McAdam: Projecting the Red Sox' Opening Day 25-man roster, 1.0

In a week, Red Sox pitchers and catchers will report to Fort Myers, though, apparently, most are already there. Soon after, the position players will follow.

Later this month, the Sox will play the first of 30 Grapefruit League games. Over the course of time, the team will winnow the morass of players in camp down to just 25.

To say this has been a quiet offseason for the defending champions would be an understatement. The Sox, to date, have signed exactly two (2) players to major league contracts this winter -- and both were with the team last season.

So, no new faces, or at least, no new faces on big league deals.

That cuts down on some of the intrigue over the course of the spring. What you'll see on March 28 will be pretty predictable.

Then again, we don't know what roles injuries or potential trades might play. So this is conjecture, but that makes it fun.

STARTING PITCHERS (5)

Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Nathan Eovaldi, and Eduardo Rodriguez.

ASSESSMENT: Nothing complicated here -- the same five which finished the season for the Red Sox. There are physical question marks concerning Sale (shoulder, second-half fatigue) and uncertainty about Eovaldi's durability (he's thrown more than 150 innings in a season just twice). But on paper, this is not only a team strength but one of the top rotations in the game.

CATCHERS (2)
Sandy Leon, Blake Swihart

ASSESSMENT: Let's take Dave Dombrowski at his work. Dombrowski predicted last month the Sox would likely deal off one of their three catchers from a year ago. The Sox stuck with the trio of Leon, Swihart and Christian Vazquez last year, but it was uncomfortable fit that limited the team's flexibility.

So, who goes?

We can rule out Leon, I think, because there would be a major insurrection in the clubhouse by the starting pitchers, all of whom -- Sale most prominently -- gush about Leon's preparation, game-calling and other attributes. Leon was atrocious offensively last year, especially in the second half, but the thinking is that he can be better in 2019 with some adjustments.

That narrows the focus to Swihart or Vazquez. In theory, Swihart might be the one they'll move because he has the least amount of experience behind the plate and hasn't yet proven that he can handle a significant number of games behind the plate.

But Swihart offers a higher offensive ceiling than either of the other two receivers, and has the added bonus of being the youngest, most versatile, most athletic and cheapest in terms of salary.

Vazquez was signed to a multi-year extension only last spring and it looked like the Sox were anointing him as their catcher of the future. But a lot can change in a year, and the fact that Vazquez is locked up for the next three years at a modest total ($13.55 million) should make moving him even easier, since the acquiring team would be getting some cost certainty at a key position.

INFIELD (7)

Steve Pearce, Mitch Moreland, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez.

ASSESSMENT: Again, no surprises here, and no additions, either -- unless, of course, you count Pedroia, who played in just three games a year ago. The hope/expectation is that Pedroia can give the Sox 125 0r so games at second, with Holt and Nunez around to provide depth at the position.

Nunez should be healthier with another winter to rehab his knee, though even with improved health, he remains a liability at second for any extended period of time.

At first, Moreland and Pearce will be part of a de facto platoon, with Pearce also available to contribute in the outfield on occasion. The left side of the infield remains the same with Devers at third and Bogaerts at short.

OUTFIELD (4)

Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts and  J.D. Martinez.

ASSESSMENT: Look familiar? It should as there's nothing complicated about the outfield alignment. Look for Martinez to again get about 50 starts in the outfield -- enough to have him part of the rotation and to provide occasional rest for the three starters.

Holt serves as the fifth outfielder/emergency backup at the position.

BULLPEN (7)

Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Heath Hembree, Steven Wright, Brian Johnson, Hector Velazquez and Tyler Thornburg.

ASSESSMENT: Here's where the roster configuration gets interesting.

Let's assume that the Red Sox don't sign any free agents to big league deals in the next week or so. Such a scenario would indicate that either Barnes or Brasier handling the closing duties.

Hembree is the guy most likely to step up and into one of the high-leverage spots, effectively taking over for either Barnes or Brasier in the seventh or eighth inning.

Wright is a wild card, with the ability to contribute multiple innings, fill-in starts and provide a completely different look in the late innings.

Johnson is out of options and the Sox like having him around as a depth starter. Also, he's the lone lefty in this group and even though Alex Cora is on record as not necessarily needing a lefty in his bullpen, it helps Johnson's case that he's the lone southpaw in this group.

Velazquez could be on the bubble here, through no fault of his own. He was a nice contributor and, like Johnson, serves as a depth starter. But he's one of the few guys in the mix with remaining options, which means the Sox could have him begin the year in the Pawtucket rotation, giving him a chance to build arm strength while allowing the team time to evaluate a younger reliever such as Travis Lakins.

Finally, there's Thornburg. Shut down at the end of the year, it wouldn't be a surprise at all for him to start the season on a rehab assignment. That would likely be the only way he's not on the Opening Day roster, since he's out of option -- unless the Sox decide to cut their losses by releasing him in spring training and (depending on the date) pay him either one-fourth or one-sixth of the non-guaranteed deal he agreed to over the winter.

It's possible that someone could come out of the blue and surprise the Sox. There's Colten Brewer, obtained from San Diego, and also Durbin Feltman, a hard-throwing reliever drafted in the third round last June, is projected to move fast up through the system.

But Brewer has options, meaning the Sox can safely start him at Pawtucket and yo-yo him as they see fit, while Feltman, just 21, probably needs additional development time.