"Red Sox have no other choice but to spend big this off season": MLB Insider

The Boston Red Sox have had a forgettable season this time around, finishing fifth in their division with a 78-84 regular-season record. The team is desperate for an overhaul in the current offseason with the Red Sox ownership looking to sign new players, but sources are suggesting that the Boston team is looking for bargain picks to replace key players like Xander Bogaerts.

Experts are calling out the Red Sox management for this decision. They are calling this move unacceptable as cheap bargains were clearly never an option for the nine-time champions.

I don’t buy it. I’m sure they’ve done their due diligence to cover their bases for any and all scenarios, but they have no other choice but to spend big this off-season. Exclusively finding bargains was never an option. -@Jared_Carrabis

The majority of the decision to be made by the management is due to a butterfly effect stemming from the departure of shotstopper Xander Bogaerts. The 2022 All-Star Game reserve decided not to renew his contract with the team and enter into free agency.

Bogaerts' replacement is expected to be from the team itself in the form of Trevor Story, who was signed last season for a $140 million contract running through for six seasons. Story was used as a second base before he was moved to the shotstopper role as a reserve for Bogaerts.

However, major questions remain about whether this "Plan B" can be effective in the long run. Story has major concerns with his fitness, having played more than 145 games in a season only once. There are also questions regarding the durability of his arm as he has to slot in as a shotstopper on a regular basis.

Red Sox management need to act quick

The Boston team's ownership trusted Chain Bloom as the Chief Baseball Officer of the side, but major headway in the team's overhaul is only possible if the owners are ready to shell out some cash for Bloom to work with. Dave Dombrowski, Bloom's predecessor, built a World Series winning team in 2018, but was fired after 10 months in September of 2019.

Many fans have pursued the idea that if the owners, Fenway Sports Group, aren't interested in making a decision about the franchise, then they should sell it. Owning one of the richest teams in the world with a very loyal fan base comes with a huge amount of responsibility, which has clearly been absent from the ownership.