The Boston Red Sox are three seasons removed from their surprising ALCS run in 2021. Fast forward to 2024, the Red Sox find themselves in a difficult middle ground. In each of the last three seasons they have finished last in the AL East.

Where they were in 2023?

Red Sox fans have undergone a rollercoaster of emotions over the last decade. 2023 was no different. They let Xander Bogaerts walk in free agency but locked up Rafael Devers. They also added big name free agents such as Trevor Story and Masataka Yoshida.

Amongst the things they need to get better at is their defense. The Red Sox tied the 50-112 Oakland A’s with 102 errors for the most in the American League. However, Triston Casas turned into a good development. Through his last 200 at-bats, he slashed .306/.406/.590 with 15 homers. Jarren Duran is a player on the rise.

Key Additions:

Lucas Giolito – The Red Sox’s lone big-name acquisition during the 2024 offseason was Giolito. The Red Sox needed to make some additions to upgrade their bullpen and they believe they’ve done that here. Giolito is a former All-Star coming off of two bad seasons.

Vaughn Grissom – Getting a top prospect like Grissom for Chris Sale feels like a steal. He has shown promise at the big-league level over the last two years but has also only played 64 games.

Tyler O’Neill – The Red Sox made a one-for-one swap: Alex Verdugo for O’Neill. When healthy, O’Neill has a lot of power and provides solid defense as a former 2-time Gold Glover.

To give some hindsight on how bad the Red Sox offseason was, all three of these additions may miss the start of the season. Giolito could be out for the entire season.

Depth Chart:

Rotation: Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck

Bullpen: CL Kenley Jansen, SU Chris Martin, SU Josh Winckowski, Isaiah Campbell, Joely Rodriguez, Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten, Chase Anderson

Lineup: RF Duran, 3B Devers, SS Story, 1B Casas, LF O’Neill, DH Yoshida, CF Ceddanne Rafaela, 2B Emmanuel Valdez, C Connor Wong

Bench: C Reese McGuire, INF/OF Bobby Dalbec, INF/OF Pablo Reyes, OF Wilyer Abreu

Where are they hoping to go?

In an ideal world, the Red Sox would hope to make the playoffs in 2024. At the beginning of the season, it doesn’t seem ideality is on their side. Will this regime follow through with their commitment?

Win Projection: 80-82 Wins

World Series Odds: +6000 (Via FanDuel)

The best-case scenario for Boston would be that the regime follows through with wanting to win. I just don’t see that happening anytime soon.

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