Over the last few days, the baseball hot stove was sizzling. While teams in the AL East continued to improve, Boston received less than encouraging news. The team announced that Chris Sale will miss the start of the 2022 campaign due to a stress fracture in his right rib cage. He won’t be easy to replace, but the Red Sox have improved their depth.
So far, this offseason they have added veteran arms in James Paxton, Michael Wacha, and Rich Hill. They each have pitched out of the rotation for the majority of their career. Paxton wouldn’t be ready until midseason meaning Wacha and Hill will be relied on out of the gate. However, it is a challenge that they are ready for.
In 32 starts last year, Hill posted a 3.82 ERA while striking out 150 batters. The Boston native was able to stay healthy and held opponents to a .235 batting average. While he posted his highest ERA since 2013, Hill was a key piece for the Rays during their playoff push. As the Red Sox look to make a deep playoff run, his experience will be a welcomed addition.
Unlike Hill, Wacha struggled in 2021. The former first-round pick posted 5.05 ERA in 124.2 innings of work. While his numbers do not jump off the page, Wacha only allowed more than two runs once in his final six starts of the regular season. During his stint with the Rays, he also pitched out of the bullpen, which will allow him to play multiple roles for Boston.
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The Rotation Without Sale
With Opening Day quickly approaching, the Red Sox rotation will look different than expected. Nathan Eovaldi will most likely get the ball on Opening Day with Nick Pivetta, Hill, and Tanner Houck expected to round out the rotation. Wacha will be one of the leading candidates to replace Sale, but he could also face competition in Garrett Whitlock, who is being stretched out. Although the Red Sox are dealing with an unexpected adversity, they are better prepared than last year. Their depth in the minors includes Connor Seabold and Kutter Crawford, who made their MLB debuts in 2021.
The Red Sox could still add another arm, but that is not a strong possibility based on comments from Chaim Bloom. “We have to respect the time that that takes, and we’re fortunate to be in a better position with respect to internal depth than we’ve been in the past,” said Bloom. But it’s always something that we’re looking to supplement. That’s actually why we went out and got some of the guys we did before the lockout because we wanted to have different options.” Regardless of what moves Boston makes, they only have to hold down the fort until Sale is healthy.
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