Biggest Offseason Additions
A.J. Pierzynski: It’s kind of amusing how many people hate Pierzynski. While he may be a little rough around the edges when it comes to his mouth and attitude on the diamond, the unfortunate reality for the haters is that even at 37-years-old he’s still one of the best-hitting catchers in the game.
The Red Sox were smart enough to lock up the 16-year veteran for one season at an above average sum of $8.25 million, but with that comes a guy who is a .283 hitter with crushing 27 and 17 home runs in 2012 and 2013 respectively, back-to-back seasons of knocking-in at least 70 runs and still has knees stringer than most three or four-year veterans.
The odd part of this deal isn’t necessarily that the Red Sox had to drop Jarrod Saltalamacchia in order to make way for Pierzynski, but that Salty was posting nearly identical numbers. Pierzynski certainly dominates in his batting average, but Salty was just shy of Pierzynski’s home run and RBI totals over the last two seasons.
Plus, Salty is nine years younger and a proven winner as a member of the 2013 World Series team. But, needless to say, even with the age difference Pierzynski is still a better all-around player behind the dish and in the lineup. Excellent work Boston.
Edward Mujica: One of the quieter deals of the offseason, the Red Sox scooped up the closer for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013 on a two-year deal worth $9.5 million total.
Not a bad price at all for a 29-year-old who saved 37 games last season. Whether the Red Sox decide to make him the official closer is still up in the air, but it would certainly prove to be a great move if they do even with as hot as Koji Uehara was at the end of this last season.
Mujica does have experience in the American League (2006-2008) when he broke into the Majors with the Cleveland Indians; however, he didn’t exactly have the greatest of numbers to show for it, 3-3 with a 6.04 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 70 innings of work.
It took a bit of time, but Mujica has finally settled into the roll of being a reliable late-inning guy and has certainly had some success against the AL during his last two seasons with the Cardinals.
He had a few rough outings, but the majority of his appearances came with a full inning of work and not a single earned run allowed. If anyone can mold a pitcher into a great asset, it’s Red Sox’ manager John Farrell.
Biggest Offseason Losses
Stephen Drew (for now): Time will certainly tell on this one, but the loss of Drew will affect the defense way more than it will affect the offense. The 30-year-old was a human vacuum at short stop in 2013, especially in the playoffs, but his bat has only been slightly above average (.253) since he hit a career-high .291 with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008. Drew hit a dismal .113 in the playoffs including more than 13 strikeouts that came with runner in scoring position. On the bright side, Drew prevented a ton of runs as he only committed eight errors the entire season.
Jacoby Ellsbury: The fact that the Red Sox let their golden boy leadoff hitter/center fielder so easily is a true testament of how much faith the team has in their farm system. But in the case of Ellsbury, it’s hard to not ask the Red Sox, “What the hell were you thinking?
True, the seven-year $148 million deal he got from the New York Yankees was way out of what the Red Sox wanted to pay, but the reality is that Ellsbury is a .297 career-hitter who can hit for power (65 career home runs), knock in runs when the batting order comes back around (314 career RBI), score runs (476 career runs), play decently in the outfield (2011 Gold Glove winner) and steal a lot of bases (241 career stolen bases), all of which came in seven seasons.
And, because it needs to be mentioned, Ellsbury is a two-time World Series champion, both of which came at the beginning of his career with the Red Sox (2007) and the end (2013). Who knows, maybe Ellsbury was the key to the last seven years of success.
Name to Watch in Spring Training: Grady Sizemore
Talk about a blast from the past (sort of), but the Red Sox gambled a little bit this offseason and signed Sizemore to a one-year contract in the hopes that he will be THE guy who can replace Ellsbury in centerfield. In case you forgot, Sizemore last played in the Majors on September 22, 2011 as he was hampered with knee and back injuries, both of which required surgeries and months upon months of rehab throughout the 2012 season.
He could have signed in 2013, but he vowed to not sign with a team until he was to 100 percent health. If this is the case and he ends up playing all of 2014, then the Red Sox may have one of the biggest signings of the decade at $750,000.
When Sizemore was great (2005-2008), he was arguably one of the best in the game: .281 average with 107 home runs, 325 RBI, 115 stolen bases and 464 runs scored. Oh! And a .995 percent career fielding percentage in the outfield which is actually one of the greatest of all-time.
He has two Gold Glove Awards (2007-2008) to prove it. So, in a sense, while the Red Sox took a huge hit with the loss of Ellsbury, they could possibly score huge with Sizemore in his place.
Biggest Spring Training Battle: Battle of the Mikes
2013 proved to be an interesting year for two guys who both deserve to start every, if not most games: Mike Napoli and Mike Carp. Napoli is obviously the high-priced, reliable power-hitting machine with 23 home runs and 92 RBI, but hit .259 in 139 games in his first season in Boston.
On the other end of the spectrum, the lesser-known Carp had a breakout year with a .296 average, nine home runs and 43 RBI in his first season in Boston, but he only played in 86 games. Both players play at first base; however, Carp moonlights in the outfield on occasion, but will see stiff competition out there against Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino and Sizemore.
There is also the option of either one of those two getting a few at-bats as the designated hitter, but that would require the Wrath of God (an injury on David Ortiz) to make that happen. The Red Sox will obviously opt for Napoli for financial reasons, but it’s really a shame to have a talent like Carp riding the pine for most of the season.
Perhaps he’ll be able to shake things up in Spring Training to earn himself a spot as a starter.
What Went Right in 2013
All you need to do is look in their trophy case to the Commissioner’s Trophy they hoisted and rested on the finish line of the Boston Marathon after winning the 2013 World Series to know how their season went. Magic doesn’t even begin to describe the season that the city of Boston had in the wake of the bombing during the Marathon. The Red Sox became the symbol of hope and represented all the love and goodness that the city has to offer.
Biggest Areas of Improvement in 2014
The Red Sox didn’t go crazy like thee Yankees, but they filled in all the necessary holes. The additions of Pierzynski and Sizemore will probably prove to be as, if not more beneficial than when Ellsbury and Saltalamacchia were there.
It’s a huge gamble to say that, but at least half of that statement is true (Pierzynski). Other than that, the Red Sox really didn’t need to beef up anymore than they were in 2013. All of the core guys are coming back: Napoli ended up getting more money in the end as a result of the Red Sox taking away their original three-year deal and giving him the one-year deal this last season and if Clay Buchholz repeats his 2013 campaign for the entire season it will be hard to not say they’re the heavy favorites in 2014.
Overall Spring Training Preview
Speaking of that last statement, the Red Sox are for sure the top contenders in 2014. The Red Sox will more-than-likely walk away with the AL Eastern Division title (again), but it’s hard to say how deep they’ll go in the playoffs.
Most of it will depend on who they’ll have to match up with in the first round, but if they make it to the League Championship Series they will more than likely go on to the World Series. Too much history and too much karma are on their side to bet against them in October, especially at Fenway Park.