Review

Breaking Down Boston's Offseason

By: Tyler Sekula

After winning the World Series for the third time in the last decade, the Boston Red Sox have been abnormally quiet this offseason.

For the first time in a long time, the Red Sox decided to not pursue any of the high-profile players that were available via free agency. Instead, they chose to enter into their title defense year with the future in mind.

Two years removed from a massive blockbuster trade that sent fan favorites Adrian Gonzalez , Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett to the Los Angeles Dodgers freeing up nearly $270 million, Red Sox ownership has remained reluctant to make a significant move that could potentially mortgage the future. Instead, General Manager Ben Cherington and Co. continue to make minor changes to what many people to be the best team in the majors.

At the start of the offseason, the Red Sox were faced with many questions regarding the state of the 2014 roster. Four out of the starting nine players from the year before were up for free agency, leaving many holes to be filled prior to the start of the season.

Perhaps the most gaping hole of the offseason occurred when longtime center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury signed a seven-year $153 million dollar contract with the rival New York Yankees in early December.

While many fans looked forward to seeing highly-sought-after prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. take over the duties in center, Cherington felt the need to add another piece to the puzzle in order to fill the void. Despite rumors of future hall of famer Carlos Beltran making his way to Boston (he eventually signed with the Yankees as well), the Red Sox surprised many people when they agreed to a one-year $750,000 contract with three-time all-star Grady Sizemore.

Grady Sizemore
(Credit: www.overthemonster.com)

Known for his impressive speed and defensive ability, Sizemore is the perfect player to replace Ellsbury at the top of the Red Sox lineup. Prior to signing with the Boston, Sizemore had played his entire career with the Cleveland Indians. Once considered to be one of the premiere players in the league, Sizemore has not played a game in two seasons due to extensive knee and back injuries.

However, after spending much of the last two years rehabilitating and building muscle, if Sizemore is able to return to his original form, he very well could be the steal off the offseason.

Although signing Sizemore caught many people off guard, the Red Sox continued to make interesting moves throughout the offseason.

In hopes of improving the production from behind the plate, the Red Sox signed to veteran A. J. Pierzynski to a one year, $8.25 million deal, ending catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia's (hereby known as Salty) tenure with the Sox.

A. J. Pierzynski
(Credit:www.bloguin.com)

While he played well during the regular season, Salty's costly errors during the playoffs did not warrant the three year $21 million pay day that he received from the Marlins earlier this offseason. For this reason, the Red Sox definitely made the right decision to move on and sign someone on a short-term deal. By only committing one year to Pierzynski, Boston can allow their young catching duo of Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart to get another year in the minors under their belt prior to making the leap to the majors.

Despite being 36-years-old, Pierzynski has been one of the most consistent catchers in the game when it comes to throwing out players attempting to steal, something Salty has struggled during his career. Throughout his 15 year playing career, Pierzynski has proven to be one of the premiere catchers in the American League and is known for his ability to catch many different styles of pitchers.

Although Pierzynski is a vast improvement defensively of Salty, there are definitely some things to be weary about his personality.

Once voted "the most hated player in baseball" by other players, Pierzynski has had some attitude problems in the past that have caused major altercations on his former teams.  In many cases, these altercations involve intense verbal abuse and consequent blurring on television sets over his mouth.

However, given the high character players that are currently on the roster, there is little doubt that Pierzynski's character will be a problem. Having watched the Red Sox win the World Series from the press box this past year, Piersynzki should be more than willing to step away from his bad boy image and contribute positively to the team.

Having filled two major holes in the lineup with Pierzynski and Sizemore, the Red Sox finalized their every-day roster by bringing back fan favorite first-baseman Mike Napoli.

Mike Napoli
(Credit: www.sportsofboston.com)

Known by fans for his impressive beard during the 2013 playoff run, Napoli was an important part of of the Red Sox World Series Championship. Not only did he produce at the plate but also was key in hyping up his team and the crowd. The decision to bring back Napoli makes the offseason a success regardless of whether or not the team makes any other moves.

Overall, the defending World Series Champions did a great job signing players that will give them the best chance to repeat without spending crazy amounts of money.

With the season right around the corner, the future is looking pretty bright.