Imagining a roster the Red Sox could have built will boil your blood originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It turns out that the next great Red Sox team could actually have been the last great Red Sox team THIS WHOLE TIME.
It’s no longer just fans and media frustrated by the aimless rebuild, but players and franchise icons as well. From Dustin Pedroia to Rafael Devers to Kenley Jansen, these guys are just as eager to know what’s going on as the rest of us.
Imagine how frustrated they would be if they were to build a 2024 roster made up solely of players already in the organization, or players who have left since 2020 as part of John Henry’s austerity measures.
Even at market value prices, the Red Sox could have built a roster that wouldn’t cross the $237 million luxury tax threshold, if that’s the kind of thing you care about (which you shouldn’t).
From Mookie Betts to Nathan Eovaldi to Jansen, the Red Sox still boasted star power in their lineup, depth in their rotation and promise in their bullpen. It’s exactly the kind of roster they used to build on the regular series, it wouldn’t have stopped them from integrating their best young talents over the next few seasons, and it might even have been worth a watch on Netflix .
Try to imagine the following without crying. (Note: All salaries have been rounded up to make the math easier)
Queue up
C Christian Vazquez, 1B Triston Casas, 2B Xander Bogaerts, SS Trevor Story, 3B Rafael Devers, LF Kyle Schwarber, CF Jarren Duran, RF Mookie Betts, DH JD Martinez
Total annual costs: $150 million
We imagine Bogaerts signing for six years and $150 million without ever hitting free agency, which would have been possible if the club hadn’t kept him low to start, and then make the move to second base like he just did in San Diego. Devers and Betts are making over $300 million each, Story is sticking with his $140 million deal, and given market conditions for designated hitters, we’ll give Martinez a year and $10 million, though you could safely trade someone like Adam Duvall for a contract. little less.
This lineup does not include the $90 million wasted on Masataka Yoshida, nor does it reunite with outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Youngsters Casas and Duran help keep costs down, and if you really want to save some on payroll, there are cheaper options than Vazquez on his current three-year, $30 million deal with Minnesota at catcher.
Still, that’s a monster lineup with left-right balance, high on-base percentage, and ridiculous power. When you stare at the names, it’s not even a fantasy. They could have let all this happen.
Bank
C Reese McGuire, OF Rob Refsnyder, IF/OF Ceddanne Rafaela, AS Pablo Reyes
Total annual costs: $5 million
Feel free to trade Duran and Rafaela if you prefer the glove in center, and McGuire could replace Vazquez as the starting catcher, which would save about $8 million. One name we’re not mentioning is Connor Wong, as he likely would never have been traded here from the Dodgers.
Rotation
RHP Nathan Eovaldi, RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Brayan Bello, RHP Garrett Whitlock, RHP Nick Pivetta
Total annual costs: $50 million
In retrospect, it’s downright malpractice that the Red Sox couldn’t match the pedestrian for two years and Eovaldi received $34 million from the Rangers to anchor the rotation that eventually won a World Series. (Speaking of malpractice, we choose to live in a world where Bloom took up the Rangers’ reported offer to acquire Chris Sale and essentially all of his remaining salary in 2022.)
If you want to gamble on Giolito from there and then keep the rest of your young arms, fine. At least the rotation is led by someone who knows how to win on the big stage. It just highlights the impact Jordan Montgomery could still make, if only the Red Sox would do the smart thing and sign him.
Bullpen
CL Kenley Jansen, RHP Chris Martin, RHP Tanner Houck, RHP Kutter Crawford, RHP Josh Winckowski, LHP Brennan Bernardino, RHP Isaiah Campbell, RHP Justin Slaten
Total annual costs: $30 million
Want to save $16 million by trading away Jansen, taking Martin to the next level and putting Craig Breslow’s pitching development program to work? Fine. But even with Jansen, this isn’t a bank-breaking bullpen, and there’s an enviable mix of experience and potential.
Total total payroll
$252 million (of which $17 million for benefits, etc.…)
Even if we assume that by consistently going for it in this scenario, the Red Sox exceed the luxury tax threshold for the third year in a row, their penalty would be 50 percent of the excess, or a paltry $7.5 million dollars. There are also draft and international bonus penalties, but $7.5 million is Pivetta’s salary, and that doesn’t sound like a high price to pay to avoid three consecutive last-place finishes.
As it stands now, we’re looking at $235 million for players, with possible cuts at catcher and closer to reducing luxury tax penalties to zero.
Imagine cheering for that team. Instead, we must deal with the consequences of a senseless self-ownership that is entering its fifth year of destruction.