3 Keys to the Red Sox Playoff Hopes

Photo Credit: Monstah Mash

The Red Sox head into 2016 with a new-look roster, which has given the fans new hope after 3 last place finishes in 4 years. As we move closer to baseball season (43 days until pitchers and catchers report, 90 until Opening Day, but who's counting?), I'll look at the 4 keys for the Red Sox heading into the young season.  

1.) The Young Core: The Red Sox core of young talent, including guys like Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and others, are finally starting to come into their own. These guys are homegrown players for the most part, who came up through the Red Sox farm systems, and will prove to be huge contributors in 2016.  

2.) David Price: Price was the big money acquisition this off-season, so naturally the Red Sox and the fans expect the price the team paid to be worth it. The one major knock on Price is his postseason performance, but it's hard to worry about that if the team doesn't make the playoffs in the first place. Earlier, I projected 19 wins for Price, which should be enough to propel the team to a first playoff birth since winning the World Series in 2013. One way or another, the acquisition of David Price will play a huge role in how the team ends up.  

3.) The bullpen: Every team that aspires to make a run at a championship needs a good bullpen (see: the Kansas City Royals). The Red Sox bolstered their bullpen big time with the acquisitions of Carson Smith and Craig Kimbrel. These guys will take some of the pressure off guys like Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara, both of whom felt the strain of heavy usage last year, especially in the second half. The starters can only take a team so far, and if the Kansas City Royals proved anything, it's that you won't win a championship without a bullpen, so that'll be something to watch for the Red Sox.

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