3 Moves the Red Sox Should Make Before the 2021 MLB Season Starts

For the Boston Red Sox, the 2020 season might as well have never happened. Manager Alex Cora was suspended for the year, new Chief of Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom was tasked with shedding cap, Chris Sale was injured, and fans became less and less invested as the recent City of Champions saw their team slip to last in the AL East (24-36).

The Red Sox have been more active again heading into 2021, with players like Kike Hernandez, Marwin Gonzalez, Hunter Renfroe, Adam Ottavino, Garrett Richards and Hirokazu Sawamura joining the fold. Boston may not be done just yet though, and these are three moves that they can still make before the new season begins.

3. Add Another Starter

Should the Red Sox be players on Jake Odorizzi, or should they look to add a cheaper SP option before Opening Day? / Jamie Squire/Getty Images

There are actually still a number of experienced starting pitchers left on the market, and the Bo-Sox should make an effort to sign one more arm, mainly because they have so many injury risks in their current rotation. Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez, Garrett Richards and Sale (who is out about half the year) have all had problems staying healthy throughout their career. To safeguard against that, Bloom could bring in a familiar face like Rick Porcello, or an upside veteran on a minor league deal (Anibal Sanchez or Cole Hamels). The most expensive names available are probably Jake Odorizzi and Homer Bailey, but Boston has a lot of different ways they could attack this problem.

2. Re-Sign Jackie Bradley Jr.

Signing Jackie Bradley Jr. is one move Boston should consider before Opening Day. / Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

We keep hearing that Jackie Bradley Jr. may end up back with Boston when all is said and done, and that's beginning to seem like the most probable destination for the former starting center fielder who tested free agency. The fact of the matter is, nobody was offering the type of money JBJ wanted, and now the other buyers have mostly turned elsewhere at the position (like the New York Mets). Bradley is an elite defensive outfielder, but his hitting has always left a lot to be desired (career .239 hitter). Even so, the Red Sox could use his glove. The current outfield has no real everyday center fielder (Alex Verdugo, Hunter Renfroe, J.D. Martinez), unless you count Kike Hernandez (but he's expected to start at second base).

1. Secure the Late-Innings in the Bullpen

A healthy Roberto Osuna would immediately step in as the closer with the Red Sox. / Bob Levey/Getty Images

The Red Sox had one of the worst bullpens in baseball last season, and their closers in particular were atrocious. Boston had a 52% save percentage to be exact, ranking tied for fourth worst in the MLB. The deal for Ottavino was a start, and showed just how desperate Boston was to get RP's (by actually trading with the New York Yankees), but they need more here if they want to compete for the postseason again in 2021. Roberto Osuna is a legit closer (38 saves in 2019) that is still available, and the Sox could make one last splash by signing him or a lesser name like Shane Greene or David Robertson.

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Michael Obermuller is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Michael also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username king_mizzard. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.