Top 5 Offseason Needs Of The Boston Red Sox

The most obvious need for the Red Sox entering the offseason is starting pitching. At the trade deadline they basically traded away the entire starting rotation to bring in offensive weapons. They did get one starter, Joe Kelly, in return but otherwise relied on their youthful pitching talents to finish off the season. Boston needs an ace at the top of the rotation and they could find it in James Shields or their old friend Jon Lester.

Boston's offense struggled mightily in 2014, and the front office made it a point to change that at the trade deadline. Bringing in Yoenis Cespedes, Allen Craig and later signing Rusney Castillo were all steps toward improving the offense. There is still room to upgrade. It's no secret the Red Sox love Giancarlo Stanton and they have the chips to potentially make a deal for him. Stanton or not, adding another threat to the lineup is a priority.

It's time to accept that WIll Middlebrooks isn't the third baseman the Red Sox expected. In 2012, when the club was at rock bottom, he was a bright spot. That's changed quickly in two seasons. If he's not on the disabled list, he's striking out. He commits costly errors. The Middlebrooks experiment is over. There is some solid third basemen free agents out there, including Pablo Sandoval who could take care of numbers two and three on this list.

This is kind of a generic need for a lot of ball clubs year in and year out. Having a bolstered bullpen with reliable relievers is never a bad thing. At the trade deadline Boston parted ways with one of their best in Andrew Miller. He's currently focused on winning a World Series with the Baltimore Orioles, but could we see him return to the Red Sox this offseason?