Was bringing Farrell back for 2017 the right move?

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This past week, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowksi announced that John Farrell will return for the 2017. The burning question on fans' minds is "Was this the right move?" My gut feeling is that this is indeed the correct decision. No, he's not Terry Francona, Joe Maddon, or Bruce Bochy, but I would say 2 things in his defense - he was at the helm for 2013 and it would also appear he has this team on the up again after 2 straight last place finishes.

Let's start with the first thing - 2013. We all remember how that turned out, yes? It seemed as if the baseball gods wanted the Red Sox to win that year, but remember that the game is played on the field. And players can lose focus over the course of a 6 month season, and it takes a firm hand in the clubhouse to keep the team focus on the ultimate goal. I give Farrell most of the credit for that.

Reason #2 I would support Farrell for now - this team is heading in the right direction after getting swept by Cleveland. Yes, I know - we got swept, but I'll happily take it over 2 straight last place finishes, wouldn't you? I can't tell you how happy I was to see meaningful late-season and playoff baseball back at Fenway again. Like in 2013, I credit Farrell for keeping the team focused, and it paid off with a division title in the toughest division in baseball this year. Side note: Before fans of other teams start giving me flack, the AL East had 3 playoff teams and 4 of 5 teams over .500, so yeah, I think it qualifies as the best this year. Plus, the team had to deal with the media circus that was David Ortiz's retirement tour this year, but Farrell still kept the team on track.

Yes, I understand the counter-arguments. His in-game management is bad at times (trust me, that frustrates me too), but again, I do believe Farrell deserves a lot of credit for being a steady hand in the dugout, which is a big part of being a manager. My question to the anti-Farrell crowd would be this - would you rather go back to Bobby Valentine? Who would you have manage the team in place of Farrell? I say stick with Farrell for 2017, and see how it plays out before maybe changing managers.

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Red Sox heat up as April turns into May

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The saying "April showers bring May flowers" may not apply to the weather in Boston, but it is proving true for the Red Sox. After a rough start to the season, the Red Sox turned on the jets towards the end of April and into early May and have a half-game lead on the Baltimore Orioles on top of the AL East.

The good news is that almost everyone has contributed, from David Ortiz to Hanley Ramirez to the young guns. David Ortiz looks like he could play until 50. Ramirez has been surprisingly effective at first base, and proving my worries about him from Spring Training wrong, which is a very good thing.

The bad news is that there are still a few noticeable holes, namely David Price and Clay Buchholz. Price has been shaky so far, despite a 4-0 record. He has shown flashes of why he got all the money, but he also has a 6.14 ERA in 6 starts so far. Needless to say, he has to get better. Buchholz has been suffering from the same inconsistencies that have followed him throughout his whole career. Right now, he's going through a down stretch at 0-3 and a 6.51 ERA to go with. He's also been on the mound for the only 2 losses during the Red Sox 8-2 stretch. It is still early for both guys. The season isn't decided in May, and both guys have time to work through their issues, but I think most Red Sox fans would agree that the sooner they do so, the better.

In the meantime, the team has more than enough firepower to get by, especially with a lot of the young guys playing so well. Not to mention they seemed focused at the moment, which seemed easier said than done coming out of Spring Training with a lot of questions. The team will look to continue their momentum into a 3-game series with the 18-8 Chicago White Sox.

Al East Predictions Way Too Early

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Spring Training is in a little over 2 months from now, which means the regular season is not far behind. You know what that means? I'm going to try and predict how the AL East will shape up. Sure, it's early, but who doesn't love early predictions? I know I do, so here goes.

1.) New York Yankees (98-64):Before the Yankees acquired Aroldis Chapman in a deal with the Reds, I might have had the Red Sox first, but the Yankees now have a scary bullpen, which is going to be huge. However, they do have to contend with Father Time, with one of the oldest rosters in baseball (average age is 27.1), which could be problematic for them

 2.) Boston Red Sox (95-67): I do think the Red Sox are a much-improved team with a number of key acquisitions, including big money signing David Price. I do think they'll be right in the think of the race for the AL East crown with all their additions, but my main concern for them would be the performances of their big signings from last season, particularly Hanley Ramirez. I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with him at first, but I sincerely hope he proves me wrong.

 3.) Baltimore Orioles (85-77):The Orioles haven't made too many big moves to date, and they're still waiting on slugger Chris Davis to make a decision on whether he'll return or not. Of course, putting them in third assumes Davis will return, but if he leaves, the Orioles will be in major trouble if they can't replace him.

4.) Toronto Blue Jays (80-82): 

There's no doubt that the Jays suffered a big loss when we got David Price. They still have a lineup full of sluggers, but without an elite pitcher, they'll drop drastically from last season when they went to the ALCS.

 5.) Tampa Bay Rays (69-93):

Not much you can say about Tampa. I think their run ended when Joe Maddon went to the Cubs. And they'll take over last place in the division from us. That's how I see this division shaping up. Leave a comment if you agree, or disagree. It's still early to say who'll finish where. Twitter- @C_Frederick1016 @ FlyingGM_Blog