Could the Red Sox surprise teams in the AL East?

By the standards of a franchise that’s won nine World Series titles, it was a forgettable season. The 78-84 record left the Boston Red Sox in last place in the American League East, 21 games behind the champion New York Yankees. Excluding the shortened 2020 campaign, it was Boston’s worst season in eight years.

The results of that 2022 season is surely a reason why DraftKings Sportsbook has the Red Sox as a +1500 long shot to win the American League East in 2023. Their odds of making the playoffs are better at +270, but Boston remains a -330 bet to stay home for the postseason. BetMGM has Boston as a -120 bet to finish under a season total of 78.5 victories. Dreaming of another World Series title? FanDuel has placed very long +6000 odds on that.

So, yeah, the aren’t exactly bullish on the boys from Beantown as the 2023 Major League Baseball season got underway Thursday with a disappointing 10-9 loss to Baltimore. And yet thanks to a flurry of offseason moves, it’s also not hard to find reasons to believe the Red Sox could be the surprise team in the AL East.

The Red Sox after last season parted ways with shortstop Xander Bogaerts, pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and outfielder J.D. Martinez, among others. But Boston added first baseman Justin Turner from the Dodgers, outfielder Adam Duval and closer Kenley Jansen from the Braves, and pitcher Corey Kluber – the Opening Day starter and loser – from the Rays. And after three injury-riddled seasons, pitcher Chris Sale at last appears back to full health.

Boston also has a stable of promising young players in third baseman Rafael Devers — who recently signed a 10-year contract extension — first baseman Triston Casas, pitcher Brayan Bello and outfielder Masataka Yoshida. Is that all enough to fix the offensive shortcomings that dogged Boston last season, especially with shortstop Trevor Story expected to be out until at least the All-Star break due to a recent surgical procedure on his right elbow?

No Shortage of Quick Turnarounds

All told, the Red Sox added 16 new players to their 40-man roster. Adding veterans like Turner and Duvall, who won World Series rings recently with the Dodgers and Braves respectively, can certainly have a positive effect on clubhouse culture. And Major League Baseball history features no shortage of teams that turned things around in one season, which is more possible than ever now in the era of wild card berths and an expanded playoff format.

The Red Sox themselves have made that type of turnaround twice — they went from 78 wins in 2015 to 93 in 2016 and from 69 wins in 2012 to 97 victories and a World Series championship in 2013. Three teams that made the playoffs last season—the Padres, Guardians and Mets—had suffered through losing campaigns the previous year. So maybe that +270 bet on the Boston Red Sox to make the playoffs in 2023 isn’t so crazy after all.