These are just projections by SoxProspects, but here's the estimated time of arrival to the majors for some key guys in the pipeline:
1b Casas: mid 2022
OF Duran: 2021 (so maybe permanently by mid-2022?)
IF Downs: late 2022
SP Seabold: mid 2022
SP Bello: 2023
SP Groome: 2023
RP Mata: late 2023
P Murphy: mid 2023
SP Winckowski: late 2022
C Wong: mid 2022
C Hernandez: 2023
P Crawford: mid 2022
P Bazardo: late 2021 (so maybe mid-2022)
Ok now obviously not all these guys will pan out. But that's a fair amount of ammo potentially arriving on the scene in the next two years. And behind them are guys like Yorke, Jordan, Lugo, Mayer, Jimenez, etc.
Why do I bring this up here in this thread? Because I'm thinking about the JDM situation. Maybe
@Jack Rabbit Slim has it right - a QO means that JD accepts it. He might not be in Boston's long term plans, but maybe they don't need long term plans with him. Maybe 2022 is a bit of a "bridge" year where they can still be super competitive but are really setting the team up for its long-term future in 2023 and beyond.
So JD is the 2022 DH (no Schwarber). But in 2023, Devers can move there, and Dalbec (by all accounts a pretty good fielder at third) can be the third baseman and Casas is ready for the full-time job at first. Devers has the big contract but he's got two young, cost-controlled guys with him. They can rotate at DH (Devers DHs, Dalbec at 3b and Casas at 1b; Casas at DH, Dalbec at 1b and Devers at 3b, etc), which will keep everyone fresh.
Just a possibility.