Seven questions because the Pink Sox make the leap – or cautiously wade – right into a pivotal offseason.
1. Why didn’t the Pink Sox lengthen a Qualifying Provide to Lucas Giolito?
The record of potential explanation why the Sox opted to not lengthen a Qualifying Provide to right-hander Lucas Giolito vary from magnanimous, to sensible, to regarding.
Let’s go in reverse order. Essentially the most logical, and subsequently worrisome, clarification is that the Pink Sox didn’t need to supply a pitcher $22.05 million for one 12 months after elbow soreness triggered him to battle in September and be left off their postseason roster.
Most virtually, the Pink Sox merely don’t really feel like he’s value $22.05 million for a 12 months, however are open to a reunion in a extra reasonably priced, albeit multi-year format. (Giolito is predicted to command a three-year deal within the $50-60 million vary.)
Essentially the most beneficiant model of occasions is that the Pink Sox knew Giolito would have extra suitors if he entered free company with out the strings of a QO connected to him. Do you assume the Pink Sox, who simply spent the higher a part of a decade rebuilding their farm system and overhauling participant growth to lastly create some legit depth, are so beneficiant that they may flip down a chance to obtain some draft choose compensation?
2. Do the Pink Sox have extra pitching depth than individuals understand?
Giolito might or might not return to the Pink Sox, however a number of pitchers can be again subsequent 12 months. Among the many gamers reinstated from the 60-day injured record final week had been starters Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, Tanner Houck and Patrick Sandoval. Between them and Cooper Criswell, whom the Pink Sox signed to a totally assured one-year, $800K deal late final week, I feel the pitching division has barely extra depth than individuals understand. Barely.
(Exclude Houck for now; his late-summer Tommy John surgical procedure successfully guidelines him out for many, if not all, of the 2026 season.)
Don’t take any of this to imply the Pink Sox shouldn’t be making an attempt so as to add a starter this winter. They entered this season with way more depth, and had been nonetheless virtually operating on empty by September.
3. Why did Trevor Story choose in, and the way does it impression the Pink Sox?
It wasn’t completely shocking when Story opted into the remaining two years of his six-year, $140 million contract. He feels loyal to the Pink Sox, who caught with him via harm after harm.
But with the present Collective Bargaining Settlement expiring subsequent offseason and the expectation that every one heck will break free within the ensuing negotiations between the league and gamers, it was considerably shocking to see a veteran participant determine to not pursue the safety of a longer-term deal now, after his finest season in practically half a decade.
Might the Pink Sox transfer him to second base, although? I feel so.
There have been questions on Story’s arm holding up on the recreation’s most difficult defensive place when he returned to brief after Xander Bogaerts turned a free agent, and earlier than Story’s elbow surgical procedure in January ’23 and shoulder surgical procedure in April ’24. Those self same doubts poked holes in Story’s in any other case spectacular comeback season this 12 months; he made 19 errors – 5 greater than his earlier career-worst – together with seven errors in his remaining 19 video games. In late September, after his sixth error in a seven-game span, he stated that whereas it was not an excuse, his physique was drained after an extended season.
4. How can the Pink Sox strengthen their catcher setup?
Connor Wong and Carlos Narváez every underwent surgical procedures final month; a proper hand carpal boss excision for the previous and a left knee meniscectomy for the latter. Each are anticipated to be prepared by spring coaching, however are they a robust sufficient pairing to get via one other, hopefully higher Pink Sox season than this one?
Wong solely performed 63 regular-season video games, a pointy decline from the 126 video games he performed in every of the earlier two seasons. This was partly as a result of the rookie Narváez stepped into the on a regular basis position and cemented himself as the first catcher, however largely as a result of Wong’s offensive manufacturing virtually vanished into skinny air.
After a career-best offensive marketing campaign in ’24 when he hit .280 with a .758 OPS, 24 doubles, and a career-highs in hits (125), dwelling runs (13), and RBI (52), Wong batted .190 with a .500 OPS this 12 months. His 32 hits included eight doubles that had been his solely extra-base knocks, and he drove in simply seven runs. Mixed together with his defensive struggles – he ranked within the sixth MLB percentile in Blocks Above Common and twenty first percentile in Caught-Stealing Above Common this season – the image painted just isn’t a fairly one.
5. What ought to we glean from the exodus of scouting and participant growth employees?
Is it a praise, matter of concern, or a mix of each that so many key members of an improved Pink Sox participant growth machine have left within the final two months?
First, assistant common supervisor Paul Toboni, who left to turn into the Washington Nationals’ president of baseball operations in September. He was Pink Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s favourite for a promotion to the vacant GM position, and workforce president and CEO Sam Kennedy described Toboni’s departure as a “brutal loss” for the group.
Pink Sox director of beginner scouting Devin Pearson and discipline coordinator Andrew Wright joined Toboni within the nation’s capital, and Pink Sox director of pitching Justin Willard agreed to turn into the New York Mets’ pitching coach.
It speaks extremely of the Pink Sox that groups need to comply with of their footsteps by luring away their workers. It additionally might say one thing concerning the state of the Sox that so many key contributors are glad to depart.
6. How doubtless is a Pink Sox-Alex Bregman reunion?
The Pink Sox ought to do every thing of their energy to carry Alex Bregman again long-term, however my optimism that it’s going to get achieved is fading by the day.
Which leads us to our seventh and remaining query…
7. Are the Pink Sox lastly able to be ‘THE Pink Sox’ once more?
Sure, the Pink Sox have made some monumental trades (Garrett Crochet), handed out some mega-extensions (Crochet, Roman Anthony), and bought Bregman throughout spring coaching final 12 months.
Nonetheless, these will not be the kind of strikes that outlined the Pink Sox groups that received all of it 4 instances on this century. I’m speaking about daring, big-market, no-limit contracts that verge on outlandish. That’s what it takes to get a deal achieved these days.
Till the Pink Sox present that they’re prepared to get actually uncomfortable with a long-term deal for a free agent place participant, they aren’t all the way in which in on themselves. Bregman’s three-year, $140 million deal had two escape hatches, and it was presumed virtually from the beginning that he would use one in every of them. And so he has!
