ESPN writers give their opinions on the Red Sox and the AL East

"They will be better than in 2020."

Xander Bogaerts is back for another year with the Red Sox. Jim Davis/Globe Staff

March 2, 2021

2 minutes to read

Following a woeful shortened 2020 season, in which they finished in last place in the American League East, the consensus is that the Red Sox are an improved team this year.

The main question, however, is just how much they’ve improved.

A group of ESPN baseball writers called the moves the Red Sox made this offseason “underrated,” and they offered their two-cents on their chances.

Bradford Doolittle called them “something of a run prevention mess” but said they have a good enough offensive profile to project right around .500. He noted that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom was part of a Tampa Bay Rays front office that excelled at keeping teams off the scoreboard, so perhaps this group of Red Sox players will surprise in that area.

“It’s possible that even as the Red Sox look to 2022 and beyond, he’s got a plan for this year’s pitching and defense that ends up being better in practice than it looks in projection,” Doolittle wrote. “Right now, though, this looks like a stopgap kind of season between last year’s bottoming-out and what I presume will be next year’s leap back into serious contention.”

David Schoenfield said this team reminds him a bit of the 2013 team that won the World Series in that the Red Sox were coming off a poor season and signed veterans to fill holes. That’s not to say that this year’s team will end up on top, but it does, in Schoenfield’s eyes, have some similarities to that particular group.

He said that maybe Hunter Renfroe is the 2013 version of Shane Victorino and Enrique Hernandez is Stephen Drew.

“Most likely, however, the Red Sox won’t find the same good fortune,” Schoenfield wrote. “They will be better than in 2020, but that’s because they have Eduardo Rodriguez back in the rotation, with Chris Sale joining him later on.”

Joon Lee said that Schoenfield stole his thunder, as he views this team as structurally very similar to the 2013 team. The front office framed that season as a bridge year, yet it ended up resulting in a championship. Again, it’s merely a comparison, not a prediction.

Lee added that Bloom worked to improve this team’s depth, however, Sale’s prolonged absence is a major setback for the Red Sox. He said the Red Sox feel like a “potential fringe playoff team,” adding that he wonders how much patience owner John Henry will have if results don’t come quickly.

As for the rest of the division, they all believe the New York Yankees are the team to beat but may not finish in first if they end up dealing with lots of injuries. Doolittle said the Toronto Blue Jays are right there with the Tampa Bay Rays as the second-best team on paper.