Roche: Fascinating Offseason Ahead For Red Sox
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's easy to be negative and a lot of Red Sox fans have a right to be after watching the team finish last in the AL East for the third time in the past four seasons.
However, I think this off-season will be a fascinating one to watch with plenty of great possibilities ahead.
We begin with the fact that 2015 brought us positive developments on the major league front.
- Xander Bogaerts (who just turned 23) had a spectacular season as he finished second in the American League in batting average (.320) and had a solid OPS (.776) and WAR (4.6). He also showed that he has the potential to be locked into the three-hole for years to come.
- Mookie Betts (who turns 23 in two days) got better and better as the year went along. He hit .291 with an .820 OPS and finished with a 4.9 WAR. He could also be locked in as a lead-off hitter for many years to come.
- Blake Swihart (23) shouldered a lot coming out of the gate due to injuries to Christian Vazquez and Ryan Hanigan. I thought the rookie backstop held up well and improved as the season went along. A switch-hitting, athletic catcher (.274, .712 OPS, 1.2 WAR) who can throw out runners (28 percent) while learning how to run/call a game is a valuable asset. And, you add a rehabbing Vazquez to the mix and the catching position is well stocked.
- We found out that Jackie Bradley, Jr (25) can hit at the big league level. The question remaining is where does he settle in: Is he a .230, .250. .270, .290 hitter? We'll see, but at least he finally showed something that he can build on.
- Others that showed promise include Travis Shaw (25), who in 65 games hit .274, with an .822 OPS and 1.2 WAR). Rusney Castillo (28) hit .253 in 80 games and Deven Marrero (25) gave us a glimpse of what he can bring in the 25 games he saw action.
- On the pitching front, 22-year-old Eduardo Rodriguez (21 starts, 13 quality starts, 10-6, 3.55 ERA, 2.5 WAR), 23-year-old Henry Owens (11 games started, 3 quality starts, 4-4, 4.57 ERA), and 24-year-old Brian Johnson (one start before getting hurt) showed that they have potential. E-Rod could emerge as an ace while Owens and Johnson have a shot at being 3-5 starters.
- Joe Kelly finished strong (8-0 in nine starts in August and September) after a 2-6 disastrous 1st half. Rick Porcello settled down somewhat as he notched a 3.53 ERA in the second half after a 5.90 ERA in the first half.
- Other positives included another monster year out of David Ortiz. The ageless wonder (who turns 40 in November) appeared in 146 games, hitting .273 with 37 home runs, 108 RBI, .913 OPS, and a 3.2 WAR.
- Meanwhile, Brock Holt was an All-Star who hit .280 with a .727 OPS and a 2.6 WAR while playing everywhere. Ryan Hanigan was solid when healthy, displaying solid skills from the catching position while hitting a respectable .247 with a .664 OPS.
So what does any of this mean?
I think it sets up a great future and opportunity for Dave Dombrowski, Frank Wren, Mike Hazen and the Red Sox. It allows the Sox to go out this offseason and re-shape the team. Dombrowski comes in as a fresh voice and set of eyes.
What Should Dombrowski Do?
First thing I would do if I was Dombrowski is find a way, any way, to get rid of Hanley Ramirez. There's a scouting bible book called "Dollar Sign on the Muscle" and one of the early declarations in it states that every baseball scout or front office type has their one player that they fall in love with. To me, Hanley was the guy that Ben Cherington fell in love with. He never lost that love and when he had a chance to get him back, he did. We all know now it was a bad move.
So how does the new front office fix it? Even though he has $68.25 million and three years left on his contract (plus a vesting option for 2019 at $22 million), Dombrowski has to find a way to say good-bye to Hanley. Package him with a coveted prospect or two, eat half or most of the money in another type of trade or just simply say good-bye.
After that, I would put every player except Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts up for bid on the trade front. (I've changed my mind on Mookie, although if the White Sox offered Chris Sale I would think long and hard about it). But, everyone else, see what's out there.
That doesn't mean I WANT to trade any of them, but you have to give up something to get quality. I would give up plenty in order to acquire one or two quality starting pitchers and perhaps even a closer. Dombrowski needs top-tier starters, two quality guys in front of Rodriguez, and then can let Porcello, Buchholz (whose option they should pick up), Miley, Kelly, Rich Hill (yes, re-sign him), Owens and Johnson fill in the back-end of the rotation. They can trade some of these guys too along the way.
Lastly, they need to fix the bullpen with power arms while adding a closer. It would help to also add some veteran every-day players who can handle Boston and keep the young kids in line when it comes to playing under the spotlight and also being a consistent big leaguer.
There are many things that would have to go right in order for the Red Sox to pull off all of these -- or even some of these -- off. But, at least head in this direction as they go forward as an organization while also keeping as much every-day young talent that they can.
I'm happy that John Henry and Tom Werner were smart enough to bring in a veteran baseball man after Larry Lucchino moved off of the day-to-day operations. Dombrowski seems to like what has worked for this ownership group since they arrived in 2002, which is getting as many voices and opinions heard and then making a united decision. Despite the struggles in three of the past four seasons, it has worked here.
It's time for the Red Sox to start fresh, and that starts right now.
Follow WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.
