After winning 108 regular season games on their way to another 11 wins in the 2018 postseason, Alex Cora’s roster looks very much like the one he had for most of last season. In fact, the Opening Day roster includes only one player – Colten Brewer – who did not play for Boston last season. Spring training was, like last year, relatively quiet, and the Red Sox finished with 12 wins versus 17 losses and a tie. Perhaps the biggest news out of Fort Myers was a contract extension Boston gave to pitcher Chris Sale; the five-year, $145M payout ensures that he will stay with the team through 2024, unless he chooses to opt out after the 2022 season.

With the roster now final, let’s see who will be with the team in Seattle tonight when they start the season against the Mariners at T-Mobile Field (formally Safeco Field).

The Backstop

To almost no one’s surprise, the Red Sox chose not to go with three catchers to begin the season, and the odd man out was Sandy Leon, whom Boston placed on waivers Sunday. He cleared waivers Tuesday and he has until today to decide whether to accept an assignment in Triple-A Pawtucket or become a free agent. Thus, it will be Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart to begin the season. Vazquez remains the number one catcher on the depth chart, while Swihart offers utility options at nearly every position in the field.

The Infield

Dustin Pedroia, who missed all but three games last season, had hoped to make the Opening Day roster but will need extra time to rehab his surgically-repaired knee; this will be the second straight season he starts on the injured list (IL) (this term replaces the previously-used disabled list moniker). Eduardo Nunez and Brock Holt will split time at second until he returns.

The star of the infield is undoubtedly Xander Bogaerts, who finished last season with a career-best .833 OPS and a 135 OPS+. Another player whose star continues to rise is Rafael Devers, who played his first full season in 2018 and is still only 22 years old. With Steve Pearce on the mend due to an injury late in spring training, Mitch Moreland and Sam Travis will split time at first base, with Moreland facing all right-handed pitching; Travis will like head back to Pawtucket once the World Series MVP is ready to return.

The Outfield

On a team filled with talent – MLB.com picked Boston’s lineup as the best in baseball entering the season – the one player who sticks out above everyone else is 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts. His WAR of 10.9 last season tied Ted Williams for the second-best single season mark in team history among position players, bested only by Carl Yastrzemski’s remarkable 1967 season.

Boston also features arguably the best outfield talent in baseball, split between Betts, AL batting champion J.D. Martinez, left fielder Andrew Benintendi, and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.; Martinez will most often get the start as the team’s DH as was the case in 2018.

The Starting Rotation

Boston’s rotation, picked as the fourth best by MLB.com, includes the aforementioned Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Nathan Eovaldi, and Eduardo Rodriguez. Dogged by his inability to win games in October, Price’s postseason run in 2018, including a victory in the deciding game of the World Series, quieted the critics and nearly earned him World Series MVP honors. Price’s first start will not be until Monday against Oakland to give him more time to recover from norovirus, which slowed him during spring training and limited him to only a handful of innings.

The Relief Corp

The bullpen appears to be the only question mark for the Red Sox entering the season. Two notable subtractions – closer Craig Kimbrel, who remains unsigned as the season begins, and Joe Kelly, who went to the Los Angeles Dodgers via free agency – have been left unresolved in the minds of many baseball analysts. Cora has stated that, to begin, Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier will split duties as the go-to pitcher in the ninth. Rounding out the bullpen will be Brewer, Heath Hembree, Tyler Thornburg, Brian Johnson, Brandon Workman, and Hector Velazquez.

Baseball was, is and always will be the best game in the world. – Babe Ruth

The day after a crushing Game Seven loss in the 2003 American League Championship Series for Red Sox fans, I arrived at work to find a youth-sized Yankees cap on my chair. One of my co-workers, an unabashed New York fan, had pinned a note to it: “Give this to your son so that he’ll know what it feels like to root for a REAL team!”

Needless to say, I was less than happy – no, actually, I was pissed – and I threw the hat and the note into one of the bottom drawers of my file cabinet, knowing well enough that my then six-month-old son would NEVER be a fan of any team other than the Boston Red Sox.

It wasn’t the first time someone had harassed me due to my undying loyalty to the local nine; in fact, I was so used to it that most often it didn’t bother me. Heck, I had married a girl from upstate New York whose family was primarily Yankees fans, and I took grief from them at every holiday gathering, save for my one nephew whom I had somehow convinced to root for the Sox (and still does).

But the sting of watching Boston blow a late-inning lead the night before, followed by a game-winning home run from Aaron Bleepin’ Boone in extras to send New York to yet another World Series – the Evil Empire’s sixth trip in eight seasons – was still fresh in my mind, and I wasn’t in the mood for what was really a harmless poke.

Why I didn’t just toss the hat in the trash, I don’t exactly remember. Maybe I didn’t want him to come by later, see it filed away with the garbage, and give me more grief. Maybe I thought hiding it deep in a drawer at work to collect dust for a finite period of time would keep it unworn by anyone, let alone my young son. Again, I don’t remember.

But one year later, all that changed. You know the story: down three games to none in the 2004 ALCS, I witnessed the point at which the fortunes of the franchise turned. With three outs to go in the game, from the center field bleachers at Fenway Park, I watched Dave Roberts steal second base; the rest is history, and ten days later, baseball crowned the Red Sox as World Series champions for the first time in 86 years.

Almost by instinct, I knew what next to do. With sleep still in my eyes, I returned to the work the following day and fished that cursed cap along with the appalling note out of my file cabinet (I hadn’t touched it in all that time). You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I found my co-worker standing with some of our other co-workers, shooting the breeze on the shop floor.

“Hey!” I called out as I approached him. The conversation stopped suddenly as every eye turned to look at me. I calmly handed him what he had gifted me a year earlier and said: “You can keep this [censored] hat, because my son DOES know what it feels like to root for a REAL team!” Dumbfounded for a moment, he then broke into a big smile and congratulated my team for finally ending 86 years of frustration. Of course, he had to add with a chuckle: “Think you’ll be around when they win their next championship in 2090?”

Fast-forward 14 years and here we stand, having seen our beloved Red Sox win a fourth championship in 15 seasons and the first in five years. Let that sink in: four championships in almost the blink of an eye. Even the most rabid of Red Sox fans would never have imagined this after that crushing defeat in 2003.

Each banner season has been special in its own unique way: this year, Boston was unstoppable, winning an improbable 108 games during the regular season, a new franchise record, and then taking down two 100-win teams en route to the sweet reward of a World Series win. Manager Alex Cora, who won it all with Boston in 2007, now has a collection of 119 photos framed on his office wall, one from each win in this, his rookie managerial season.

Longtime Boston Globe reporter and editor Martin Nolan, in an article written after the 2004 World Series ended, spoke about his father, rooting for his beloved Red Sox, either from the stands at Fenway Park or beside his radio at home in his kitchen, running through the emotions all too common of a frustrated Boston baseball fan. Late in life, his father said: “Marty, my boy, I don’t think the Sox are going to make it again in my lifetime. And I’m not too sure about yours.” A year after his father passed, the ball went between Bill Buckner’s legs, leading Nolan to observe, “The Red Sox killed my father, and they’re coming after me,” which David Halberstam quoted in his book, The Teammates.

While I did not suffer as long as Nolan – 1986 was the first time I vividly witnessed what others has painfully observed for years – it’s reason like this that I don’t take any of this recent success for granted; as the saying goes, winning never gets old. I don’t consider myself spoiled; I’m blessed. Blessed to witness a moment in time that this storied franchise leaves its mark on the sport. Blessed to share the excitement of a championship with my kids and my parents, the latter of whom suffered in the same vein as Nolan and earlier generations of Red Sox fan.

15 years ago, someone facetiously thought I would be doing my son a favor to let him become a Yankees fan. Whether due to shameless optimism, stubborn loyalty, or blind faith, I’m glad I choose to file away that cap.

Boston enjoyed a relatively successful if rather low-key spring training. Basking in the warmth of the Florida sun at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers while New England enjoy four March Nor’easters, the Red Sox went 22-9-1, winning 14 of their last 15 and five of six against the Minnesota Twins to claim the Mayor’s Cup (if that is still a thing). With the roster now final, baseball begins for real today in Tampa Bay with the Red Sox in town for four against the Rays; let’s catch up on the state of the team as Opening Day dawns across the league.

The Outfield

One of the few new faces in the dugout is that of outfielder J.D. Martinez, who signed as a free agent early in spring training. With a solid outfield trio in Andrew Benintendi (LF), Jackie Bradley, Jr. (CF), and Mookie Betts (RF), Martinez will most likely see time as the team’s DH, but will get some opportunity to show off his glove. The seven-year veteran has a career split of .285/.342/.514 coupled with 152 home runs and a 130 OPS+. In 2017, he split time between Detroit and Arizona, pacing the latter with 29 home runs and a 1.107 OPS to lead the Diamondbacks to the postseason for the first time since 2011.

The Infield

The presence of Martinez means that last year’s primary DH, Hanley Ramirez, will move back to first base where he was stationed in 2016. This will result in less playing time for Mitch Moreland, who returns after a successful 2017 season as the primary DH. With Dustin Pedroia on the DL, Eduardo Nunez gets the Opening Day start at second base; this marks the first time since 2006 that the Muddy Chicken doesn’t have that honor for the Red Sox.

On the left side of the infield, Xander Bogaerts returns at shortstop, continuing some stability at the position for the first time since the days of Nomar Garciaparra, while 21-year-old Rafael Devers, in his second year with the club (he is ineligible for rookie status as he had more than 130 at-bats last season), gets the starting nod at third base. Brock Holt also returns in a utility role after Boston sent Deven Marrero to Arizona late in spring training.

The Backstop

In another move late in spring training, the Red Sox signed catcher Christian Vazquez to a three-year extension, signaling to everyone that he is the primary catcher moving forward with the club for the near future. That said, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart return as well; Leon should service as the backup catcher, while Swihart will serve more in a utility role and spend time in the outfield.

The Rotation

Chris Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello are the easy choices for the first three spots; after that, it gets a little spotty. With Steven Wright, Eduardo Rodriguez , and Drew Pomeranz all on the DL to begin the season, and with Wright further suspended 15 games for domestic violence stemming from an off-season incident, the back half of the rotation will be anchored by Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez. Once healthy and after completing his suspension, Wright should be eligible to return to the roster by the end of April, while Rodriguez should be ready by mid-April; there is no timetable on Pomeranz’s return.

The Bullpen

The bullpen remains a key strength of this team heading into the season. Craig Kimbrel enjoyed a monster 2017 season and expectations are high for him again in 2018 despite missing most of spring training to attend to a family matter. Also returning is Carson Smith, who is finally healthy after just 11 appearances over the last two seasons, as well as Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes, and Heath Hembree. Also in the mix are two rookies: 2015 draft choice Bobby Poyner, who posted a 0.87 ERA over 10.1 innings pitcher in 10 appearances this spring, and 10-year minor league veteran Marcus Walden, who posted a 0.64 ERA over 14 IP in eight appearances.