So far, there's been far more focus on the Red Sox' ability and willingness to retain two of their current stars -- J.D. Martinez, who can opt out of his deal Monday, and Mookie Betts, who is under control through the end of next season.
Those are huge storylines, of course, since they involve, arguably, the two biggest forces in the Red Sox lineup. If Martinez walks and/or Betts is traded, the 2020 Red Sox will have a much different look.
What happens with that duo will impact the rest of the winter, since there's a lot of money involved. If both leave -- Martinez via free agency and Betts via trade -- the Sox will have shaved about $47 million from their payroll.
But at some point, regardless of the fate of Martinez and Betts, the Red Sox will have to do some adding.
For this offseason, we can rule the Sox out on some big-ticket items. Barring some sudden and dramatic reversal, they'll not be in on Stephen Strasburg or Gerrit Cole, even though either would be a welcome addition to a rotation very much in need of upgrades.
Instead, the Sox will be shopping for less expensive options to address roster holes.
Here's a look at some needs and potential low-cost solutions:
Second base: It's possible that the Sox could fill from within here, with some combination of Michael Chavis and Marco Hernandez. But the former may be better utilized at first base and the latter, frankly, hasn't yet demonstrated that he can be an everyday player.
Brock Holt, himself a free agent, could return here in some scenarios. But the feeling is that
Holt would like a multi-year deal for some security, which may not fit with the Red Sox' plans. And the Sox have to ask themselves whether they'd be comfortable with Holt playing every day since he gives them virtually no sock (career slugging percentage: .374; .402 last year).
There are some veteran free agents who could provide some pop at the position (Brian Dozier, Starlin Castro, Jonathan Schoop), but each would be looking for more money (say, $7-9 million) than the Sox would be willing to spend.
One possibility is Wilmer Flores, whose option for 2020 was declined by Arizona. Flories had an .848 OPS last year, but is viewed as below-average defensively.
Other low-cost veteran options include Jason Kipnis and Scooter Gennett.
Starting pitcher: For now, the Sox have one opening in the rotation, though that could change if they pay down the salary of someone like David Price and shop him around.
Tanner Houck waits in the wings, but without so much as an inning of big-league experience, it's difficult to envision him making the rotation out of spring training. In the meantime, the Sox need a veteran back-end starter, someone willing to take a one-year deal.
There's no shortage of potential candidates, including Homer Bailey, Tanner Roark and Ivan Nova, any one of whom could help out as a No. 5 starter for at least the first half of the year, until such time as Houck or perhaps Bryan Mata is ready to contribute in Boston.
Reliever: Despite the struggles of the bullpen -- especially in the first half -- the Red Sox are actually situated pretty well here.
They return Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, Josh Taylor, Marcus Walden and Darwinzon Hernandez, and should he be tendered a contract, Heath Hembree. That's not a bad group, especially with the expectation that Hernandez will improve and with a more structured set-up in place with Workman returning as the de facto closer.
But they can always use more established options here. Righty Joe Smith, at 35, may be an intriguing option, giving the Sox a different look with his sidearm delivery. It helps that he's had plenty of postseason experience with both Cleveland and Houston, though coming off a two-year, $15-million deal, he could be a little pricey.
Craig Stammen has been a consistent late-inning performer for the Padres, demonstrating excellent command and at 35, could be relatively affordable.
Jeremy Jeffress could be an attractive buy-low candidate on the market. He's just a year removed from a season in which he posted a 1.29 ERA with a 0.992 WHIP. If the Sox aren't scared off by his mysterious downturn (5.02 ERA), he could represent an excellent gamble.
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- As the Sox wait, it's worth asking why teams in general -- and the Red Sox two years ago, in particular -- are willing to give opt-outs in the first place. It's one thing when a free agent has several suitors and agreeing to an opt-out is one thing that could separate one team from others. But you'll recall that the Sox were the only team bidding on Martinez in February of 2018 -- or at least, the only one willing to do a multi-year deal -- and still, agreed to include three different opt outs: this one, another after 2020 and yet another after 2021. Why? A baseball source said recently that Martinez was adamant about the one after 2020 to give him some flexibility, and that other two (this one and the one after 2021) came about in exchange for the Red Sox getting additional injury protection language in the deal.
- While some fans complain about the Red Sox aiming to get their payroll below $208 million next year so as to re-set their CBT (Competitive balance tax), here's one more reminder of the "hidden'' costs of going over the threshold. The Sox will, of course, extend a qualifying offer to Martinez should he opt-out, and just as surely, Martinez will reject. That will entitle the Sox to a compensation pick, but instead of it coming after the second round, it will come after the fourth -- because the Sox went over the $206 million (first threshold) in 2019.
- Can't see the Yankees being a potential destination for Martinez. They're already sorry they have to deal with the bloat of Giancarlo Stanton's contract and have shied away from those big long-term free-agent deals in recent years. And despite the struggles the Yanks had with runners in scoring position in the ALCS, the offense isn't in need of an upgrade. If they do anything bold from a position player standpoint, I would expect that it might revolve around a shortstop and/or a center fielder, with Aaron Hicks scheduled to miss the first half of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. But not a DH.
- On the subject of the Yankees, Edwin Encarnacion is now a free agent, and the man who David Ortiz tried to hand-pick to replace him after 2016 has already been linked to the Sox as a potential Martinez replacement. Again, not sure that makes a lot of sense. Encarnacion, who had a $20 million option for 2020, is probably going to be looking for an AAV in the neighborhood of $15-16 million -- minimally. Add in the $2.5 million buyout the Sox will have to pay Martinez as part of a buyout and pretty soon, you're nearly up to what they would be paying Martinez ($23.5 million) if he stayed. Not much payroll reduction at work there.
- Look for Bloom to instead seek a lower-cost option at DH, while perhaps offering Alex Cora the flexibility of rotating a few position players through the DH spot.
- The debate surrounding the baserunner interference call against Trea Turner in Game 6 served to remind one and all that there's something to be said for controversial calls ginning up talk and creating interest among fans. That one play created more discussion about the Series than anything else and helped build momentum for Game 7 the following night. It also served as a reminder that the chances for such moments dwindle as baseball introduces more and more replay into the game. Yes, there's something to be said for getting the call right, but when the decisions are ultimately being made by a crew in a TV studio in lower Manhattan, those arguments -- and subsequent debates -- are lost.
- That's why I remain opposed to to the use of robotic umps calling balls and strikes. First, a 96 percent success rate on pitches is close enough for me. And if the idea is that the home plate umpire can overrule the robot's call, well, then what's the point in the first place?
- The month of October should squash, once and for all, any suggestion that Strasburg is somehow not mentally strong. That had dogged Strasburg since he was held out of the 2012 postseason in his first season since undergoing Tommy John surgery, then re-introduced when he came close to missing another post-game start because of illness in 2017. Strasburg was a bulldog, never more than when he gave the Nats 8.1 innings in Game 6.
- So much for the Astros' dynasty. Sorry, winning one World Series and losing another doesn't qualify a team to take its place among the all-time teams. Yes, Houston has been an excellent club for the past three years, and even though they're about to lose Cole, it wouldn't be shocking to see them win another pennant next year. But until they win at least one more title, they'll be relegated to a class of super teams who never could put it all together in October. The Baltimore Orioles from 1969-1971, perhaps the most complete and well-balanced team of my lifetime, were similarly cursed, winning three straight pennants but claiming only one Series.
- Media critic time: I'm aware that this puts me in the minority, but I'm fine with Joe Buck as a play-by-play man. He has the gravitas and poise to handle the big moments. And while I generally like John Smoltz's work as an analyst, is it too much to ask that someone with Fox remind the Hall of Fame pitcher: "John, 'one of the best third basemans (sic) in the league,' is not close to being proper English.'' Meanwhile, ESPN Radio's Dan Shulman remains a treasure. He, along with partner Chris Singleton, kept me informed and entertained during a long car ride in the pivotal Game 6.
- Overall, the World Series was pretty mediocre for one that lasted seven games. From early in Game 2 through the end of Game 5, there wasn't a single lead change. And three of the first five games were decided by at least six runs. The final two games went a long way toward making the Series interesting.
