DALLAS – The Red Sox didn’t land Juan Soto, but being a serious contender made them a team to watch, something they haven’t been for several offseasons.
During his Winter Meetings media session on Monday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow described the saga as an important one despite the “disappointing outcome.”
“I think being involved, being engaged in kind of, top-of-the-market talent is where we should be,” said Breslow as he sat in the team’s suite at the Hilton Anatole, a recently-erased whiteboard off to the side. “We put our best foot forward. It didn’t work out. We’ll kind of re-calibrate and move forward.”
Soto might have been ‘Plan A,’ but the Red Sox don’t consider the path forward ‘Plan B.’
“We have Plan A, Plan A1, A2, A3, A4,” said manager Alex Cora during his own media availability earlier in the day. “There’s a lot of ways to accomplish what we are set to do.”
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The upside to not committing $700 million to one player for over a dozen years is a hefty amount of spending flexibility. Breslow assured the Red Sox will be as “decisive” and “as aggressive as we can” in using their largess to improve the roster.
“When there is an opportunity to go out and sign a free agent or to make a trade, if we wait around for the perfect transaction, we’re likely going to be left with nothing,” Breslow said. “Moving with a sense of urgency and conviction is really important as it relates to roster construction.”
“Starting pitching is our biggest area of need,” Breslow stated. He also noted the Sox are on the hunt for a backup catcher in light of Danny Jansen signing with the Rays, and a right-handed power bat, now that Tyler O’Neill has a three-year deal with the Orioles.
But after years of rebuilding the farm system, the big-league team is the focus again.
“This is a really exciting time for the Boston Red Sox, just given the emergence of the young core and the wave of talent that we think is here to complement that group,” Breslow said. “The North Star has to be improving our major league team.”
The present takes priority, not the unknown future and potential repercussions. The Red Sox are willing to trade from both the big-league and top prospect pools in order to contend in the upcoming season.
“As we start to envision the team in 2025 that is capable of competing for the division and a deep postseason run we have to be more willing to address short-term needs,” Breslow said. “Even if to some degree that comes at the expense of the future, knowing there is organizational health given the strength of the farm system.”
Being Soto contenders engendered a modicum of goodwill from their beleaguered, distrusting fan base, but Breslow knows follow-through is required.
“We’ve talked a lot about what we’ve asked of our fans over the last few years, in terms of patience and tolerance for a team that hasn’t risen to the expectations of this organization,” Breslow said. “It’s time to deliver.”
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“From my end, it was fun,” Cora said, describing his Soto sweepstakes experience. When news of Soto’s Mets contract broke, the Sox skipper was out to dinner with Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy and assistant general manager Eddie Romero. “It came out, we’re looking at our phones, and all of a sudden, Scott is coming with his army of personnel,” Cora said. “It was kind of like ‘Gladiator,’ him walking (in).”
Breslow and Cora both strongly suggested that Garrett Whitlock will have a high-leverage multi-inning relief role, rather than return to the starting rotation, in 2025. Whitlock had a strong rookie campaign out of the ‘21 Boston bullpen, but he struggled when the Red Sox tried to use him as a starter, and he’s been sidelined by various injuries. In late September, he told the Herald he would pitch in whichever role helps him stay healthy and able to contribute. Breslow also said the Red Sox still plan to add to their bullpen.
As of 9 p.m. Monday, the Red Sox still haven’t officially announced the signing of late-innings lefty Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $10.75 million contract. Chapman confirmed the news last week, and has already undergone the physical. He was at Fenway Park on Friday working out with first baseman Triston Casas.
