Red Sox still ‘very much engaged’ in trying to add right-handed hitter to lineup

Image courtesy of The Boston Globe

The last roster move the Red Sox made impacting the 40-man roster was back in mid-January when they acquired catcher Blake Sabol from the Giants. Since then, there’s been a lot of talk about the possibility of Boston signing Alex Bregman, and recently trade talks with the Cardinals and third baseman Nolan Arenado have resurfaced.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is reportedly still looking to add to his roster, calling it “incomplete” ahead of the start of spring training.

“We’re still very much engaged in trying to bring in a right-handed hitter, obviously one that we think can be a difference-maker,” Breslow said on the Fenway Rundown podcast with Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam. “We haven’t been able to line up (on that) yet, but the offseason is still underway. I think it’s fair to say that in some respects, maybe the roster is a bit incomplete. But we’re going to continue to work really hard to try to round it out.

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“The focus has continued to be on building a roster that can compete for the division and for the postseason in 2025,” he said, “and make sure that we’re balancing that with a look toward the longer term. I think the difference (in January) is that we obviously haven’t been able to get transactions across the line. But in terms of the day-to-day work and engagement and conversations, it hasn’t really been a whole lot different outside of that most important last step.”

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Bregman is looking for a five or six-year deal, which he won’t get from the Red Sox, and the Cardinals are trying to shed payroll and are desperately trying to move Arenado. Both players are on Breslow’s dashboard, but he has yet to strike a deal for either player.

Breslow wouldn’t get into specifics as to where Bregman or Arenado would play if either is added to the Red Sox 26-man roster. You can assume that Bregman would play second base; he has been open to moving off third base for the right situation, and Arenado would likely play the hot corner with Rafael Devers shifting to designated hitter. That would also cause an issue as to where Masataka Yoshida would play, unless Boston is able to trade him or they cut bait and designate him for assignment. Unless the club has a deal for Triston Casas, but subtracting from the lineup before the start of camp makes no sense.

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“We’re open-minded,” Breslow said. “We’ve talked about versatility; we’ve talked about opportunities to improve infield defense. We do feel like we have a very strong outfield defense, but I think we’ll be open-minded. Ultimately, some of this—or a significant portion of this—is going to be driven by balancing the lineup and the damage that can be done in the right side of the batter’s box.”

Boston has added to their pitching depth in Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, Aroldis Chapman, and Justin Wilson. Breslow has not yet signed a positional player to a big league deal, and he continues to receive much-warranted criticism from the media and fans alike.

“I understand the criticism. But at the same time, my job is to put the most competitive team on the field that I possibly can,” he said. “I think that we are taking the meaningful steps toward doing that. Some come at the cost of dollars. Some come at the cost of really talented young players that we needed to trade away. Ultimately, I think the barometer for our success is going to be where we finish in the standings. That is absolutely the way that it should be.

“Whether or not there’s an appetite or the resources are available for the right player, the answer is yes. I have to balance the kind of urgency and immediacy that Sam (Kennedy) spoke about with the responsibility to build a competitive team that’s capable of accomplishing what we’d like to accomplish in 2025, but also beyond.”

A lot of Breslow’s comments have been a word salad, talking in circles and not truly addressing the questions at hand. When it comes to the addition to a right-handed hitter, something he said would be addressed numerous times during the offseason, Breslow has continued to strike out.

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“There’s probably a little bit of both in reality in that we were able to make some significant transactions and bring in guys,” Breslow said. “We don’t have control over the timing of the offseason, and if that Crochet trade had come together two weeks ago, then there could be a different feeling right now. But I would absolutely balance that with frustration for there being players that we’ve pursued or conversations in trades that we felt like were getting some momentum but ultimately didn’t work out. Unfortunately, that’s the reality of an offseason.”

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It’s easy to say after the fact nothing materialized and “that’s the reality of an offseason,” however, fans are not accepting that notion, and it’s still the responsibility of Breslow to make the appropriate moves to fill out the Red Sox 26-man roster.

Boston is still looking at the trade market and has talked to multiple teams regarding trades in recent weeks, including the Cardinals and Padres. Until then, the Red Sox’ roster remains incomplete, and there’s a whole lot of words coming out of Breslow’s mouth but nothing to show for it.

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