Boston Red Sox
2016: 93-69, first place, lost to Cleveland in ALDS. Manager: John Farrell (fifth season). He’s here: LHP Chris Sale, RHP Tyler Thornburg, 1B Mitch Moreland. He’s outta here: DH David Ortiz, 3B Travis Shaw, RHP Clay Buchholz, RHP Koji Uehara, RHP Junichi Tazawa, RHP Brad Ziegler, C Ryan Hanigan, C Bryan Holaday, 3B-2B Aaron Hill.
Projected lineup: 2B Dustin Pedroia (.318, 15 HRs, 74 RBIs), LF Andrew Benintendi (.295, 2, 14 in 34 games), RF Mookie Betts (.318, 31, 113, All-Star), SS Xander Bogaerts (.294, 21, 89, All-Star), DH Hanley Ramirez (.286, 30, 111), CF Jackie Bradley (.267, 26, 87, All-Star), 3B Pablo Sandoval (.000, 0, 0 in 3 games before season-ending shoulder surgery; .245, 10, 47, .658 OPS, 126 games in 2015), 1B Mitch Moreland (.233, 22, 60, Gold Glove with Texas), C Sandy Leon (.310, 7, 35). Rotation: RH Rick Porcello (22-4, 3.15 ERA, 189 Ks, AL Cy Young Award winner), LH Chris Sale (17-10, 3.34, 233 Ks, All-Star with White Sox), LH Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7, 4.71, 100 Ks), LH Drew Pomeranz (1112, 3.32, 186 Ks with Padres and Red Sox, NL All-Star), RH Steven Wright (13-6, 3.33, All-Star), LH David Price (17-9, 3.99, 228 Ks, likely to start season on disabled list with sore elbow). Hot spot: Starting rotation. The Red Sox made offseason moves with an eye toward winning now, as opposed to down the road. Sale’s addition brings an instant boost, giving them a powerful 1-2-3 punch that includes Porcello and Price, the 2012 AL Cy Young winner. Sale’s presence should ease the pressure on Price — a serious injury concern as he begins his second season in Boston. Thornburg is expected to provide stability as a setup man for Kimbrel. But success could be contingent on health, with Price unable to pitch during spring training and Thornburg working his way back from a shoulder issue. Outlook: It will take a while to get used to life without Ortiz, but Boston’s young core of Betts, Bradley and Bogaerts certainly puts the Red Sox among the early favorites in the American League. How far they go will depend upon how well the new-look rotation performs, how Sandoval looks after sitting out nearly all of last season, and whether the lineup remains as potent without Big Papi’s game-changing left-handed bat.