Articles By Jason Stellakis

  There is no doubt— an odd man out in the Red Sox starting rotation seems inevitable. Even with this present, this does not mean there are no question marks. For example, James Paxton has not pitched a full season in four years. Chris Sale has started just 11 games in the past three seasons. Corey Kluber is coming off his first full season since 2018. Garrett Whitlock does not have experience as a starter for a full season. Brayan Bello has not pitched a full season in the majors. Other than maybe Corey Kluber (the jury is still out on that), Nick Pivetta is the only one in this rotation that can confidently pitch at least 150 innings. Coming off 33 starts last season (the most in the league), some sources say he is looking like “the odd one out.” This would be a big mistake, as competitive teams need decent pitchers who are inning eaters.  If the rotation includes the names mentioned above, there is a major concern for health. Two of those guys could go down in the same week...

  With spring training games just beginning, competitions for certain spots begin. Although there are projections on players who will make the roster, I believe there are always a few guys per year who have a case to be on that 26-man opening day roster. The following guys I am going to mention, in my opinion, have a real shot at making the opening day roster.  Enmanuel Valdez Why: The depth up the middle for the Red Sox is arguably the biggest hole of the team. With Adalberto Mondesi likely to start on the Injured List, the Red Sox have thin depth at the shortstop and second base. Kiké Hernandez is the projected starting shortstop, and Christian Arroyo is the projected second baseman. However, they lack major league experienced middle infielders on their 40-man roster. Enmanuel Valdez, who is having quite the spring training as we speak, has a bat that seems major league ready, according to some experts. In the minor leagues last season, Valdez hit .296/.376/.545 between AA a...