Boston Red Sox
“Nobody will sit on this seat and say that there’s sufficient pitching within the group.”
After watching their season come to a detailed on Thursday towards the Yankees, the Purple Sox put a remaining bow on their 2025 season with a press convention at Fenway Park on Monday morning.
Supervisor Alex Cora, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and staff president Sam Kennedy touched on a number of subjects through the presser forward of what figures to be a busy offseason for Boston after this transient playoff run.
Listed here are 5 takeaways from Monday’s press convention:
Figuring out areas of want
The 2025 Purple Sox might need been a playoff staff, however Breslow and Co. nonetheless have loads of work to do if this roster needs to take one other step ahead and set up themselves as a sustainable contender for the lengthy haul.
On the forefront for Boston is the necessity to add one other established pitcher to fit in after Garrett Crochet within the beginning rotation.
“I believe what I might say is that we have to work out methods to enhance the staff and that would take quite a few shapes,” Breslow stated. “Each staff will get higher should you can herald a starter or develop a beginning pitcher that would pitch at Garrett Crochet’s degree, proper?
“There’s no working from that and we’ll be as aggressive as we are able to in chasing that down whereas additionally making certain that we’re doing all the things we are able to to develop our gamers internally.”
Even with the emergence of younger starters like Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, the Purple Sox want extra stability behind Crochet — particularly with a starter like Brayan Bello higher served as a No. 3 possibility.
“Nobody will sit on this seat and say that there’s sufficient pitching within the group,” Breslow stated. “I believe we noticed that within the second half and we may checklist out the pitchers that had been on the IL and it simply implies that depth is so critically vital. So, like I stated, after we discuss pursuing alternatives to enhance the staff, bringing in [additional] pitching actually is one among them.”
Boston was heavily linked to Twins starter Joe Ryan at the trade deadline, whereas free-agent choices embody Dylan Stop and Zac Gallen.
The Purple Sox additionally want so as to add some pop into their lineup, with free-agent targets together with Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber.
Despite the fact that Boston ranked seventh within the league in runs scored this season, in addition they ranked fifteenth total in residence runs, together with simply 64 within the second half.
With Boston solely boasting two gamers on its roster who surpassed 20 residence runs in Trevor Story (25) and Wilyer Abreu (22), Breslow acknowledged that the Purple Sox want so as to add some pop to their lineup.
“It might be honest to take a look at a few of these different groups [still in the playoffs] and say that they hit the ball out of the ballpark a bit of greater than we do,” Breslow stated. “Scoring runs….that is type of a zero-sum recreation, proper? And it doesn’t actually matter the way you rating. However within the postseason, a variety 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.”
The ready recreation with Bregman, Story
Among the high dominoes which have but to fall this offseason for the Purple Sox is the way forward for each Alex Bregman and Trevor Story in Boston.
Each veteran infielders had been key cogs in Boston’s clubhouse and had been productive stalwarts within the coronary heart of Boston’s lineup in 2025. However, each gamers have the choice to hit free company this winter by opting out of their respective offers with the Purple Sox.
Story, who has two years and $55 million remaining on his preliminary six-year deal, appears like a safer choice to return in 2026. If Story decides to not decide out, the Purple Sox additionally prolong his contract by one other 12 months for an additional $25 million in 2028.
Bregman, who’s represented by super-agent Scott Boras, has two 12 months and $80 million left on his deal. However the 31-year-old infielder might be on prowl for a long-term deal after taking part in like a possible MVP candidate in Boston earlier than struggling a quad damage in Might.
“We’ll let that play out, however the significance [of bringing Bregman back] could be having a terrific participant, a confirmed winner, a robust defender and somebody who matches this market rather well on a roster,” Breslow stated.
The Purple Sox will even must decide on Lucas Giolito, who is predicted to hit free company after posting a 3.41 ERA throughout 26 begins. Giolito performed a key function in Boston’s success this season, however he additionally missed the postseason with an elbow damage.
“Clearly, we had been consumed with attempting to carry out in addition to we presumably may within the postseason after which given the information of Lucas’ damage, actually simply type of transitioned to doing all the things that we may to assist him get wholesome,” Breslow stated. “He’s a man that clearly had a major damage final 12 months, labored actually onerous to get again on the sphere and at occasions alongside Garrett and Brayan was carrying the rotation.
“That’s type of what our focus is true now. And we’ll make selections sooner or later.”
Any regrets?
Whereas Boston punched its ticket to the postseason for the primary time since 2021, it was removed from a controversy-free season for the Purple Sox.
Be it the blockbuster trade involving Rafael Devers in June or an underwhelming commerce deadline, a Purple Sox season full of a lot promise was undercut by a number of “what-if” eventualities involving the ceiling of this Boston roster.
“I realized so much,” Breslow stated. “Each time there’s a choice to be made, there’s additionally a chance to be taught — to find out about one another, to find out about the remainder of the baseball operations group, to find out about myself.
“And so I’m continuously type of reliving these selections to verify not essentially that the result was proper — that may be actually troublesome to foretell — however that we had a great decision-making course of, that we had the data that was essential to make the most effective selections doable.”
Whereas the connection between Breslow and the Purple Sox broke down all through the spring and early summer season, Boston’s incapability so as to add an influence bat or confirmed starter on the commerce deadline might need been essentially the most consequential transfer (or lack thereof) all season.
After the Purple Sox struggled so as to add helpful items in return for Devers, Boston’s high deadline deal was centered round Dustin Might, who posted a 6.40 ERA over six outings earlier than touchdown on the IL.
“We went into the deadline with a number of targets, and it type of turned obvious that a few of these weren’t going to have the ability to be achieved and we pivoted. Typically these work out, generally they don’t,” Breslow stated. “However I believe we had a great course of, we had good info.
“And our hope is we’re going to seek out ourselves eight months from now or no matter it’s in late July with a extremely good staff that we imagine in that we’re trying to bolster yet again.”
Not committing to Casas
For the entire discourse concerning the Purple Sox’ potential pursuit of an influence bat like Alonso or Schwarber, Boston has a number of in-house choices for subsequent season in the event that they’re on the lookout for extra pop on the plate.
On the forefront of that dialog is Triston Casas, who missed many of the season after rupturing the patellar tendon in his knee at first of Might.
Despite the fact that Casas has proven spurts of being an influence bat in the course of the order, his uneven play and damage historical past had Breslow hesitant to decide to him because the staff’s beginning first baseman in 2026.
“I don’t suppose it makes a ton of sense on Oct. sixth to say somebody is or isn’t our first baseman and we’ll see how issues play out,” Breslow stated. “Sadly, Triston has missed a major period of time during the last two years. We’ve additionally seen what he’s able to doing when he’s wholesome.”
After a promising 2023 season the place he hit 24 residence runs and drove in 65 runs, Casas has struggled to settle right into a groove with Boston. He missed 98 video games final 12 months after tearing cartilage in his rib cage, whereas he solely batted .182 in 2025 earlier than happening along with his damage.
Despite the fact that Casas has been working his method again on the sphere, Breslow famous that it’s not a foregone conclusion that Casas will even be cleared for the beginning of spring coaching.
“He’s in right here on daily basis rehabbing,” Breslow stated. “Simply type of watching the progress from the preliminary surgical procedure to the place he’s now — he’s shifting round rather well, load-bearing, squatting. So we anticipate a full restoration. However I’m hesitant to place a timeline on that simply because with any of those accidents you wish to just be sure you’re not coming too far out entrance.”
Narvaez to bear offseason surgical procedure
A Purple Sox lineup common will go below the knife this winter. Breslow confirmed that catcher Carlos Narvaez “goes to have his meniscus cleaned up this week” after coping with a nagging knee problem this season.
The 26-year-old catcher was one of many high surprises for Boston this season, leapfrogging Connor Wong on the depth chart and establishing himself as one of many high defensive catchers within the recreation.
Narvaez additionally generated loads of pop on the plate with 15 residence runs and 50 RBI over 118 video games, however his manufacturing dipped within the second half resulting from his knee damage. After batting .273 within the first half of the season, Narvaez solely slashed .187/.233/.387/.619 in 45 video games after the All-Star break.
“There have been a pair occasions through the course of the season the place it flared up,” Breslow stated. “One among them, fairly clearly to the place he missed a bit of little bit of time. However he deserves a ton of credit score for his willingness to play by this, doubtlessly even at a time when others would have possibly bowed out, as a result of he felt that hooked up to attempting to assist the group.”
Breslow added that the “expectation” is for Narvaez to be prepared at first of spring coaching.
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