Having been dumped out of the ALCS by the Houston Astros last season, the Boston Red Sox have made determined moves to improve their roster and worked hard on doing so before the MLB lockout was enforced.
With just hours left before MLB’s collective bargaining agreement expired, as predicted, the Red Sox brought in free-agents James Paxton and Rich Hill and re-signed Jackie Bradley Jr. in a move that saw Hunter Renfroe moving to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Late moves will no doubt play havoc with the baseball betting, and you can see at sidelines.io/mlb/odds that there’s been significant movement even though we are still some months away from the new season. The Red Sox completed a 92-70 regular-season record in 2021, seeing them narrowly ahead of the New York Yankees for the wild card, and Alex Cora’s side can be currently backed at around (+2000) for the World Series.
The capture of Bradley Jr. was particularly eye-catching, coming just minutes before the lockout and one that chief baseball office Chaim Bloom saw as being all about the young talents he managed to secure from the Brewers as part of the exchange for Renfroe.
In addition to these higher-profile players, the Red Sox brought in David Hamilton and Alex Binelas to further widen their roster. These two are seen by Bloom as very much stars for the future.
Commenting on Binelas, Bloom stated
“The bat is really his calling card. A good hitter with really special power.” and on Hamilton;
“Premium speed and a really good middle infielder. He plays a really good shortstop. Exciting player to add to our system.”
The Boston Red Sox will hope that these new additions will help them in their push for World Series glory. The Fenway Park franchise has won the coveted title four times since their landmark 2004 World Series (their first at that time for over 80 years).
Last month the Red Sox made a crucial move to extend the contract of manager Alex Cora, a move that the 46-year-old was clearly appreciative of;
“I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to manage the Red Sox,”
“We experienced so many special moments as a team and as a city in 2021, but we still have unfinished business to take care of. I am excited about the current state of our organization and eager to continue my work with our front office, coaches, players, and everyone who makes this such a special place.”
Cora was released as part of the whole sign-stealing saga before being brought back after the shortened season in 2020. Last season he helped the Red Sox to an astonishing 47 come-from-behind wins, which goes some way to showing his motivational qualities.
The Puerto Rican was a winner as a player during his three-year run in the Red Sox team, helping them to a World Series in 2007, before doing so as a manager in 2017 and 2018.