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2020 Red Sox season preview: Let's not talk about the pitching

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The Boston Red Sox enter the shortened campaign on the heels of a tumultuous winter that forced the franchise into a transitional period just two years after winning the World Series.

Boston traded homegrown superstar Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers, beloved manager Alex Cora departed following MLB's investigation into the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, and the suddenly cash-strapped front office did little to address a number of needs due to ownership's desire to reset luxury-tax penalties.

Though things look bleak, there are still a handful of All-Star players remaining on the roster, and the team could compete for a wild-card spot. The biggest concern is the pitching staff's lack of depth, especially in the rotation, and the season could go off the rails quickly if core players go down with injuries. The Red Sox are most likely gearing up for a second straight season without playoff action, as chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom continues to put his stamp on the organization.

2020 Breakdown

2019 record: 84-78 (3rd in AL East)
Payroll: $191,579,167
Projected record: 30-30 (3rd)
World Series odds: +3000
3-year trend: 2017 (1st); 2018 (1st); 2019 (3rd)
Key addition: Alex Verdugo
Key subtraction: Mookie Betts
Highest projected WAR: Rafael Devers (1.8)
X-factor: Nathan Eovaldi
Prospect to watch: Bobby Dalbec
Winter report card: C+

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Projected Lineup

Order Player Pos. Proj. WAR
1 Andrew Benintendi (L) LF 1.0
2 J.D. Martinez DH 1.3
3 Rafael Devers (L) 3B 1.8
4 Xander Bogaerts SS 1.7
5 Mitch Moreland (L) 1B 0.3
6 Christian Vazquez C 1.0
7 Alex Verdugo (L) RF 1.0
8 Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) CF 0.7
9 Jose Peraza 2B 0.3

Bench

Player Position Proj. WAR
Kevin Plawecki C 0.2
Jonathan Lucroy C/1B 0.1
Jonathan Arauz (L) IF 0.0
Michael Chavis IF 0.4
Tzu-Wei Lin (L) IF/OF 0.0
Kevin Pillar OF 0.3

*Bold indicates player acquired during offseason

It was always going to be a near-impossible task to replace Betts, but this lineup should still score plenty of runs. Bogaerts led all qualified shortstops in OPS last season, while Devers has emerged as a legitimate star despite being just 23 years old. Martinez remains one of the best hitters in the game, and the hope is that Benintendi can recapture some of his power and plate discipline following a down year. The development of Chavis and Verdugo into everyday impact players will go a long way in determining the club's success.

Rotation

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Pitcher Throws Proj. ERA
Nathan Eovaldi R 4.24
Martin Perez L 4.64
Ryan Weber R 4.91
TBD -- --
TBD -- --

Boston has major issues in its rotation. Chris Sale will miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Price was traded, Rick Porcello signed with the New York Mets, and Eduardo Rodriguez was late to arrive at camp following a positive COVID-19 test. Meanwhile, Eovaldi and Perez both pitched to an ERA north of 5.00 last season. After them, it's anyone's guess who will take the hill. Manager Ron Roenicke could go with Weber, Johnson, and a number of openers to fill out the back end. There's limited depth and a good chance the rotation finishes as one of the worst in the majors.

Bullpen

Pitcher Throws Proj. ERA
Brandon Workman R 3.89
Matt Barnes R 3.40
Ryan Brasier R 4.28
Heath Hembree R 4.71
Colten Brewer R 4.36
Austin Brice R 4.69
Marcus Walden R 4.18
Jeffrey Springs L 4.62
Josh Osich L 4.50
Matt Hall R 4.75
Dylan Covey R 5.31
Phillips Valdez R 4.82

Boston returns almost entirely the same bullpen that led the majors in K/9 and was fifth in WAR last season, but also posted a league-worst BB/9 and sat 17th in ERA. Workman established himself as the team's closer with a sensational season and should get the bulk of the late-inning work alongside Barnes and last year's breakout left-hander Josh Taylor. This relief group isn't the most feared in the majors but features a lot of solid arms capable of striking out the opposition at a high clip.

Key injuries/Absences

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Player Position Absence
Collin McHugh SP/RP Opted out of season
Eduardo Rodriguez SP COVID-19
Darwinzon Hernandez RP COVID-19
Josh Taylor RP COVID-19
Dustin Pedroia 2B Knee surgery
Chris Sale SP Elbow surgery

(Projected WAR/ERA source: FanGraphs)

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