Subscribe
Follow Us
The Boston Red Sox made a big splash this offseason by signing star middle infielder Trevor Story on a long-term contract. It's a move that will certainly help them compete in the AL East, and it was crucial considering the rest of their rivals (excluding the Orioles) are stockpiling talent in preparation for what should be a highly-contested race for the division crown.
It's hard to call any of the Blue Jays, Yankees, Rays, or Red Sox favorites to win the division this season, as all four teams have improved heading into the year and each has a case to emerge as AL East champs. The Red Sox certainly got better over the offseason, but did they do enough to outpace the other elite teams in the division?
With the 2022 MLB regular season just around the corner, here are the three biggest questions facing Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox.
3. Can Jackie Bradley Jr. hold onto the center field job?
In terms of defense, there's hardly a center fielder in baseball as gifted as Jackie Bradley Jr. He's up there with the likes of Byron Buxton, Kevin Kiermaier, Lorenzo Cain, and Cody Bellinger in terms of defensive talent. As its stands, the center field job is his to lose. But, it's a job that Bradley Jr. could very easily end up losing, not because of his glove, but because of his bat.
Bradley Jr. has been a subpar batter ever since entering the league. Sure, he's enjoyed various streaks of solid hitting, but overall he's been below replacement level in terms of offensive production. Last season in Milwaukee, Bradley's struggles at the plate were clear to see. Across 134 games, the 31-year-old slashed just .163/.236/.261 for an abysmal .497 OPS. That type of offensive production is a one-way ticket to the bench, and if he endures similar struggles in 2022, it will be hard for him to maintain his role in the outfield regardless of his defensive prowess.
2. Will their offseason acquisitions pan out?
The Boston Red Sox are a very talented team, undoubtedly, and would likely be favorites to win any other division in the American League. That said, they play in the top-heavy AL East, where all of their rivals except for the Orioles have realistic World Series aspirations this season. In addition to their acquisition of Story, the Red Sox also went out and added a trio of veteran starters. James Paxton, Rich Hill, and Michael Wacha have all made the move out to Boston, where they'll serve in the rotation behind Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi.
The additions were solid, but risky. It's hard to say whether the 42-year-old Hill has enough left in the tank to last a full season — and that's before taking into account the likelihood of him missing starts to blisters and other knocks. Paxton has made just six starts in the past two seasons and is a major health risk, too. Wacha has had ERA's of 6.62 and 5.05 in the past two seasons, respectively, so he will also be a considerable risk in the starting rotation.
If the Red Sox get the best out of their newest signings, they can arguably assert themselves as the best team in the division. However, if their new additions don't settle in quickly, the Red Sox could find themselves falling out of favor.
1. Is Chris Sale really back?
After returning from his near two-year absence from MLB, Chris Sale returned last season and was excellent during the regular season. He made nine starts, recording a 3.16 ERA and striking out 52 batters in 42.2 innings. The postseason, however, was a fall from grace for the veteran lefty. Sale got shelled by the Rays in the ALDS, and wasn't his usual self in the ALCS against Houston, only lasting 8 innings across two starts.
While his outings in the regular season were very encouraging, it's certainly worrisome that the team's best pitcher was a shell of himself when the stakes were raised. That brings forth the question of whether or not Sale's regular-season success was a farce, or if it was his postseason woes that were truly just a blip on the radar.
