3 veteran clubhouse influences the Red Sox need to sign for 2024
The Red Sox have made it clear that they are not looking to compete this year — they’d rather wait for top prospects to rise through the minor league ranks.
To their credit, or Chaim Bloom’s, the farm is loaded right now with five players in Keith Law’s top 100 prospects list. As it stands now, Boston has quality farm talent, and enough to make a significant impact in the coming years.
Despite lackluster performance in 2023, as well as the removal of a veteran presence with postseason experience like Chris Sale, the Red Sox refuse to add to the roster beyond Lucas Giolito or lower-tier free agents.
Boston has benefited from a consistent stream of veteran leadership, which has undoubtedly contributed to four championships since the turn of the century. Starting with Pedro Martinez, then David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, followed by Xander Bogaerts. Last year, it was Justin Turner and Sale, but now the situation is less clear.
There are plenty of veteran options who can not only contribute on the field but also make an even bigger impact off it.
Three veteran clubhouse influences the Red Sox need to sign for 2024
Jordan Montgomery – LHP
Jordan Montgomery is practically on Fenway’s doorstep, pleading to be a member of Boston’s team. Yet because he desires a long contract, he’s been left on the outside. For a guy who is a solid veteran presence who can immediately alleviate the pressure on Bryan Bello to be an ace and has a postseason ERA of 2.63, Montgomery would be a welcome addition to a team in a transitional phase of its roster.
Every team needs its rock. It doesn’t always have to be the best player, but someone who takes the clubhouse by the reins and stabilizes things out. Someone who teaches the rookies how to be professionals, and when the postseason arrives, someone who has been there before and knows how to handle the added pressure.
If the team expects to compete, they need to have a stable foundation for guys like Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel to build off of. Currently, that position is vacant but could easily be filled should the front office spend the money to make it happen. Montgomery is the preferred option with his likelihood to contribute in a real way to help this team make a playoff push.
J. D. Martinez – OF/DH
J.D. Martinez would be welcomed back to Boston. He is beloved by fans and is a well-spoken professional. He has previously won a ring here in Boston and was a key part of the team that defeated the Yankees in a winner-take-all Wild Card game at home. Those are two of the biggest stages in Boston sports, and each time he rose to the occasion.
For the Red Sox, he hit .317 with a 1.005 OPS in 23 postseason games, significantly impacting the team’s chances of winning a World Series by 16%, according to cWPA, which calculates the importance of an at-bat and its result concerning the team’s chances of winning a World Series.
With the team’s top prospects all playing the field, Martinez would be a quality addition to the team. Players will be able to feed off his offense and understand what it takes to win in Boston. Fenway Park offers a much different playing environment than anywhere else in baseball, and the expectation is to contend for championships, year in and year out. Martinez has proven that he’s consistently ready to meet that supposition.
Believe it or not, the Red Sox were three games out of a Wild Card spot on August 20th of last season with a record of 66-58 and 38 games remaining in the season. What followed was nothing short of a collapse, as the team went 12-26. The 2023 Red Sox had the potential to play October baseball with less than a quarter of the season remaining but simply shrank under the pressure.
