CHRIS MAZZA
“YOU’VE SEEN CLUBS THAT
ARE BUILT TO WIN RIGHT NOW
HAVE REALLY DISAPPOINTING
SEASONS, AND YOU’VE SEEN
CLUBS THAT NOBODY GAVE A
CHANCE; YOU SAW ONE OF THEM
IN 2013 GO AND WIN THE WORLD
SERIES. AND YOU SAW THE SAME
TEAM TWO YEARS RUNNING WIN
108 GAMES AND 84 GAMES.”
– RON ROENICKE
“You’ve seen clubs that are built to win
right now have really disappointing
seasons, and you’ve seen clubs that nobody
gave a chance; you saw one of them in 2013
go and win the World Series. And you saw
the same team two years running win 108
games and 84 games.”
So much will depend on whether Sale and
Eovaldi can remain healthy, Rodriguez can
sustain his success and the Sox can find
replacements in the rotation for Price and
Rick Porcello, who signed as a free agent
with the New York Mets. That’s a daunting
challenge. One new addition is free-agent
left-hander Martin Pérez, who struggled
after a strong start last season with the
Twins but has added a cutter to his arsenal.
Reliever Matt Barnes, in one of his first
interviews after arriving in camp, also
struck an optimistic note.
“If you look around our clubhouse there’s
still an awful lot of talent,” he said. “We can
still achieve our goals.”
Barnes’ optimism is not misplaced. The
Sox still have Jackie Bradley Jr.’s Gold
Glove in center field. Behind the plate is
Christian Vazquez, who in his first shot at
the everyday catching job responded by
hitting 23 home runs, which is 10 more
than he hit in his first 291 games in the
big leagues. Left-fielder Andrew Benintendi,
who signed a new two-year deal on the eve
of spring training, came to camp vowing to
have a bounce-back season after a falloff
in production in 2019. Benintendi is still
just 25.
Brandon Workman, who missed virtually
two full seasons because of elbow problems
that ultimately required Tommy John
surgery, emerged as a force in the Sox
bullpen, going 10-1 with a 1.88 ERA while
averaging 13.06 strikeouts per nine innings.
Rookie Michael Chavis hit 18 home runs
in his debut season, 11 of those traveling
400 feet or more (5 went at least 440 feet).
First baseman Mitch Moreland, whose .507
slugging percentage and .835 OPS last season
were the highest of his career, re-signed
with the Sox and is expected to share time
in a platoon setup, perhaps with Chavis.
Then there are the newcomers, the most
notable of whom is Alex Verdugo, the
23-year-old outfielder acquired from the
Dodgers and projected to take over for
Betts in right field. The left-handed hitting
Verdugo, drafted out of high school in
Tucson by the Dodgers in the second round
in 2014, broke into the big leagues three
years later and last season, his first with
significant playing time, batted .294 with
a dozen home runs, posting an .817 OPS,
while playing all three outfield positions.
“Alex Verdugo is a really talented baseball
player on both sides of the ball,” Bloom
said in the news conference announcing
the trade. "He can really hit and it's not
just power. He's a really good hitter.
Defensively, he can play all three positions.
Tremendous arm, really showed himself
last year in a very impressive full season
debut. Showed himself as a very talented
player.
"His instincts for the game are very good.
He loves to play, loves to compete. He
brings a lot of great things to the table."
Verdugo is projected to make an immediate
contribution. Another newcomer, José
Peraza, who signed as a free agent after
playing six different positions for the
Reds in 2019, projects as a Brock Holt-type
utility player but also could be in the mix
at second base, along with Chavis, Tzu-Wei
Lin and Marco Hernández.
And, as is the case every spring, there will
be the homegrown prospects looking to
make an impression in camp. Right-handed
pitchers Tanner Houck and Bryan Mata,
along with power-hitting corner infielder
Bobby Dalbec, are expected to be among the
head-turners. Others may surface.
The 2020 Red Sox are a work in progress.
In that respect, they are no different than
any of their predecessors. There will be
star turns, surprises, and disappointments.
Where will this group be, come October?
Stick around to find out. n
R E D S O X . C OM/MA G A Z I N E 47
/MAGAZINE