It’s time to set roster
Team must be thinking ahead
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Maybe it’s because the Red Sox are within one white-knuckle drive down Interstate 75 to Fort Myers, but these waning days of the regular season spent in southwestern Florida bear a deja-vu-like resemblance to the final days of any Red Sox spring training.
In late March, the team occupies its days winnowing the numbers down to 25 before Opening Day.
Now, because of a comfortable AL East lead, the Red Sox are spending the remaining three series figuring out how to set a perfect 25-man playoff roster 24 hours before the Division Series begins Oct. 6.
But because they have not pinned down — officially and mathematically — a playoff berth yet, the Sox can’t admit to this.
They are, though, and these are their dilemmas. (Please note, these champagne problems are based on the Red Sox carrying 14 position players and 11 pitchers as they have in most recent postseason series this century.)
• CATCHER — Sandy Leon is set in stone, despite a batting average that’s dropping like one. The pressing question is who’s the backup, Ryan Hanigan or Bryan Holaday? According to a team source, the Sox are close to answering this question. With off days built into each playoff series, it’s entirely conceivable Leon could carry a heavy workload similar to Jason Varitek’s in 2004 and 2007. But a backup will be needed regardless.
By now, the Sox have a handle on the strengths and weaknesses of both Hanigan and Holaday. Neither will be catching that much between now and the final game next Sunday, so certainly the quality of their at-bats will not factor in here. The Red Sox likely will wait until they know who their playoff foe will be before deciding, and then factor in familiarity and track records into the choice. Like, how heavily would the Red Sox weigh Holaday’s recent experiences playing for the Tigers and Rangers, would his so-so offensive history hitting in those ballparks be underweighted against the insider knowledge he has of those hitters? Would the Red Sox’ 48-32 record in games Hanigan has started since last year matter far more than his lackluster hitting stats in Cleveland or Toronto?
The questions are endless, which is why the team does not need to start answering them with finality before knowing its Round 1 opponent.
• BENCH — The Sox will want an extra player, the 14th position player, to serve as a pinch runner or pinch hitter, and the choices are not endless. Marco Hernandez, a solid backup also as a middle infielder, likely is that guy.
• THIRD BASE — This isn’t a roster decision — both Travis Shaw and Brock Holt will be on the roster — but it’s a matter of who will start at the hot corner. The Red Sox are confident in Holt’s defense, which means if he starts to get hot offensively down the stretch and Shaw remains inconsistent, they would likely lean toward Holt. In this instance, Shaw can certainly relate, considering he won the third baseman’s job down the stretch in spring training by virtue of being far better (and fitter) than Pablo Sandoval.
• ROTATION — Teams need just four starters in the postseason, but the fifth joins the roster anyway, as insurance and to be the emergency long man. Based on the current polls, Clay Buchholz and Eduardo Rodriguez can be penciled in as the third/ fourth starters after Rick Porcello and David Price, with Drew Pomeranz coming along as the just-in-case long man. Whether or not the Red Sox hold homefield advantage or not could easily determine in what order Buchholz and Rodriguez pitch, given the tendencies of the opposing lineup and the pitchers’ success or lack of in a particular ballpark.
The wild card is Steven Wright. The knuckleballer is testing his shoulder in Fort Myers, and the Sox are following his progress closely. He would not need as much time as another starter to rebuild arm strength. Perhaps he’s a stretch to make a Division Series roster, but if he’s good to go in the ALCS, he would slot in as the No. 3 starter. So stay tuned.
• BULLPEN — These next eight games are the perfect time for one so-called “bubble” reliever to grab the attention of Red Sox decision-makers, who need a seven-man bullpen. With Pomeranz in there, there are five who appear to be locks: closer Craig Kimbrel, Koji Uehara, Brad Ziegler, Matt Barnes and Robbie Ross Jr. That leaves one more spot to fill. Will Joe Kelly assert himself as more dependable than Junichi Tazawa? Will the club want southpaw Fernando Abad in case they don’t want to experiment with Pomeranz as the second lefty? Also, don’t forget about new lefthander Robby Scott, who continues to impress.