Lack of off-season moves show confidence in young pitchers
The Boston Red Sox have surprisingly been among one of the busiest teams so far in this off-season. They improved their bullpen mightily, as it was one of the worst groups for the Red Sox last season. The busier part was seeing quite a few guys from last years team leave, which is old news at this point.
The moves they haven’t (yet) made stick out even more. The starting rotation seems to be the group that is experiencing the most turnover. With Nathan Eovaldi and Rich Hill already being signed with other clubs this offseason, that is already two spots up for grabs. Now add in Michael Wacha, who is still a free agent, would be a third spot open. With the signing of Corey Kluber, figure he slots into a spot. That still leaves the team with two spots up for grab, and everybody knows injuries will occur throughout the season so additional arms will be needed.
At one point last season, the Red Sox were missing four out of their five starters at the same time and had to turn to the minors to reinforce their rotation. From the minor league reinforcements the names include Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Josh Winckowski, and Connor Seabold. Bello almost certainly solidified himself a spot in the roation next season, and the other three have shown flashes during their time in Boston.
Josh Winckowski joined us for a podcast earlier in the offseason and talked about his past season and working with Connor Wong and Reese Mcguire. The familiarity going forward will make him feel more comfortable as he sets in on year two in the majors.
The same can be said for guys like Connor Seabold and Kutter Crawford. Both have gotten the chance to work a ton with Connor Wong, and as it stands today, Wong is on the opening day roster and slotting in as the backup catcher.
The lack of signings towards the starting rotation have presented opportunities for this trio to try to crack the roster out of Spring Training. Winckowski made 14 starts last year, which is the second most returning to the team behind Nick Pivetta. Crawford made 12 starts and Seabold made 5 starts, which should have helped prepare them as they head into next year.
The trio has dominated during their times in AAA, and deserve an extended look next year to see what they can do. It truly has turned into one of those situations where you need to see what you have before moving on. The young trio deserves fair looks and if there is not a spot for them, package them together for something that will contribute in 2023.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @ByAndrewParker
For additional Red Sox and Major League Baseball content, follow Beyond the Monster: Boston Red Sox on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr