Offseason Predictions: Bogaerts will re-sign with Red Sox, maybe sooner than most expect
Alex Cora's Red Sox finished second last in the AL East for the second time in three years. The team is going to focus on the present and not the past this season. More than $100 million in payroll is coming off the books. Red SO's have the opportunity to completely transform their roster. The club's moves in next few months will define its path for years to come. There are a few good bets on what the team will do. It's possible they could go from worst to first. They could also change players.
Xander Bogaerts is a free agent. He will probably re-sign with the Red Sox. The team traded Mookie Betts. Bogert's contract expires in 2019. John Henry and Tom Werner are involved in the negotiations. The team's chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom called re signing Bogsert the club's top priority. According to Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com, the discussions have already begun.
The Red Sox have a good starting rotation with Chris Sale, Michael Wacha, Garrett Whitlock and Brayan Bello. The team has the payroll flexibility to sign a free agent or trade a veteran. The club doesn't need to rely entirely on expensive outside acquisitions. They could sign Rich Hill or James Paxton.
The Red Sox are going to make at least three trades this winter. The most recent trades have been for big league talent. This time the club has more talent than it can keep. They are also going through a 40-man roster crunch. Mookie Betts was traded a year from free agency because the team didn't expect to be in position to contend for several years. Rafael Devers will play out the last year of his contract. The team will probably make a deal involving Kutter Crawford, Josh Winckowski or Connor Seabold.
Alex Verdugo is a former Top 100 prospect who was acquired in the Mookie Betts trade. He played in just 28 games this season and hit .280 with 11 home runs, one stolen base and an OPS+ of .868. Cora believes Verdduo can be a better player in his career. He will play for Mexico this winter. The team needs him to improve his defensive skills and to become an impact player. It's not clear where he will be playing next year.
Red Sox are considering changing their start time to earlier than 7:10 p.m. start. The new pitch clock and other rule changes should make a big difference to the game. It would also encourage fans to stay for the whole game and let kids stay up and watch every night. . ... For more information on the Red Sox's new start times visit their website.
The preseason predictions of the team's experts were not always accurate. The team will cover the playoff picks and league award predictions later this month.
The AL East produced three playoff teams in New York, Toronto and Tampa Bay. Boston Red Sox were not at the same level as their divisional rivals, the Orioles arrived much sooner than expected and the Yankees had the season we expected.
Chicago White Sox are second in AL Central. Minnesota Twins are third, Detroit Tigers are fourth, and Kansas City Royals are fifth. Cleveland Guardians are first in the division.
Houston Astros finished first in the AL West with 93 wins. Seattle Mariners finished second with 87 wins, Los Angeles Angels third with 86 wins and Texas Rangers fourth with 76 wins; Oakland Athletics fifth with 72 wins with -12.
Atlanta Braves won the NL East title after beating New York Mets on a tiebreaker. Philadelphia Phillies squeaked into the playoffs. Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals underperformed.
Milwaukee Brewers missed the playoffs. St. Louis Cardinals won the NL Central. Chicago Cubs finished third, Chicago Cubbies fourth, Cincinnati Reds fifth and Pittsburgh Pirates sixth.
Los Angeles Dodgers won the NL West by a record 111 wins. San Diego Padres won 87-75, San Francisco Giants 86-76 and Colorado Rockies 72-90. Arizona Diamondbacks won 68-94.
