Flavin Media

As this narrative floats around the social media waves, it’s time to prepare for a lineup without final veteran signings. Accounting for an undetermined future for the looming prospects, let’s focus on the MLB-level player lineup.

1. Jarren Duran LF (LHH)

2. Rafael Devers 3B (LHH)

3. Trevor Story SS (RHH)

4. Triston Casas 1B (LHH)

5. Masataka Yoshida DH (LHH)

7. Wilyer Abreu RF (LHH)

6. Connor Wong C (RHH)

8. Ceddanne Rafaela CF (RHH)

9. Vaughn Grissom 2B (RHH)

Although this lineup features reputable players coming back from injury, it still does not account for those players adjusting back to consistent play—and for needed lineup and ballpark fits. This lineup might be good enough for a Wild Card appearance, but this simply isn’t what president Sam Kennedy talked about.

Casas, Grissom, and Story are in a similar boat as prospects like Anthony and Campbell in that all of these players have to determine their value with the season in front of them. The value and roles of Devers, Duran, etc., are more known—and this team needs that established value in the lineup to compete with the big teams.

Additionally, there is simply not enough right-handed hitting stability in this lineup, and similar to their Yankee rivals, the Red Sox are ignoring the conditions of their own ballpark. You play with a nearby wall in left field for 81 games of the season—it should be somewhat implied that you acquire proven players to take advantage of that.

It’s pretty clear that any failure to make further moves for this lineup would be downright dumbfounding…