One final heptad for the lengthy and winding street that was 2025 …
1. Will the Purple Sox spend a greenback in free company earlier than the brand new yr?
As of seven p.m. Saturday, the Purple Sox and Colorado Rockies have been the one golf equipment and not using a single greenback spent in free company this offseason.
Fairly the pair of peas in a pod: one of many biggest-market groups on the earth and a perennial also-ran.
The ‘Why’ – or reasonably, ‘Why not’ – of Purple Sox spending has been mentioned and dissected to a particle stage: they have been aggressive however outbid; they’ve made a number of trades; they have been over the posh tax this yr; they don’t like long-term offers; they really feel assured with the roster they’ve. And so forth and so forth.
None of those causes – or excuses – actually matter. This membership has wants and there are free brokers who can fill them. If the Purple Sox need to be taken critically as a big-market franchise once more – and area a greater workforce – they may make one thing occur.
2. Do the Purple Sox’s possibilities of re-signing Alex Bregman enhance or worsen as the times go by?
The Purple Sox performed the ready recreation with Bregman final offseason, and he lastly fell into their lap someday after pitchers and catchers reported to spring coaching.
After seeing how Bregman contributed to the workforce this season, each on the sphere and within the clubhouse, I used to be cautiously optimistic the Purple Sox could be aggressive in retaining him. Particularly as a result of Bregman made it clear how a lot he loved not solely being a part of the Purple Sox, however making a house in Boston along with his household.
As an alternative, Bregman is drawing much more curiosity than final yr, and the Purple Sox someway appear much more hesitant to spend.
Idiot me twice, disgrace on me, I assume.
3. Are the Sox actually going to enter a season with 4 beginning outfielders?
Till the MLB Winter Conferences earlier this month, it appeared a foregone conclusion that the Purple Sox would transfer both Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, or Ceddanne Rafaela, or discover one other manner of guaranteeing an on a regular basis defensive position for Roman Anthony.
Then once more, when Abreu and Anthony suffered prolonged accidents late in the summertime, the Purple Sox have been grateful to have a surplus of outfielders.
4. What’s going to occur to Masataka Yoshida?
The present Purple Sox roster isn’t conducive to an on a regular basis designated hitter, however with the aforementioned quartet of outfielders, that may be Yoshida’s seemingly position.
If the final two seasons are any indication, it would solely hamstring the ‘26 Purple Sox.
Yoshida served because the DH in ‘24 as a result of a shoulder damage prevented him from enjoying a defensive place. When Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill wanted to DH after their April outfield collision, Yoshida was sidelined for a number of video games. It occurred time and again as different teammates returned from accidents and borrowed Yoshida’s job.
Forcing Rafael Devers into the identical position final season created an identical logjam. It blocked Yoshida and, for the week between Anthony’s debut and the Devers commerce, made it troublesome to suit the rookie star and the remainder of the outfielders into the lineup.
What could be totally different this yr? If Willson Contreras is the first first baseman and Yoshida the DH, the place does that go away Triston Casas when he returns from his knee damage?
5. What can Roman Anthony do over a full MLB season?
Hopefully we’re about to search out out.
Extrapolating from Anthony’s truncated rookie season, it’s thrilling to consider the influence he could make over a 162-game marketing campaign. Between his June 9 debut and season-ending indirect pressure on Sept. 2, he hit .292 with a .859 OPS in 71 video games. From June 16 – when he performed the seventh recreation of his profession and hit his first big-league dwelling run – till the top, he hit .308, received on base at a .412 clip and slugged .488.
The Purple Sox most likely defeat the Yankees within the Wild Card sequence if Anthony is wholesome.
What’s subsequent for the latest face of the Purple Sox? Anthony’s first profession multi-homer recreation? First All-Star choice? First postseason?
6. Will the Purple Sox commerce Brayan Bello?
In keeping with The Athletic, the Purple Sox have “quietly shopped” Brayan Bello, their 26-year-old homegrown right-hander.
The Purple Sox signed Pedro Martinez’s protege to a team-friendly extension via ‘29 in March ‘24, with a membership choice for the ‘30 season.
Whereas there’s definitely depth within the Purple Sox beginning pitching ranks, a lot of it’s unproven within the Boston market. Sonny Grey and Johan Oviedo determine to make the rotation out of spring coaching, however each have been acquired this offseason. Patrick Sandoval missed his total first season with the membership final yr as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgical procedure. Kutter Crawford is predicted to have a traditional spring coaching after lacking all of final yr attributable to knee and wrist accidents, however his observe report is much from spectacular. Lefty rookies Payton Tolle and Connelly Early have seven profession MLB regular-season begins between them.
Bello confirmed vital enchancment this yr, posting a career-best 3.35 ERA over 29 video games (28 begins). Nonetheless, his 4.19 FIP, the metric which measures a pitcher’s effectiveness no matter his workforce’s protection, was equivalent to the earlier season, which suggests he benefitted from higher fielding.
But regardless of the inconsistent, typically underwhelming beginnings of Bello’s profession, he has been extra sturdy than most Purple Sox starters in current historical past. He tossed a career-high 166.2 innings this yr, his third consecutive season with not less than 157 innings pitched; the final Purple Sox pitchers to succeed in 157 innings not less than 3 times, consecutively or in any other case, have been Rick Porcello and Clay Buchholz, who final pitched for the membership in ‘19 and ‘14, respectively.
Availability is all the time a very powerful metric in my ebook.
7. What was your favourite Purple Sox second of 2025?
For me, it’s laborious to high attending to witness Ceddanne Rafaela’s playoff berth-clinching walk-off and the following clubhouse celebrations. The October run was brief, however an incredible honor to cowl.
Electronic mail me and let me know your favorites. Joyful new yr!
