Podcast: Previewing and predicting the 2021-22 offseason

Welcome back to the Over the Monster podcast network, the go-to spot for year-round Red Sox coverage. This week, Jake Devereaux and Bob Osgood take a look back at 2021 and begin to make sense of the roster for 2022 and the many decisions that need to be made.

We started the show by talking about the 2021 season and what led to the team defying expectations. The staff, manager, crowd, and veteran free agent signings are all discussed.

Assessing the 2022 roster, a collection of free agents will be available for all 30 teams but none are bigger than the Eduardo Rodriguez decision. What do we expect the market to look like for E-Rod and might he be worth extending the qualifying offer? Next, we tackle the arbitration-eligible players and talk about possible extensions. Rafael Devers seems like it should be priority one, or two, if you include the possibility of a Xander Bogaerts opt-out after 2022.

For the players with an option, J.D. Martinez will be the first domino to fall within a week of the World Series ending. While Kyle Schwarber is almost certain to opt-out, is there a way for both Martinez and Schwarber to be on the roster together for another season? Might J.D. be a trade candidate if he does opt-in? Another key decision will be the $7 million option of Christian Vazquez. A lack of free agent and organizational options makes us both think he’ll be back next year, thanks to his familiarity with a pitching staff that is returning for the most part.

We finish the show talking about Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck’s rotation candidacies, 40-man roster decisions for current minor leaguers, which minor leaguers are likely to make an impact in 2022, and finally give each of our predictions for most likely free-agent targets.

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