After the dust has settled surrounding the Mookie Betts trade, there are still some intriguing signings that could be made by the Red Sox to make the club very competitive.
There are still a ton of potential free-agents that the Red Sox could sign in order to make their lineup and pitching rotation as competitive a possible.
Some notable free-agents that have yet to sign with a team:
- OF Yasiel Puig
- UTIL Brock Holt
- MIF Ben Zobrist
- SP Aaron Sanchez
- MIF Scooter Gennett
- SP Taijuan Walker
- P Trevor Cahill
- RP Pat Nescheck
- P Andrew Cashner
- OF Kevin Pillar
- SP Jason Vargas
Free Agent Breakdown:
Some notable free-agents that stick out for Boston would be Yasiel Puig, Aaron Sanchez, Taijuan Walker, Kevin Pillar, and Pat Neshek. Obviously, a reunion with fan-favorite utility man Brock Holt would be a fun acquisition. And while 2019 Red Sox Andrew Cashner didn’t exceed expectations, the 33-year-old knows the system and can add some veteran presence to a young staff.
Adding pitchers like Sanchez and Walker to the starting rotation would fill the void of a depleted staff that struggled mightily last season. Sanchez has posted a career 3.98 ERA in 150 major league appearances with the Blue Jays and Astros. Walker has posted a career 3.95 ERA in 97 major league appearances with the Mariners and Diamondbacks. They have both proven to be above-average pitchers that could eat up a lot of innings.
Reliever Pat Neshek is critical for a very young Boston bullpen that needs a veteran presence. The 39-year-old sidearm reliever would be a fairly cheap option for one year and has a career 2.82 ERA in 13 major league seasons.
For more depth, Yasiel Puig is a very entertaining option for Boston. An average priced outfielder who has playoff experience with the Dodgers and Indians, Puig owns a .277 batting average with 132 home runs in 7 major league seasons. Puig is projected to hit .266 with 25 Home Runs and 77 RBI’s during the 2020 season, according to baseball-reference. The former Indian could add some depth to the Boston lineup that was one of baseball’s best last season. Kevin Pillar should also be mentioned as an outfield pickup.
Projections:
With both Mookie Betts and David Price now off of the Red Sox roster, many questions surround the 2020 depth chart. Looking at a combination of the projected starters and free-agent signings, here’s a look at the possible starting lineup, bench, starting rotation and bullpen for the 2020 Boston Red Sox:
*if signed as free-agent in future
Lineup:
- RF Alex Verdugo (Newly Acquired)
- LF Andrew Benintendi
- 3B Rafael Devers
- DH J.D. Martinez
- SS Xander Bogaerts
- 1B Mitch Moreland
- C Christian Vazquez
- 2B Michael Chavis
- CF Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bench:
- 3B Bobby Dalbec / UTIL Brock Holt*
- OF Yasiel Puig* / OF Kevin Pillar
- MIF Jose Peraza
- C Kevin Plawecki
Minor League options:
- MIF Jeter Downs (Newly Acquired)
- OF Jarren Duran
- 2B Marco Hernandez
- C Connor Wong (Newly Acquired)
- SS C.J. Chatham
- MIF Tzu-Wei Lin
- C Jett Bandy
- SS Cameron Cannon
- 1B Triston Casas
- 1B Josh Ockimey
- OF Marcus Wilson
Starting Rotation:
- Chris Sale
- Eduardo Rodriguez
- Nathan Eovaldi
- Aaron Sanchez*
- Martin Perez / Taijuan Walker*
Bullpen:
- Brandon Workman
- Matt Barnes
- Pat Neshek*
- Josh Taylor
- Heath Hembree
- Darwinzon Hernandez / Ryan Brasier
- Hector Velazquez / Andrew Cashner*
Minor League bullpen options:
- Bryan Mata
- Tanner Houck
- Jay Groome
- Ryan Weber
- Marcus Walden
- Austin Brice
- Colten Brewer
- Trevor Kelley
- Brian Johnson
- Bobby Poyner
This article was written by Jordan Moore. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Hate mail? Let him hear it on Twitter @iJordanMoore, Instagram @iJordanMoore, or via email at jordancmoore19@gmail.com.
