#red-sox

#red-sox

The Sox mishandling some plays, including logging their second error in as many games, had me thinking defensive deficits. That was until Marcelo Mayer came through in a big way with a great scoop and throw to first in the late innings.

Sonny Gray takes the mound for the first time as a Red Sox. He's also returning to Cincinnati where he played from 2019-21 but don't expect any drama on that front; he saves his trash talk for the Yankees.

Garrett Whitlock absolutely stood out as a star from his time on the mound in March, though his run ended with heartbreak and fair concerns for the upcoming season.

It's looking increasingly likely that the deal that sent Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros for Wilyer Abreu will be remembered not only as Chaim Bloom's best trade during his tenure at the helm of the Red Sox, but as one of the best trade's in recent baseball memory. Abreu has already won two Gold Gloves and isn't that far off from making the all-star team.

In 2023, Casas, who made his MLB debut the prior season, was something of a revelation at first base. Over 132 games Casas hit .263/.367/.490 with 24 home runs. That's an .856 OPS and 2.2 bWAR and earned him a 3rd place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year race.

The team is incredibly deep in right-handed bullpen options, with Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert, and all more or less already assured of roles and a plethora of non-roster invitees including Vinny Nittoli, Kyle Keller, Osvaldo Bido, and Hobie Harris. From the left side, however, Boston has just three credible options: Aroldis Chapman, Jovani Moran, and Tyler Samaniego. Chapman, of course, is locked into the closer role.

I don't like to speak ill of any player. I'd like to say that he's a wonderful person. But, of course, when we had an injury at first base his unwillingness to play that position was extremely discouraging. It was a discouraging episode. Just pick up a glove.

If you're not familiar with the company that is Fanatics and the monopoly in sports apparel it's built over the last decade or so, the long and short of it is this: the company makes cheap-looking jerseys with little care or quality control, but it dominates the market because it enables the billionaire owners who sign exclusive deals with it to make a teeny-tiny bit more money than they used to.

Manager Alex Cora noted that Narv/Narvi/The Narv did a great job exceeding expectations in 2025, per Gabrielle Starr the Boston Herald, while being "banged up" the entire time. Red Sox Hall of Famer and current team staff member Jason Varitek commended him for his preparation and mindset in the clubhouse. Cora himself ordained him as the team's starting backstop, a call that was all but official leading up to Spring Training.

One thing the sabermetric revolution has taught us is that batting order doesn't matter all that much. At least, not in the traditional sense of putting a speedy runner at the the top, someone who can handle the bat and move him over second, and power hitters in the middle. The general consensus now is that a team's best hitter should hit second with a high-OBP hitter in front of him.

Boston's quest for infield help has been one of their primary offseason storylines, with such names as Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Ketel Marte, Eugenio Suarez, Nico Hoerner, Brendan Donovan and many others reportedly considered as free agent or trade targets. In Donovan's case, Rome and Rosenthal report that the Sox had some negotiations with the Astros and Cardinals about a three-team trade that would've sent Paredes to Boston, Donovan to Houston, and presumably a multi-player prospect package to the rebuilding Cardinals.

Here's a list of unsigned free agent outfielders who hit from the right side of the plate: By the way, that list is ordered by 2025 fWAR, and the only players who posted more than 0.0 wins last year were Andujar (1.1), Marte (0.7), and Pham (0.2). And, oh yeah, Marte and Pham are 37 and 38 years old, respectively.

Yesterday, I wrote that I'm starting to accept the increasingly likely possibility that the Red Sox are not going to add an infielder before opening day, leaving second base to be covered by a platoon of Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton. It seems to me to be a clear case of roster mismanagement to enter the season with holes in the infield while the outfield remains overcrowded (arguably for the second year in a row). And yet, Craig Breslow doesn't seem to mind.

Macdonald, 38, deepened his love for the sport during the Pedro Martinez years. As for his playing career, he said he tore his ACL and "got really slow," which forced him to switch from middle infield to third base. He then pointed out his glasses and said he "had the Harry Potter thing going on" because he "couldn't see the dang ball."

Yes, the man that many Red Sox fans have been shipping out the door in imaginary trade scenarios all offseason is, according to MLB Network, the best left fielder in the game. Of course, the reason why so many fans are keen to ship him out is because of the guy that MLB has at number two on the list - not to mention a couple other guys who will end up on the center and right field lists to be published in a few days.

The Red Sox pivoted quickly after losing out on third baseman Alex Bregman, bringing lefty Ranger Suárez in to join an already deep rotation. They're still in the market for help on the infield, and comments from chief baseball officer Craig Breslow at Suárez's introductory press conference perhaps shed some light on the potential moves they could yet have in store (links ( via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Rob Bradford of WEEI and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic).

Even with Lucas Giolito departing in free agency, the Red Sox have eight to ten viable options. They'll be anchored at the top end by Garrett Crochet, Suárez and Gray. It's unlikely that Boston would flip Oviedo within a few months of giving up a reasonably well-regarded outfield prospect (Jhostynxon Garcia) to acquire him. Beyond that, the Sox could dangle any of their starters on the trade market.

The Red Sox are set to host another edition of Fenway Fest this weekend, which looks to be heavily focused on players, autograph sessions, and stories of the 1986 team. It doesn't appear there will be any sessions with ownership or the front office, which is unfortunate because those have provided some of the most interesting moments in recent offseasons when they got booed to the high heavens.