Kyle Brasseur, Special to ESPNBoston.com 9y

Red Sox lead top 10 ranks of MLB lineups

Consider ESPN’s Buster Olney a fan of the Boston Red Sox’s offensive upgrades this offseason.

In an Insider pieceInsider posted Wednesday, Olney ranked the Red Sox’s projected lineup for next season as the best in the majors, citing its firepower and depth.

Olney notes that the signings of free-agent bats Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, along with the presence of young hitters like Mookie Betts and Rusney Castillo, outweigh the potential for regression that could come from David Ortiz’s age finally catching up to him at 39 or Dustin Pedroia’s recovery from surgery.

Olney also mentions that while it is unclear where Betts fits in or how the team plans to utilize veterans such as Shane Victorino, Allen Craig and Daniel Nava, “Boston has more and better lineup options than any other team in the majors.”

“The depth in the Red Sox's lineup, which enabled them to lead the majors in runs in 2013 and win a championship, is restored,” Olney writes. “Boston's lineup will be formidable again.”

Last season, the Red Sox ranked among the worst teams in the majors offensively, sporting a collective .244 batting average.

On a related note, Red Sox manager John Farrell made an appearance on Boston sports WEEI last week to discuss his potential batting order for the upcoming season. During the appearance, Farrell laid out his likely 2-6 spots in the batting order as follows: Pedroia, Ortiz, Ramirez, Sandoval and Mike Napoli.

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