The Winter Conferences are within the books, and with a number of of the offseason’s huge names off the market, the Pink Sox should now look forward as they give the impression of being to finish their roster for 2026.
Who’s nonetheless on the market and what’s going to the Pink Sox do subsequent? We reply your questions in at the moment’s Pink Sox mailbag.
Do you assume the Sox ought to bid on Kazuma Okamoto? If that’s the case what may the bid and his contract appear to be? — Scott L.
For individuals who aren’t acquainted, Okamoto is a 29-year-old, a six-time Nippon Skilled Baseball All-Star and has hit 248 house runs in 11 skilled seasons courting again to 2015. The nook infielder has tallied six consecutive seasons with 30 or extra house runs between 2018-23, and this previous 12 months he batted .327 with 15 homers and a 1.014 OPS regardless of taking part in simply 69 video games as a consequence of an elbow harm.
Okamoto additionally bats right-handed, which might be a plus for the Pink Sox, and his profession strikeout charge (17.7%) and stroll charge (10.7%) counsel he must be able to making the transition to MLB with out an excessive amount of issue.
MLB Commerce Rumors projects Okamoto will land a four-year, $64 million deal.
Ought to the Pink Sox attempt to signal him? I believe that can rely closely on whether or not or not Alex Bregman returns.
With Bregman on board Okamoto would function Boston’s main first baseman till Triston Casas is able to return. As soon as that occurs Okamoto and Casas would both platoon at first or Casas would shift to full-time designated hitter obligation. That will additionally necessitate some type of transfer with Masataka Yoshida, however we’ll go away that to the aspect for now.
In that case my intuition can be no. I’m undecided Okamoto’s ceiling is excessive sufficient to justify the funding, and his presence may make the roster much more unwieldy than it already is. If Bregman returns my choice can be a commerce for Ketel Marte or another person who may play second base.
If Bregman indicators elsewhere, nonetheless, it’s a very completely different story.
With out the three-time All-Star, the Pink Sox can be perilously skinny on the nook infield spots, seeing as they’d possible be relying on Casas and Marcelo Mayer because the starters. Promising as each of them are, Casas and Mayer have extraordinarily checkered harm observe data, so counting on them to remain wholesome and not using a rock strong Plan B can be reckless.
Okamoto on the very least tasks as a strong beginning caliber MLB infielder with sufficient pop to assist offset a few of what the membership would lose from Bregman. I’d a lot slightly have him than Eugenio Suarez, who hits bombs however contributes little else, and I’d actually choose Okamoto to his countryman, Munetaka Murakami, whose profile is sort of a carbon copy of Casas’ and whose sky-high strikeout charge is a serious pink flag.
Ought to they contemplate a six-man rotation? — Nico
You might make a case for it, however I doubt that’s going to occur.
Final 12 months there was a lot discuss utilizing a six-man rotation heading into the season, however by the point spring started accidents started piling up and the Pink Sox by no means truly had a full six-man group wholesome on the similar time. This 12 months the membership arguably has near a dozen candidates for the rotation, however even with the elevated depth there are a number of explanation why a six-man rotation doesn’t make sense for this workforce.
For one, huge league starters are creatures of behavior, and most choose to stay with a standard five-day schedule. Going to a six-man rotation would give everybody extra relaxation, sure, however it will additionally imply fewer begins by your greatest starters over the course of the season, which is one other disadvantage.
The Pink Sox are additionally going to wish to maintain as lots of their starters stretched out as potential, so whoever isn’t moved to the bullpen will possible be stored on a traditional schedule pitching out of the WooSox rotation.
So whereas I wouldn’t rule it out utterly, I’d be stunned if the Pink Sox finally decide to go that route.
Are the Sox anticipating Triston Casas might be full go when spring coaching opens? — @ABQPatriotsFan on Bluesky
It’s nonetheless not clear what we should always count on out of Casas. Since final season ended Pink Sox officers have stated they imagine Casas may very well be prepared for spring coaching, however Craig Breslow notably didn’t decide to him because the membership’s first baseman and earlier this week Alex Cora didn’t give a timetable when requested about him in an MLB Network interview.
In that very same interview Cora stated Casas has been in Fort Myers all offseason and in addition that they’ve “bought to get him wholesome,” which clearly implies he’s not again to full power simply but.
Given the seriousness of his harm and his well being observe document basically courting again to his minor league days, the Pink Sox are going to take issues very rigorously with Casas. My guess is when camp begins Casas will ramp up slowly and I’d be shocked if he seems in any video games till not less than halfway via the Grapefruit League schedule.
Within the meantime, we’ll possible get one other replace subsequent month when the workforce is again collectively in Boston for Fenway Fest. By that time hopefully the workforce could have some readability on what it could actually count on out of the younger slugger.
I do know Vaughn Grissom bought harm and didn’t carry out effectively in his transient trial, however why did the Pink Sox hand over on him so utterly and rapidly? — @Idaho-Man on Bluesky
Two issues occurred with Grissom that led to his downfall. One, whereas he was coping with all of his maladies in 2024, Kristian Campbell burst onto the scene and supplanted him within the membership’s long-term plans. Then, when Campbell was going via his personal struggles, Grissom was unable to say his case.
It’s straightforward to neglect that at the moment final 12 months Campbell was coming off one of many best offensive seasons by a minor leaguer in current historical past. He wasn’t simply good, he was traditionally dominant. So when the Pink Sox signed Campbell to his eight-year extension, the writing was on the wall for Grissom. He was introduced in to be the membership’s second baseman of the longer term, and now the Pink Sox had been going all-in on another person.
The factor that separated Campbell from Grissom was how onerous he’s able to hitting the ball. When he’s at his greatest Campbell possesses elite bat velocity which permits him to generate some unbelievable exit velocities. Grissom, in the meantime, has by no means hit the ball significantly onerous and even after two years within the group he was unable to totally notice the positive factors the Pink Sox hoped to see.
It’s telling that by the top of final season, when the Pink Sox roster was decimated by harm, Grissom by no means earned a call-up. Now he’ll get a change of surroundings in Los Angeles, the place he ought to get one other likelihood to show himself on the huge league degree.
Will any of the Rule 5 guys make a mark with the membership? — SF Native on Bluesky
Ryan Watson will completely have an opportunity to play a serious function on this 12 months’s bullpen.
Despite the fact that he was technically acquired in a commerce, Watson continues to be a Rule 5 choose who should stay on the Pink Sox’s huge league roster all of subsequent season. Breslow spoke glowingly about him following his acquisition and acknowledged they’d been making an attempt to commerce for him for the reason that summer season, so the membership clearly believes he can provide the bullpen a lift.
If he seems something like Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten, each former Rule 5 picks themselves, Watson could become some of the impactful additions of the offseason.
As for the minor league Rule 5 additions — Caden Vire, Matthew Lloyd and Raudelis Martinez — I wouldn’t depend on any of them contributing on the huge league degree anytime quickly. Minor league Rule 5 picks normally present organizational depth and assist fill gaps, but it surely isn’t unparalleled for guys to exceed expectations and earn a call-up.
Mickey Gasper is an ideal current instance, and the Pink Sox had been in a position to capitalize on his ascendance by flipping him for left-hander Jovani Moran, who proper now tasks as one of many high lefty candidates to earn a spot in subsequent 12 months’s bullpen.
