FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Boston Red Sox arrived at spring training looking to put the disappointment of 2014’s last-place finish behind them. General Manager Ben Cherington and the front office spent the last eight months rounding up as much potential talent as possible, a process that began in July at the trade deadline and continued last week with the signing of Cuban free agent Yoan Moncada.

Moncada won’t be ready to join the big-league club for a while, but his signing continued a process of accumulating as many assets as possible.

Now, Manager John Farrell must figure out who makes the major league roster in 2015. He doesn’t have to make those decisions for more than a month. Good thing, because there is a surplus of talent at some positions that won’t be easy to sort out.

Take the outfield. Hanley Ramirez is the left fielder. Last week Farrell said Shane Victorino will be the right fielder if healthy. That leaves Mookie Betts and Rusney Castillo battling for the center field spot.

“We’ll take all of camp to determine that,” said Farrell of the center field battle.

It will also take most – or all – of camp to figure out where to play Allen Craig. Or Daniel Nava. Or Jackie Bradley, Jr. Or Brock Holt.

Advertisement

It’s a nice problem to have, but a problem nonetheless.

The infield seems pretty well set. Holt is the reserve infielder, with Craig potentially filling in as a corner infielder behind Pablo Sandoval and Mike Napoli. Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts will fill the middle. Christian Vazquez and Ryan Hanigan will catch with Blake Swihart in the minor-league wings. David Ortiz is the DH.

The starting rotation is set, but the bullpen has a lot of pitchers vying for seven spots. Koji Uehara is the closer. Junichi Tazawa and Edward Mujica return are the key setup men. Anthony Varvaro was brought in from Atlanta to join that group. Alexi Ogando and Robbie Ross, Jr. were important setup pieces for a Texas Rangers team that won the pennant in 2011. Craig Breslow signed a $2 million contract to return to Boston as a key lefty.

That’s seven relievers right there. Meaning Brandon Workman and Tommy Layne can’t make the team. It also means the next wave of starters like Matt Barnes, Edwin Escobar, Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright are back in Pawtucket biding their time.

Having too many good players is a situation every team would like to be in. For a team that foundered last season, it’s a luxury indeed.

There are going to be some tough decisions in the weeks ahead. And, most likely, some good players are going to be available to other teams in the final days of March.

Tom Caron is the studio host for Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.