New-look Red Sox eye return to postseason

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- They come together to start a new era of Red Sox baseball. Chaim Bloom is now running the front office as chief baseball officer. Ron Roenicke is the interim manager -- though the title should become permanent before Opening Day.

Mookie Betts and David Price are gone, but a talented cast of Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez, Andrew Benintendi and ace Chris Sale will try to get the team back to its winning ways.

Once he gets healthy, outfielder Alex Verdugo will add his talented skillset to the lineup. Gritty veteran Kevin Pillar brings some additional energy and will start until Verdugo returns from his back injury.

It should be a fascinating 2020 season for the Red Sox.

What's the goal?

To find a way to get back to the playoffs. An 84-78 record with such a high payroll and a talented cast last season was deemed unacceptable from ownership all the way down. The Red Sox have the proverbial chip on their shoulder this spring and don’t want to hear about the players they lost. They just want to think about how they can fight their way back to October and surprise a lot of people along the way by doing so.

How do they get there?

Quite simply, the Sox need their starting pitching to be a lot better and healthier than it was a year ago. It all starts with Sale. If he can regain his groove, that is the clearest path for Boston to be a legit contender. Don’t worry about Sale missing a couple of starts at the beginning of the season as he builds back up after missing time with the flu and pneumonia. For Sale, it is all about the long haul, and if he can be dominant at the time of year when the team needs him most.

Eduardo Rodriguez needs to be reasonably close to what he was last year in the No. 2 spot and Nathan Eovaldi needs to avoid the injured list and regain the consistency of his location. Also, new acquisition Martín Pérez needs to pitch more like he did in the first half of last season for the Twins rather than the second half.

What could go wrong?

If Sale and Eovaldi have some of the same health and consistency issues they had last year, the Red Sox are in big trouble. Sale is as fierce a competitor as there is in the game so the expectation is that he will find a way to be great again. Eovaldi also needs to take his game to the next level.

The bullpen could go either way for the Sox. The unit struggled in the first half but was stellar in the second half. While Brandon Workman had a breakout season, this will be the first time he has been a closer at the start of a season. Workman will have to prove he can handle the pressure of that role. Matt Barnes, Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez have the makings of a strong setup crew, but others will need to emerge for the bullpen to hold up over the full season.

Who might surprise?

The Red Sox were intrigued enough by the talent of Verdugo that they traded Betts and Price to get him. There was so much outrage in Red Sox Nation by the trade that Verdugo’s talent is probably underrated by his new fanbase, and that’s what sets him up to be a surprise candidate.

Verdugo is currently recovering from a stress fracture in his back, but he is expected to make a full recovery. If he can come back somewhat early in the season and produce right away, the sting of losing Betts could subside at least a little. Verdugo also plays with a lot of energy, something that often translates well in Boston. Verdugo was once regarded as arguably the best prospect in the Dodgers’ farm system, so the talent is obviously there.

Another player to keep an eye on is non-roster invitee Jonathan Lucroy. Once one of the best offensive catchers in the game, the veteran has seen his effectiveness decline in a big way in recent years. But health was deemed to be a big reason why. Lucroy finally feels healthy again and could emerge into a productive backup for Christian Vázquez, who could also DH when Martinez plays the outfield.