MLB Power Rankings: Post Winter Meetings

ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 11: Giancarlo Stanton is introduced as a member of the New York Yankees during the 2017 Winter Meetings at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort on Monday, December 11, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

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PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 09: JD Martinez #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks follows through on a swing during game three of the National League Divisional Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field on October 9, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

9. Boston Red Sox

If you were expecting the Boston Red Sox to make a rushed move to keep up with the New York Yankees and Giancarlo Stanton, think again. Dave Dombrowski has shown there’s a new way of doing business in Beantown. The Red Sox do need to make a move to match the Yankees, but they won’t rush it.

On the surface, the decision to bring back Mitch Moreland over pursuing Eric Hosmer looks like the move of a front office trying to be cute. Hosmer is the All-Star, but for pennies on the dollar, Moreland can get close to matching his offensive production with a better glove at first base. Hosmer might have had a field day peppering the Green Monster with doubles, but Moreland already did that fairly well for the Red Sox last year.

J.D. Martinez is the white whale for the Red Sox the rest of the offseason, but he won’t come cheap and there are complications to finding a way to fit him into the lineup. Martinez has said he prefers to continue playing right field for a few more seasons before becoming a full-time DH, but that’s likely just chatter to help his market value. The Red Sox aren’t trading Jackie Bradley, Andrew Benintendi or Mookie Betts, so Martinez would be a DH in Boston.

The Red Sox are still the odds-on favorites to sign Martinez. They just have to if they expect to keep pace with the Yankees. The team’s power production fell off a cliff last year without David Ortiz. Assuming Martinez can be signed, all that’s left for the Red Sox to do is find someone to take Hanley Ramirez off their hands. The last thing Boston needs is a surly Ramirez sulking around the clubhouse as he is nailed to the bench.

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