2017 Season Preview: Boston Red Sox

Major Additions: Chris Sale, Tyler Thornburg, Mitch Moreland

Major Losses: David Ortiz, Koji Uehara, Clay Buchholz, Brad Ziegler, Travis Shaw, Yoan Moncada, Junichi Tazawa

Strengths: Rotation, Offensive Core

Weaknesses: Bullpen depth

Potential Breakout Stars: Andrew Benintendi, Blake Swihart

Despite some significant personnel losses, the post-Big Papi Boston Red Sox look poised to make a run for not only the American League East crown, but the pennant and even the World Series. The addition of Chris Sale is huge for the pitching staff, giving them three of the best pitchers in the American League in Sale, David Price, and 2016 AL Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello. Behind the big three, Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz round out arguably the best rotation in baseball. Even in the case of injury, Eduardo Rodriguez is a proven commodity. Though the bullpen took a hit with the losses of Koji Uehara (Cubs), Brad Ziegler, and Junichi Tazawa (both Marlins), though new addition Tyler Thornburg will help Craig Kimbrel at the end of games, and the speedy return of Carson Smith will be eagerly awaited. David Ortiz may be gone from the middle of the Red Sox offense, but the team looks to have as balanced lineup as any in the American League. It all starts with early MVP candidate Mookie Betts, coming off a season where he led the MLB in total bases. Xander Bogaerts added power to his game last season, tripling his home run output from seven to 21 while even bumping up his on-base percentage from .355 to .356. Jackie Bradley finally had the breakout everyone was waiting for, and having Pablo Sandoval back and healthy is huge no matter what the size of his contract is. Other established stars include Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez, but perhaps the biggest story to follow will be that of Andrew Benintendi, regarded by most publications as the top prospect in baseball. The 22 year old may have only been drafted in 2015, but he reached the bigs in 2016 and still put up a .295/.359/.476 slash line. Steamer projects him to slash .282/.338/.438 with ten home runs over a full season in 2016, while ZiPS has him at .278/.341/.445 with 13 home runs. This is a guy who could sit at the top of the Red Sox lineup for years to come, and 2017 could be the first year where he makes a real difference. Overall, this is a very strong team, one who could realistically end up with the AL Cy Young Award winner (Sale, Price, or Porcello), the AL MVP (Betts), and the AL Rookie of the Year (Benintendi).