Red Sox Hype: Deserved or Not?

I'm looking forward to bringing you the latest and greatest news, rumors and opinions about the Red Sox in 2016. Looking forward to your feedback and hearing what you all have to say. With that, let's get to business...

Red Sox Win the Winter...or Did They?

Much has been made about the Red Sox off-season acquisitions. Dave Dombrowski was brought in to do exactly what he did, which is make a splash. And there can be no greater splash than signing a Price to the richest per year deal in MLB history for a pitcher, at least until the Diamondbacks went out a signed Zack Grienke. It shores up a huge hole, but you've got to take a look at what sits behind Price.

You're looking at a combination of Eduardo Rodriguez, Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly. The #5 spot remains fluid, as the Sox could look to youngsters Steven Wright and Henry Owens. What I will tell you though is that there isn't much to scare you. Rodriguez could be a stud, but at his age, still unproven. Buchholz has ace stuff at points and then disappears to the DL for months at a clip. Porcello and Kelly are huge wild-cards, and the kids are just that, kids. Price shores up the top, but many questions remain behind him.

The bullpen looks stout, with the additions of Craig Kimbrel and Carson Smith to take some of the pressure off of Uehara and Tazawa. The Sox gave up a lot to get Kimbrel, but overall I like the move. I'd put the Sox pen right up there with the best in the game when healthy.

As for the lineup, there is a lot to be excited about, but a lot to be cautious about. We simply have no idea what to expect from Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. Those contracts looked awful by the year and may only look worse come next September. Betts, Bradley and Castillo are a tremendously young outfield with a ton of potential with a lot to be excited for, but keep in mind how young they are!

Xander Bogaerts looked like he put it all together last year, and I expect him to continue his ascension into the league's elite.

And that leaves Big Papi in his swansong. The guy is still mashing at his age, and I will be extremely sad to see him go. Absent something unusual happening, I'd expect Papi to finish his career with season numbers along the lines of the past 5 years.

The thing to keep in mind is we all talked about winning the winter last year, and you can see how that prediction turned out. I don't think there is any doubt this Sox team is more talented than last year's, and there is a lot to be excited about. However, putting this team in the World Series in January would be an incredibly short-sighted move, and one I would strongly urge against. That's not to say it can't or won't happen, but let's let the season unfold before booking hotel rooms for October.

Verdict: Cautious Optimism...