Boston Red Sox

Coming off an unexpected last-place finish in 2014, the Boston Red Sox look to be a major player in free agency this offseason.  Big names like Jon Lester, James Shields and Pablo Sandoval are being widely discussed as players Boston may go after.

On the other hand, which available free agents should the Red Sox stay away from?

The Boston Red Sox figure to be active players in the free-agent market, and they'll need to be if they hope to compete once more in 2015.

The Red Sox need to add significant pieces to their starting rotation. They need to shore up their bullpen. And they must seriously considering pursuing upgrades at the hot corner and at backup catcher, too.

The Red Sox made some stunning moves at the trade deadline, effectively throwing in the towel on the 2014 season.

Two months later, it's time to take a look back and see how the deals look like with some hindsight. While the overall evaluations of the moves won't be able to be fully judged until at least after 2015, there's already been some clarity on how the moves will turn out.

At the beginning of Tuesday, the Baltimore Orioles find themselves with their biggest divisional lead since the 1979 season. At the end of Tuesday night, the Orioles inched a bit closer to their first AL East title since 1997 as they defeated the Boston Red Sox (63-82) 4-1. 

2014 has been an incredibly turbulent year for teams in the AL East.

The standings look drastically different than they did a year ago, with the 2013 World Series champion Boston Red Sox dwelling in the division’s basement and the Baltimore Orioles poised to win the AL East crown for the first time since 1997.

Dustin Pedroia's Saturday night was over quickly as the Boston Red Sox second baseman left early after getting hit in the head by Logan Forsythe of the Tampa Bay Rays.

MLB roster expansions are nearly upon us, and the Boston Red Sox certainly have no shortage of intriguing players they can call up once the calendar turns to September 1.

This is already a team loaded with young talent, to be sure.

The Boston Red Sox continued their radical new approach to rebuilding on Saturday, announcing the signing of Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo to a seven-year Major League Baseball contract—reportedly worth $72.5 million—

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• Yoenis Cespedes