My postulation is that this year is going to serve as a massive test of Alex Cora's managerial ability. This is the most flexible and versatile roster he's ever had. That doesn't mean it's the best roster he's had, just when he had the 2018 team it was basically the same 9 starters in the same 9 positions all year, with some variations when they'd shuffle Nunez or Holt around to spell the starters. But this year, it's a lot of jelly to mold. He can craft a different defensive lineup per day depending on the matchup, fatigue management, playing the hot hand, etc. or letting the pieces all fall into their optimal defensive alignment
You could have Kike at SS and Duval in CF. Or maybe Mondesi is on a hot streak and you want him in the lineup, then Kike can play CF. If Raffy needs a break, you can DH him and put Turner at 3rd. Or DH Yoshida and have Turner play 1B to give Casas a night off. Or maybe Dalbec is on one of his hot streaks but you want to keep Casas in the lineup, you can DH him or you could put Turner or Dalbec at 2nd. If Duval flops, then you can move Verdugo over and put Refsnyder in right, etc. And Arroyo can play basically every position on the diamond except C.
I think Cora's management could make a difference between them being a 78 win team and an 88 win team depending on whether he makes the right moves or not. All I know is that it's going to be a lot more intellectually stimulating to follow the team this year.
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