Five reasons to NOT make any more moves this offseason

Ben Whitehead
Contributing Writer

Are the Red Sox done making moves this season? Or are there one or two more players out there who will make their way to Ft. Myers, Fla., this spring?

Here’s five good reasons why the Red Sox should NOT make any more moves this offseason.

1) 40 men on 40-man – With the Sox 40-man roster set at, well, 40 men, it’s likely that Ben Cherington and Co. are done making moves. Getting Mike Napoli back was big in itself. If another signing happens, there would have to be a trade or someone would have to get moved off the 40-man (likely DFA’ed). There aren’t many young players on that roster that the Sox are likely to move either way, so a trade wouldn’t benefit the club in the long run and neither would designating someone for assignment at this point.

2) World Series, baby! – The sense around the front office is that the Red Sox are looking to repeat as champions. That’s great, but no team has won back-to-back titles since 2000, when the Yankees won three in a row. Obviously Red Sox Nation would love another title this year, but no one is going to riot in the streets of Boston if the Sox don’t win.

(Photo: SurvivingGrady.com)
3) Drew is too much – Scott Boras wants to get Stephen Drew a multi-year deal. Boston wants him back for just one year. And Boras has said his client has several offers of multiple years. That could spell the end of the Drews in Boston. With Xander Bogaerts ready to play shortstop and Will Middlebrooks (hopefully) ready to get back to form at third, the left side of the infield is set. Also, Brock Holt is awaiting a chance to make the 25-man roster and Garin Cecchini isn’t so far away from being the everyday third baseman.

4) All the way with JBJ! – We saw glimpses of the future with Jackie Bradley Jr. in 2013. Now that Ellsbury is gone, JBJ can fill right in to the center field spot. Alongside Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes and Daniel Nava, the Sox have four valuable outfielders. And with young talent on the way – Bryce Brentz and Alex Hassan, both on the 40-man – it’s unlikely for Boston to engage in serious talks with another outfielder. Bradley’s time is now and this year is a great transition year for him to learn on the fly after spending quality time with the club last year.

5) The right moves have been made – Burke Badenhop was acquired from the Brewers to shore up the middle of the bullpen, as was Edward Mujica (Free Agent) for the back end. Andrew Miller will return from his foot injury to give Boston another lefty to complement Craig Breslow and Franklin Morales. The starting rotation is filled and has depth into the minor leagues. We’ve already mentioned the infield and outfield. A.J. Pierzynski was brought on board to replace Jarrod Saltalamacchia. What more do you want? A utility infielder? That can be in the form of Brock Holt. A big bat in the middle of the order? Boston has all of its middle of the order bats back from a team that hit 178 home runs (sixth in MLB, and only 10 out of second place), with the exception of Salty (14 HR, 65 RBI). And again, Pierzy (17 HR, 70 RBI) is replacing him.

There might be one more minor move to bring in competition for a final roster spot, but don’t expect it to make national headlines. This team is set and it’s ready to defend the title.

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