Boston Red Sox Projected Lineup Underscores Interest In J.D. Martinez

The Boston Red Sox’ projected lineup for the 2018 MLB season still lacks power. This is why the team has been linked to free-agent outfielder J.D. Martinez for most of the offseason. A new report by the Boston Herald goes as far as saying that the Red Sox offense is “still lacking pop.” That might be an understatement, as the Red Sox finished last in the American League in home runs during the 2017 MLB season. In a league of inflated offensive numbers, that’s a bad sign for the team when looking forward.

Red Sox president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, was the first person to admit that the offense wasn’t where he wanted it to be following the disappointing finish in the playoffs. It was also made very clear to the media that he was intent on adding more power to the lineup during the coming offseason. As of February 11, he still hasn’t succeeded in that goal. His quote from back on October 11 is still one that is very familiar to fans of the Boston Red Sox.

“I think it’s easy to say we need to score more runs. I didn’t supply the players that would give us enough runs. I think we do need that. That’s part of our offseason goal.”

Pitchers, Price and Pomeranz, practice pitching.

Say that 3x fast! pic.twitter.com/pBfc1KgvBf

— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 11, 2018

Taking a look at the projected lineup for the Boston Red Sox again shows that there is a lack of power. There are additional questions about what the team would do with the roster if it landed someone like J.D. Martinez, as the Red Sox already have three good outfielders in Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, and Jackie Bradley Jr. Below is a look at the projected batting order for the 2018 MLB season.

Boston Red Sox Projected Lineup

1. Mookie Betts, RF
2. Andrew Benintendi, LF
3. Xander Bogaerts, SS
4. Hanley Ramirez, DH
5. Rafael Devers, 3B
6. Mitch Moreland, 1B
7. Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
8. Christian Vazquez, C
9. Marco Hernandez, 2B

If the Red Sox did sign J.D. Martinez, he would be penciled in as the designated hitter. Hanley Ramirez could then be traded or split time at first base with Mitch Moreland. One other scenario that has popped up in Boston Red Sox rumors is the prospect of trading Jackie Bradley Jr. and moving Mookie Betts over to center field. That would allow Martinez to play in the outfield. On paper, the current Boston Red Sox’ projected lineup should score a lot of runs but will continue to lack the power to hit many home runs.