What we learned about the Red Sox in '22

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

A 78-84 finish and a last-place finish in the American League East isn’t what anyone affiliated with the Red Sox had in mind for 2022.

The work starts immediately for chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and the entire baseball operations department to put together a postseason-caliber roster for next season.

Here are some takeaways from 2022.

Defining moment
Unfortunately, it’s not a good one. The Red Sox were all hyped up by Chris Sale’s return from a fractured right rib cage injury when he at last made it to the mound for his season debut at Tropicana Field on July 12. He fired five scoreless innings and looked close to vintage Sale.

However, the defining moment came five days later at Yankee Stadium. On just the 24th pitch of the outing, Sale got smoked on the left pinkie finger on a line drive by Aaron Hicks. Sale immediately walked off the mound, demonstrating to manager Alex Cora that his finger was broken.

There was a small chance Sale could have come back late in the season as a reliever. But those hopes were washed away in mid-August, when he got in a bike accident and broke his right wrist.

You could feel the air come out of the Red Sox a little when Sale broke the pinkie so soon into his comeback. The squad had been counting on his return to bolster it for the stretch run.

Now, the Red Sox have a tough task to know what they can expect from Sale after getting just 14 starts and 57 1/3 innings from him (including playoffs) since 2020. Sale has two years remaining on his contract.

“Look, he's a part of this,” said Bloom. “You guys know what he can do. We were really encouraged by how he looked when he came back in that short time before he got hurt again. We fully expect him to be a huge part of our success next year.”

What we learned
The Red Sox need to add difference-makers on the pitching staff, both in the rotation and in the bullpen. Boston finished 25th in the Majors in ERA while blowing 28 of 67 save opportunities. There are a lot of moving parts. Starters Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill are all eligible for free agency. The same applies to lefty reliever Matt Strahm. How well Bloom can piece the pitching staff back together will likely play the biggest role in how successful the Red Sox are in 2023.

Best development
Brayan Bello and Triston Casas getting acclimated to life in the Majors, which should help both prospects immeasurably heading into next season. Bello notched a 1.65 ERA in five September starts, looking more confident each time he hit the mound. Casas proved an ability to control the strike zone, walking 19 times in 95 plate appearances. He also belted five homers in his first month in the Majors, three of which were rockets to the opposite field. Casas hit only .197, but the pros of his first month, including strong defense, outweigh the cons.

Area(s) for improvement
As covered above, pitching is key. The Red Sox also need more production in the outfield and need better overall health. Injuries crushed them in 2022. The work on staying healthier will begin in the offseason, as Cora has already challenged certain players to get in top shape, especially those who are playing in the World Baseball Classic.

On the rise
John Schreiber came out of nowhere to become a top reliever for Cora. After spending parts of six years in the Minor Leagues, the side-winder turned into a force, notching a 0.98 WHIP and a 2.22 ERA. He will be a big part of the bullpen next season.

Team MVP
Tough to choose because no player on the Red Sox had a monster season. But Xander Bogaerts was the most consistent across the board and made big improvements defensively, making him the winner.