Dan Shaughnessy on how to ‘fix the broken Red Sox in 2023’
It’s simple, Dan Shaughnessy’s solution to “fix the broken Red Sox in 2023” is spending cold hard cash. I do agree that the Red Sox need to go back to being the Red Sox again. I’m sorry for the Donald Trump like slogan, but we all feel that way about the Red Sox. The last massive free agent contract handed out was this past spring to Trevor Story.
The Red Sox spend money, it can be argued that who they spend their money on has been a mistake over the years. John Henry isn’t afraid to sign the big checks for free agents as long as it makes sense for the club.
Every Red Sox fan knows that this offseason is arguably the biggest for this franchise in 20-25 years. There are going to be more holes on this roster than a piece of Swiss cheese. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has his work cut out for him. This offseason for Bloom is going to make or break his time with the Red Sox.
So yeah, no pressure right?
Now back to Shaughnessy, he wants the Red Sox to spend their money on free agents. I do agree that the Red Sox will sign a top talent in free agency this winter. However, I don’t expect Bloom to be throwing around Henry’s money like he’s at the Foxy Lady in Providence.
Danny wants the Red Sox to sign Aaron Judge, Willson Contreras, Carlos Rodon and Kenley Jensen. Those free agent signings would certainly appease Red Sox fans who want nothing more than sure things than lottery tickets on the roster.
Judge makes a ton of sense especially if the plan is letting Xander Bogaerts walk. Judge gives the Red Sox a legitimate right fielder, a massive threat in the line up and they would have stolen the Yankees star from the Bronx.
Rafael Devers and Judge would be a lethal combo in the heart of the Red Sox lineup. Judge is 30 and will likely command $300 million on the open market. If Henry is pissed about this season and wants to see the Red Sox grab some star power, he’ll demand Bloom to sign Judge.
The Red Sox have no option behind the dish for next season. Reese McGuire, Connor Wong and Ronaldo Hernandez are all options. The Cubs’ Contreras makes sense because the Sox need a catcher. The 30-year-old could provide depth at the position for the next three or four seasons and gives Boston time to develop the future option.
I wonder if the Red Sox would rather see if a reunion with Christian Vazquez is possible and he comes back on a short two or three year deal? I like Contreras but there are cheaper alternatives then spending massive payroll dollars on the catcher.
The Red Sox in my opinion should have signed Rodon this past offseason. The left-hander hurler has won 25 games over the past two seasons, has an ERA under three and will punch out over 200 batters for the first time in his career this season. Henry will need to whip out the checkbook for Rodon. After getting burnt by Chris Sale, I have to wonder if Henry and weary about spending $125 million or more on another 29-30 year old pitcher?
The Red Sox lack premium young pitching within their system. Brayan Bello maybe a future star but his first season in Boston hasn't gone exactly to plan. Josh Winckowski looks like a fringe four-A player, Kutter Crawford has looked great and deserves a spot in the 2023 rotation and verdict is out on Connor Seabold, he has great stuff but it hasn't translated to the bigs just yet.
What I don’t agree on is Shaughnessy’s take if Bogaerts leaves in free agency. He wants the Red Sox to call up Marcelo Mayer “if things fall apart.”
“In the event Bogaerts leaves, Arroyo plays second and Story moves over to short. If things fall apart, don’t be afraid to rush Marcelo Mayer to the big leagues. Robin Yount played short for the Brewers every day when he was 18. Mayer is going to be a star,” writes Shaughnessy.
Mayer is going to be a star, there’s no doubt about that. The Red Sox drafted Mayer fourth overall in the 2020 MLB Draft. Mayer could have gone number one overall but slid to Boston three picks later. Let’s be fair here, if Shaughnessy didn’t recommend rushing Mayer to the show and the Red Sox actually did this, he would be the first person in line bashing ownership and Bloom.
I hate agreeing with Dan, but other than rushing Mayer to the show, he’s right on one thing, the Red Sox need to spend some cash and on legitimate players. If Boston comes out of this offseason with Judge and Rodon, that’s a massive win for this franchise. Over the past three seasons, we’ve seen how Bloom has operated and I don’t get the sense he will be following Shaughnessy’s plan as outlined in the Boston Globe.
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