(Edit: I had posted this in the 2021 thread, but it seems like it fits better here, because a lot of key decisions are going to be made during spring training.)
Jen McCaffrey in the Athletic has some info on depth chart projections and how certain players might be used, and the theme is versatility and shifting roles:
https://theathletic.com/2393307/2021/02/18/red-sox-depth-chart-projections/
The rotation will start with
Eduardo, Eovaldi, Richards, Perez. 5th starter? McCaffrey has that job going to
Pivetta to start the season. Will there be a 6th starter? Maybe.
Starting Pitching Depth:
40-man options: RHP Matt Andriese, RHP Garrett Whitlock, RHP Tanner Houck, RHP Bryan Mata, RHP Connor Seabold
Others: RHP Daniel Gossett, RHP Ryan Weber, LHP Matt Hall, LHP Kyle Hart, LHP Stephen Gonsalves, RHP Matt Carasiti, RHP Zac Grotz
Prospects: RHP Thad Ward, RHP Frank German, RHP Josh Winckowski
Bloom has said the ideal plan for the Red Sox is to start Houck at Triple A, but that’s really dependent on how spring training progresses. He might pitch so well they can’t leave him out of the rotation at the outset or an injury might crop up among the five listed above. Either way, it won’t be long before we’ll be seeing plenty of Houck this season, especially if the Red Sox progress with a six-man rotation, as Bloom has suggested.
Andriese will probably be in the bullpen as the team’s swingman, but Rule 5 draftee Whitlock is in that mix too. Whitlock needs to remain on the active roster because of his Rule 5 status, unless he starts the year on the injury list, which is possible as he’s coming off Tommy John surgery, which he had in July 2019. That might be a way to avoid a bit of a roster crunch.
Gossett, Weber, Hall, Hart and Grotz are non-roster invitees to big-league camp and might be in the mix for depth starts throughout the season. However, none of them are currently on the 40-man.
On the prospect front, Mata and Seabold are rotation options for later in the year. Both pitched well at the alternate site last summer, but need organized game action; they’re expected to start the year in Triple A. Ward, a 2018 fifth-rounder who posted a 2.14 ERA in 25 starts in 2019, might be in that same mix, but wasn’t at the alternate site last summer, so he’s likely a bit farther down the line. He should start the year in Double A, but it is notable that he was brought to camp as a non-roster invitee.
Here's the projection for a 9-man
bullpen:
RHP Matt Barnes
RHP Adam Ottavino
RHP Hirakuzo Sawamura
LHP Josh Taylor
LHP Darwinzon Hernadez
RHP Ryan Brasier
RHP Austin Brice
RHP Garrett Whitlock
RHP Matt Andriese
40-man options: RHP Colten Brewer, RHP Phillips Valdéz, RHP Marcus Walden
Others: RHP Seth Blair, RHP Caleb Simpson, RHP Kevin McCarthy, RHP Kaleb Ort, Prospects: RHP Durbin Feltman, RHP Andrew Politi
Brewer, Valdéz and Walden are on the 40-man and all have at least one option, and hence are likely candidates to begin the year in Triple A with a decent chance of contributing to the big-league bullpen throughout the season.
McCarthy signed as a minor-league free agent in November. In 169 major-league relief appearances with the Royals, he’s posted a 3.80 ERA. Blair and Simpson signed as minor-league free agents last summer and pitched at the alternate site. Ort was claimed from the Yankees as part of the minor-league Rule 5 draft in December and has a healthy 13.5 K/9 in 33 appearances between Double A and Triple A in 2019.
Dalbec will likely be the starting first baseman:
Dalbec will be the starting first baseman for the Red Sox, but there might be some growing pains as he adjusts to a full season. Gonzalez offers a decent backup with 226 career games at first, and, as a switch-hitter, can be a left-handed complement to Dalbec. Chavis remains on the 40-man roster, but at this point, he’s more likely to start the year in Triple A with Gonzalez and Hernandez filling the holes Chavis once plugged.
Who plays CF?
At the moment, Verdugo is the frontrunner to see the most playing time in center, but newcomer Franchy Cordero, acquired in the Andrew Benintendi trade, has experience there too. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said the team will use spring training to determine the strongest defensive alignment, leaving the door open for now with Verdugo and Cordero competing for the position. If the team feels Cordero is best suited for center, Verdugo will slide back to right field.
So if it's Verdugo in CF,
who is in RF? Right now, Renfroe would get a lot of time there. But there will be a lot of moving pieces:
Renfroe has played 304 of his 400 career games in right field so he’s best suited there. But depending on how center field shakes out with Verdugo and Cordero, Verdugo could see more of his time in right with Renfroe in left.
Kike: He's versatile, but when he signed there was talk that he would be used more in one regular position rather than his usual jack-of-all trades role.
Hernandez should see most of his time at second base, but given his versatility, he’ll be called to fill in elsewhere too, meaning there will be an opportunity for others at second.
He's spent significant time in center, but still figures to see most of his work at second base. He doesn’t have a ton of experience at first (15 games) but could be used there in a pinch.
Hernandez could handle shortstop, too. Hernandez has limited time at third (33 career games). He has significant playing time in left, though is more of a center fielder.
He's played 75 games in RF and can fill in there as well.
More on Kike from Cora in the Athletic:
https://theathletic.com/2397692/2021/02/18/red-sox-alex-cora-spring/
Cora called Hernandez an above-average defender at second base, where he’ll see most of his playing time, but said if Hernandez does end up starting a game in the outfield, he’d likely transition to second base late in the game because of his defense.
“As a hitter, I still believe there’s something more there,” Cora said of Hernandez, whose career numbers show he’s had more success against left-handers. (For what it’s worth,
Hernandez thinks that’s because he hasn’t had as many consistent at-bats against righties.)
“I believe he can hunt fastballs,” Cora said. “And he can hit them for extra-base hits. And that’s something I liked a few years ago, he’s very dynamic, he’s a good athlete. He’s coming from an organization that they live with the extra-base hit, and trying to get on base, which is good so we’ll see what happens there lineup-wise but I’m gonna challenge him.”
Franchy:
He's penciled in right now to start in LF. Again, moving pieces:
Gonzalez (175), Hernandez (127) and Renfroe (125) all have significant playing time in left, though Hernandez is more of a center fielder. Gonzalez is likely to be the primary backup at the corners.
Backup SS:
Seems like we might not really have much of one on the active roster. Will have a couple options in the minors if X needs to go on the DL, but when he needs a rest, Marwin might get the call-- but he has only played one game there in the last 2 seasons. I doubt he is still very good there defensively. Kike can play SS, but he's only had 8 starts there the last 2 years.
Bench:
With Hernandez, Gonzalez and Arroyo expected to be on the Opening Day roster, they’ll fill many of the depth holes... Since Arroyo doesn’t have any options left, it’s likely he earns a spot on the Red Sox bench over Chavis and Arauz.
Gonzalez is probably the first backup option for Devers, having played 73 games at the position over the past two years. Hernandez has limited time at third (33 career games), but Arroyo has actually seen more major-league time at the position (43 games) than anywhere else...
Meanwhile, Marcus Wilson is the only other outfielder on the 40-man roster and could be called on if needed. Jarren Duran is expected to start the year in Triple A with a midseason call-up to Boston. That would slot Verdugo back to right field with Cordero splitting time with Hunter Renfroe in left.
For those wondering about Jeter Downs, he is a non-roster invitee to camp, but that’s mainly because minor-league camps are pushed back this year. He likely won’t be ready to make his major-league debut until 2022, so we won’t list him here as a realistic depth option.