The Perfect Offseason

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Written by: Matt Ferreira

                                                            Image via twitter.com/redsox 



 In a “rebuild year” the Red Sox brought the Astros to game six of the American League Championship Series. Chief Baseball Officer, Chaim Bloom, has seemingly continued his model when with the Rays where he is going to push for a championship, and build the farm at the same time and has shown he can do so. 

 Last year Chaim Bloom signed Kiké Hernandez and Hunter Renfroe, traded for Adam Ottovino, and acquired Garrett Whitlock through the Rule 5 draft. All of these players provided valuable roles to the 2021 Red Sox and were a key part of their success and helped the Red Sox “ball on a budget” and stay below the luxury tax. Also during the offseason, Bloom acquired Franchy Cordero, Frank German, and Ronaldo Hernandez to help build the farm system. 

 The one question with Bloom was could he make a big splash. Coming from Tampa Bay, Bloom has never had the budget to sign big name free agents or trade for star players. At the trade deadline, Chaim answered that question by trading for one of the best bats in the first half of the 2021 season acquiring Kyle Schwarber. 


 


 This offseason Bloom is gonna have some holes to fill with the potential opt out of slugger J.D. Martinez, and Eduardo Rodriguez, Garrett Richards, Kyle Schwarber, and Adam Ottovino set to hit the open market, Chaim has some money to work with to either resign or replace them. 

 To start with the players on the team, I would love to have another two seasons of J.D. Martinez, but if he opts out it is not the worst thing in the world. If he opts out, that gives the Red Sox another 19 million in wiggle room to re-sign Kyle Schwarber or other option (another option could be Nick Castellanos who just opted out of his deal with the Cincinnati Reds, the 29 year old hit .309 with 34 home runs this year). Personally, I think J.D. Martinez stays in Boston. Without the guarantee of a designated hitter in the National League, and the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, it could be a long offseason for those who are set to hit the open market. Martinez is going to do what he does and worry about hitting and not a new contract. 


 


 My next concern is pitching. The Red Sox could re-sign Eduardo Rodriguez, but there are many other good options on the market. With aces such as Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, and Justin Verlander set to hit the market I doubt the Red Sox spend the money to try and pry one of these from the other 29 teams, but it is not impossible. The Red Sox were heavily linked to Max Scherzer all the way up to when the deal was complete with the Dodgers at the trade deadline. The more likely option is a tier two or tier three starter to go behind Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi. Marcus Stroman, Kevin Gausman, and Yusei Kikuchi could all fit in to roles with this team. Kevin Gausman had a breakout year with the Giants this year, but it is hard to see if that is sustainable, personally I think the Red Sox should sign Alex Wood. A role pitcher in the NL West for years, Wood had a 3.83 ERA with the Giants and would slide in perfectly between Eovaldi and Pivetta in the rotation. Wood also has the capability of moving to the bullpen if Connor Seabold or Jay Groome decide to make an appearance in the rotation late in the year. 

 One thing that killed the Red Sox last year was the lack of a closer. A Craig Kimbrel reunity could be an ideal fit for both sides. Kimbrel in the later end of his career can come back to an organization with World Series aspirations and he gets to keep doing what he does best and shut down games. Other options for the bullpen are Corey Knebel, Craig Stammen, Aaron Loup, and if the Red Sox really wanted to spend money on a top line closer, Kendall Graveman is their guy. Graveman allowed 35 hits in 56 innings pitched this season while recording 10 saves with the Mariners. If the Astros let Graveman walk, he will be a hot commodity on the market. 

 For the field the Red Sox have some holes. If they do not pick up Vazquez’s player option they could be looking for a catcher, and also a 2B or CF depending on where Kiké Hernandez is playing next season. While Buster Posey and Yan Gomes are both free agents I do not see the Red Sox wanting either of them over Vazquez who is much younger and knows the pitching staff already. The real question is who will fill that last hole in the lineup. In any dream scenario the Red Sox sign Starling Marte. 

 

 Marte hit .308/.381/.456 and had 47 stolen bases with the Marlins and Athletics. Marte is an above average defender and still has some pop in his bat hitting 12 home runs. He would give the Red Sox a leadoff hitter that they did not have till the last month of the season. Chris Taylor is an option at second base if the Dodgers are not willing to pay him. Where this can get interesting is the shortstop pool, if the Red Sox can convince Xander Bogaerts or one of the free agent shortstops to play second base it could add another all star bat to the Red Sox lineup. While unlikely the Red Sox pay up, Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Javier Baez are all available this offseason. Marcus Semien played second base for the Blue Jays last year and was a good fit and powered the Blue Jays offense to a near wild card berth. The rest of the class is more likely to stay at shortstop meaning Bloom would have some convincing to do with Xander. Correa and Baez are two of the best defensive shortstops in the league and are very unlikely to make a move over. Trevor Story would be a great fit, a player used to a deep field and already pulls most of his home runs, the green monster could help Story bring his career to the next level. 

 Chaim also needs to look at our own team. Bogaerts will most likely opt out after 2022, Bloom needs to talk to Boras (Bogaerts’ agent) to see what the price is for Bogaerts to stay in Boston. Yet the most important thing of this offseason may be a Rafael Devers extension. Make sure Devers never sees the free agent market, hitting 38 homers driving in 113 runs while batting .279 is not a small feat especially for someone still only 25. 


 


While Bloom will not be able to get all of the guys I listed, some are definitely probable to be in a Red Sox jersey next season. With that being said, Chaim has also proven to trust him and his signings with Renfroe hitting 31 home runs out of nowhere and Kiké Hernandez being a postseason hero for this team, Chaim has found the perfect balance between price and production before and can do it again. 


My ideal 2022 offseason


J.D. Opts in
Starling Marte 2-3 years

Marcus Stroman 5 years 

Aaron Loup 2 years 

Alex Wood 2 years 

Devers (extension) 10+ years


While I would love to have Schwarber back I do not see a fit with him on this team. Dalbec caught fire at the end of the season and Casas will be within the next two years. Schwarber also has limited consistency, Schwarber had a career year, hitting .266/.374/.554 were all career highs on top of his second highest home run total with 32. Schwarber could earn big money this offseason, but there is a risk to signing him to a multi-year deal.


Location: Boston, MA, USA

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