The conclusion of the Superbowl marks the passing of the torch: football season to baseball season. Finishing the 2024 year off with an 81-81 record, Boston Red Sox fans were demanding change. Not recording a winning season since 2021 put Craig Breslow and the rest of the front office in the spotlight going into the offseason.
Over the Offseason, the Red Sox made a few important transactions that will bring them from third in the AL East to contending for the number 1 spot in the American League East.
The first big move from the Sox was trading a handful of prospects for starting pitcher Garret Crochet. The 2023 All-Star boasted a 3.58 ERA in his first full year as a starter and is expected to make even greater of an impact as the ace (#1 starting pitcher on the depth chart) of the Red Sox’s rotation. When asked what transaction was the most important, Freshman Liam Cusick believed that the Crochet deal was “the most important because the team needed pitching the most.”
The second important transaction was the signing of former Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler. Signing a one-year contract for $21 million, Buehler helps round out an already stacked starting pitching rotation. Although Walker Buehler has struggled with injuries over the past couple of years, the Red Sox hope that his 3.60 ERA in the playoffs last season is a sign of better things to come.
The most recent signing the Red Sox made occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. After a long negotiation process, the Boston Red Sox signed third/second baseman Alex Bregman. The former Houston Astro signed for an astounding $120 million over 3 years. Needing a power-hitting right-handed bat, the Red Sox were willing to shell out the big bucks for a top-of-the-line hitter and gold-glove level fielder. When asked, Freshman Drew Dennis noted that he is “the most excited to watch Alex Bregman take the field.” A fan favorite with his time in Houston, Bregman will be similarly loved in the city of Boston, looking to lead the team to their first postseason in over 3 years.
Paired with the additions made to the bullpen at the beginning of the offseason the Red Sox addressed every major need this offseason, boosting them to 8th in the league in total payroll.
Spending all this money, the Red Sox had to have solved their second biggest problem, a high-leverage relief pitcher, right? Not exactly. Although they signed Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson earlier in the off-season, both pitchers are in the last legs of their careers and had less-than-perfect seasons. Missing big free agents like Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates has left the Red Sox bullpen an arm short. Despite the lack of high impact moves, the bullpen still improved as the Red Sox will be getting Garret Whitlock and Liam Hendricks back from injury. Both players have a long history of injuries but look forward to posting their first healthy seasons in a while.
In addition to the major league roster moves, the Red Sox have the number one ranked farm system in the MLB according to Baseball America. With prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell just one step away from the Major leagues, the team is set for success in the short term and the long term.
With spring training now underway and players reporting to Fort Meyers, it is time to look ahead to what the Opening Day Roster may look like.
MLB Network compiled a list of all 30 MLB teams’ projected lineups and rotations. For the Red Sox, these are their projected roster and Rotation (https://www.mlb.com/news/projected-lineups-rotations-for-every-2025-mlb-team) :
Lineup:
- Jarren Duran, LF
- Rafael Devers, 3B
- Alex Bregman, 2B
- Triston Casas, 1B
- Trevor Story, SS
- Masataka Yoshida, DH
- Connor Wong, C
- Wilyer Abreu, RF
- Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
Rotation:
- Garrett Crochet, LHP
- Tanner Houck, RHP
- Brayan Bello, RHP
- Walker Buehler, RHP
- Lucas Giolito, RHP
- Kutter Crawford, RHP
What does this mean? The Red Sox boast a balanced lineup with impact players like Jarren Duran, Alex Bregman, and Rafael Devers. In addition to their lineup, their elite rotation rivals that of the Dodgers, Phillies, and Braves.
Only time will tell if the Red Sox can put all the pieces together to make a push for the playoffs, but there is one thing that is for certain, they will be a lot of fun to watch!
