On Monday morning, one week after the group’s pre-Wild Card exercises at Yankee Stadium, Purple Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and supervisor Alex Cora sat within the Fenway interview room and seemed each within the rear-view mirror and on the journey forward.
There have been loads of boilerplate remarks and truisms within the trio’s solutions, however additionally they lent some perception into what needs to be a roller-coaster offseason.
Listed here are 5 key takeaways from the ultimate web page of chapter 2025.
1. 2025 was a step ahead, however not ok for the Purple Sox
This yr’s presser passed off later than in every of the earlier three seasons as a result of the Purple Sox completed with a profitable file for simply the second time since ‘19, and a spot in October for the second time since ‘18. Their postseason run lasted simply three video games, although, and it ended with a humiliating trouncing by the Yankees, of all groups.
“Whereas we fell wanting our final aim this yr,” mentioned Kennedy, “it was undoubtedly a step in the best path.”
With the farm system rebuild now in a extra self-sustaining part, the brass made it clear: the big-league group takes high precedence. And their targets are far loftier than also-ran first-round exits.
“We’re sitting right here the primary week in October,” mentioned Breslow, “which suggests we didn’t accomplish what we got down to accomplish. We talked all offseason and throughout the season about constructing a roster that was able to a deep postseason run, and we fell wanting that, and I don’t assume there’s any working from it or any hiding from it.”
2. Including home-run energy to the lineup might be a spotlight this offseason
The Purple Sox had been, as Breslow famous on Monday, a high offensive group in lots of metrics. They ranked seventh within the majors in runs per sport (third in American League), fourth in hits (second in AL), and first in doubles.
However they had been beneath league-average in dwelling runs, and that, mixed with their struggles to hit with runners in scoring place, value them a number of winnable video games within the common season and within the Wild Card, when their solely homer got here from Trevor Story and the Yankees shut them out in Sport 3.
“I believe it could be honest to take a look at a few of these different (postseason) groups and say that they hit the ball out of the park a little bit bit greater than we do,” mentioned Breslow with a chuckle, “and whereas scoring runs is – that is type of a zero-sum sport, proper, and it doesn’t actually matter the way you rating – however within the postseason loads of runs come by way of the house run, as a result of the pitching is so dominant. So I believe that’s a consideration.”
3. No hasty choices
The Purple Sox had the fourth-most Productive Out Alternatives within the majors, however solely three groups had a worse Productive Outs Proportion. Boston additionally ranked eighth in MLB in plate appearances with lower than two outs and a runner on third, however scored at a beneath league-average 50.7% fee in such conditions.
Breslow acknowledged these wants plainly, in addition to the protection’s MLB-leading 116 errors, however was not ready to supply particular options.
“I believe we’ll type of zoom out a little bit bit and take inventory of the place we’re, and we’ll be open to all doable pathways to enhancing the group,” mentioned Breslow. “I believe the worst time to decide is type of within the rapid aftermath of some emotional consequence, and getting knocked out of the playoffs is actually that. Which is why I believe it’s essential to take a breath and type of give ourselves a little bit little bit of distance.”
“On the identical time,” Breslow continued, ”among the alternatives to enhance that I simply identified, I believe these had been evident for some time. I don’t assume that these are reactions to a small pattern, however we do need to stability that.”
4. No remark or dedication to Alex Bregman
Prior to now, the Purple Sox have often entered an offseason with explicitly-stated player-specific targets. Monday’s presser marked three years to the day that Breslow’s predecessor, Chaim Bloom, introduced that Xander Bogaerts was the group’s No. 1 precedence.
Virtually precisely two months later, Bogaerts was a San Diego Padre, and the Purple Sox had not even completed among the many high three bidders.
It appears the brass are studying to play it nearer to the vest. Requested about Alex Bregman, whose three-year, $120 million contract contains opt-outs this offseason and the following, Breslow mentioned he needed to “hold these conversations inside.”
“Alex has the best, you realize, type of as structured in his contract, to decide out,” mentioned Breslow. “We’ll let that play out, however the significance (of retaining him) can be having an amazing participant, a confirmed winner, a powerful defender, somebody who suits this park very well on our roster.”
5. The Purple Sox are able to spend
The Purple Sox made a number of long-term commitments this season, to Garrett Crochet (six years, $170 million), Roman Anthony (eight years, $130 million starting in ‘26), and Kristian Campbell (eight years, $60 million, however additionally they unloaded the vast majority of the longest, costliest contract in franchise historical past after they traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in June. (They did tackle the remaining portion of Jordan Hicks’ four-year, $44 million contract via ‘27, although.)
“What I’ve seen as a participant, and what I’ve seen over the past couple of years,” mentioned Breslow, “is that with this possession group, when there’s a likelihood to construct a winner and a group that may contend for the postseason, is that with this possession group, when there’s a likelihood to construct a winner and a group that may contend for the postseason, sources aren’t an issue.”
“We acted with urgency and certainty and aggression,” mentioned Kennedy, “and we plan to proceed to try this as we go ahead.”
