto, despite a miserable OPS slightly over .500. Leon is sneaky young, as he turns 30 later this week. He still holds upside strictly because of his defense. There is a glimmer of hope that stretch in the second half of 2016 wasn’t an anomaly.
Verdict: He doesn’t hold a ton of trade value due to his historically poor offense. He will appeal to many teams who are in search of a backup catcher. Or any team who may need to fill a hole that is left by injury. To me, you find a trade somewhere for Leon, likely K.C., and you take whatever you can get back for him.
Based off of the quiet offseason Boston has had, many fans may think the transactions may be far from done. It is still possible that Dombrowski goes and resigns Craig Kimbrel, and it’s also possible he cooks up a trade to bring in a reliever. That aside, the roster is all but set. A couple guys are going to be fighting for jobs in March and that will be very interesting to watch. Without further ado, this is the best projection I have for what the 25 man roster might look like on April 9th vs. Toronto.
This is a three horse race for two jobs. Somehow Boston went all of 2018 with three catchers on their roster and it never really hurt them. They were never down a utility bat or a pitcher in the bullpen due to having three catchers, so they got away with it. 2019 won’t be the same case. Dombrowski has already said they want to make a move, with any of the three catchers available.
Sandy Leon is likely going to be the odd man out. If the Red Sox don’t find a suitor for him on the trade market, he’ll likely see himself cut before opening day. Personally, I would keep Leon to backup Vazquez (who’s bound to bounce back) and use Swihart as trade bait, but hey that’s just me.
This situation isn’t as cloudy as the one behind the dish. The left side of the infield is locked in. Raffy will look to make strides at third while Xander head into a contract year at short. Dustin Pedroia will start at second, barring any setbacks with his knee. If he isn’t good to go for opening day I would give Brock the nod over Nunez at second. Then we turn to first base where there isn’t one starter, as it’s more of a platoon situation. Mitch Moreland is my projected opening day starter, since Marcus Stroman is likely to start for Toronto and he’s a righty. Steve Pearce is more than capable to hit against righties, but will likely start the season facing mostly left-handed opponents.
With J.D. essentially serving as the DH/fourth outfielder, the Red Sox will only carry three natural outfielders on their roster. This was the case in 2018, and worked better than anyone could have imagined. J.D. was able to fill in the outfield at various times to give some of these guys a day off here and there, and will look to do the same in 2019.
The key part for this outfield this season is how they all blossom. Can Mookie Betts repeat his MVP caliber season? Can JBJ find a consistent bat and carry over his success from October? Can Andrew Benintendi take the next step towards being an MVP candidate-type player?
Unfortunately if you came here hoping to see Allen Craig, or Rusney Castillo, you are going to be highly disappointed. The only man for this job is Julio Daniel. Martinez had an MVP level season in 2018, and now has a chance to repeat it in 2019 and possibly opt out after this season. This will be a huge season on many fronts for future salaries for these Red Sox players and for the front office. Seeing if J.D. regresses or not is going to be a huge factor to whether he opts in or opts out following 2019. However, J.D. is the man, has a relentless approach, and is always trying to get better. I think he’s due for more of the same in 2018.
The rotation for Boston is five deep. They are loaded and nobody seems to talk about it. Everyone wants to talk about Severino/Paxton/Tanaka in New York or Corbin/Scherzer/Strasburg in Washington. Both sets of trios are certainly worthy of being the best in baseball. As far as the entire rotation goes, Boston might take the cake. Sale, Price and Eovaldi are all legit studs at this point. Price and Eovaldi will likely carry over to 2019 the huge postseasons they had. You know exactly what you’re going to get from Rick Porcello, 190 innings and an ERA around 4. The biggest wild card is Eduardo Rodriguez. If he can finally stay healthy and put together a full season, he could really breakout as an All-Star caliber pitcher in this league.
This is the only segment of this article that can still drastically change. Not only are their outside factors still affecting it (Kimbrel, trade, etc.) but there also internal competitions. At least two pitchers who pitched a significant portion of innings in 2018 for Boston could be sent packing after Spring Training, possibly more if another external option joins the club.
Matt Barnes is a lock, and in this scenario, would be my choice for the closer. I’m still hopeful on Kimbrel coming back on a reasonable deal, but for now, Barnes in the ninth. The other locks, Brasier, Hembree, Wright and Johnson. Brasier is the Red Sox second best reliever as of right now. Hembree and Wright both showed their value at times last season, and have earned spots in the bullpen in 2019 barring injury. Brian Johnson is the lefty out in the pen, so I also believe he’s a lock to make this team.
Matt Barnes says pitching in the postseason has prepared him to be the next #RedSox closer… if that's the direction the team goes. pic.twitter.com/kKwYY4GQZ8
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) January 25, 2019
IfCraig Kimbrel were to sign, or another reliever was brought in, I believe Workman is the pitcher who gets pumped from this 25 man roster. A lot of things could change on this list, but for the most part this is what the roster is going to look like going into 2019. Looks fairly similar to a roster that didn’t do half bad in 2018.
It’s here. Spring training baseball is ramping up and seam-heads across the land are readying to descend upon waiting tourist traps in Florida and Arizona. The Boston Red Sox pitchers and catchers officially report on Wednesday, February 13th. Let’s get ready to defend the title.
The Mets GM gets it. It’s the sights and sounds. When I flip through the files as I’m working on my taxes I hear the snap, crackle, pop of baseballs hitting gloves. Boy would that long haired dude look good in a Red Sox uniform.
Ain’t that a sight. Jet Blue Park is a great destination, the facilities are top notch, and you better believe there’s a lot of pomp and circumstance with a World Series Championship to celebrate. Speaking of celebrations…
Alex Cora’s Getting His Closeup
On Tuesday February 12th at 9pm EST, the MLB Network has their latest ‘MLB Network Presents‘ on Alex Cora. We all know Cora presses all the right buttons in the playoffs, but there’s a lot more to his story.
There’s a bunch of horse-trading going on between the players and ownership regarding all sorts of rules changes. Pitch clocks, universal DHs and even less mound visits, oh my!
There’s some scuttlebutt about the Red Sox plans to stay in house with their Closer this year. Barnes is ready, but not everyone is convinced. Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal has a story about how risky this move might be.
Just like the Red Sox can’t win the World Series with a rookie manager with only one year of bench coach experience. In Cora we trust.
Here’s to sunshine and foul balls, fielding drills and batters up.
