Daniel Corrigan | November 5th, 2019
The former defending World Series champions came into the season with high expectations. They won a franchise-record, 108 games and rolled their way to a World Series victory over the Dodgers.
It was a complete 180 by the Red Sox in 2019. Nothing went right. Everyone was looking forward to an epic race for the AL East crown between the Red Sox and Yankees. Instead, we got a nightmare.
Make sure to check out all of our other MLB team recaps here.
2019 Recap: 84-78 record- 3rd In The AL East, Missed Playoffs
What Went Right?
Not much went right for the Red Sox in 2019. The only bright sports came from Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and Christian Vazquez. They all had career years at the plate for a team that still had one of the most lethal offenses in baseball. They ranked fourth in total offense and were top five in runs, hits, doubles, RBIs, walks, OPS, OBP, and slugging. This really just goes to show how bad the pitching was for the Red Sox. Mookie Betts had a “down year” compared to his MVP season in 2018, but he still hit .295 with 29 home runs and 80 RBIs.
What Went Wrong?
The pitching. It was so bad. Through the first 11-games of the season (which was a West Coast trip,) they were 3-8 and allowing seven runs per game. They held the 15th worst team ERA in team history, and the worst WHIP in over a decade. Chris Sale and David Price just couldn’t stay healthy. When they were healthy, they were extremely disappointing. Eduardo Rodriguez was a pleasant surprise, but outside of him and Brian Workman, the Red Sox pitching was a huge issue. If they had a half-decent pitching staff, they probably would have made the playoffs.
Impending Free Agents:
Rick Porcello, Brock Holt, Andrew Cashner (club option,) Mitch Moreland, Steven Wright, and Steve Pearce.
The Red Sox have quite a few key players that will be hitting the market. They have some very tough decisions to make. Betts will be a free agent next season and he is going to be getting F-U money. J.D. Martinez was expected to decline his option this season, but opted in with the ability to opt-out again next year.
The Red Sox will shell out money for big-time names, but they are going to have to make some sacrifices. They need to re-sign Betts and have some money left over for pitching help.
Players To Watch In 2020:
Chris Sale: The Red Sox need Sale to be healthy and be his normal self. he posted a 4.40 ERA with only six wins to 11 loses. As we can see, the pitching needs to vastly improve next season for the Red Sox. If they can figure out the pitching troubles, they should be set for another championship run.
The Entire Pitching Staff: I have said it a million times, the pitching needs to improve. The Red Sox had a top-four offense last season and only won 84 games. After winning 108 games last season, there is no excuse for that kind of drop off while still having virtually the same roster. The pitching staff needs to pick itself up.
Mookie Betts: He is now in a contract year. He will be getting a lot of money. Obviously, the Red Sox want Betts to have another monster year, but maybe they wouldn’t mind if his numbers dipped slightly again? No matter what, he’s getting nine figures in free agency, but the Red Sox would love to maybe get him for a little less.
Needs:
Pitching: I’m not even going to explain anymore.
First Base: Michael Chavis is a solid player. He is still young and will turn into a full-time starter. Right now, they need some depth at this position. If that means trying to bring back Moreland on a cheap deal, so be it. But they can also look at someone like Yonder Alonso or Justin Smoak.
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