1+ day, 20+ hour ago (878+ words) " It's going to take a while to find out how the offseason is going to unfold for the Red Sox. The team has said it intends to add another front-line starting pitcher and an impact bat. But in reality, one bat won't be enough. Let's say the Sox are successful in bringing back Alex Bregman, which would be the right move. Simply retaining Bregman won't be enough of an upgrade for the team's lineup, however. That much should be obvious by now. The Sox lacked sufficient power a year ago, and that was never more obvious that in the postseason, when slug becomes even more of a necessity. Retaining Bregman would merely get them back to where they were. They need Bregman and another bat. Or, if Bregman leaves to sign elsewhere, they need to make two additions. They could…...

3+ day, 17+ hour ago (663+ words) Tristan Gray was outside his home hanging Christmas decorations Tuesday when he got a somewhat expected call informing him the Rays had traded him to the Red Sox. He knew, with that day bringing the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from Rule 5 eligibility, that he might be on the move. The destination, though, was a surprise. "Everybody's just super shocked that it was the Red Sox," Gray said on Friday's Fenway Rundown podcast. "I've kind of moved around small market teams, so this is the first big market, big media-centric team that I've been a part of. It's definitely a lot more of a whirlwind than whenever I got picked up by the A's or signed with the Marlins. So it's been pretty crazy." Gray then spoke to some members of Boston's…...

3+ day, 21+ hour ago (1038+ words) If they so chose, the Red Sox could probably position themselves as one of the favorites to trade for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. Skubal will be eligible for free agency after the 2026 season, and while the Tigers haven't given any indication they're shopping Skubal this winter, executives across the game believe they're inclined to, at minimum, listen to offers. There's no precedent in recent years for the Tigers to spend the kind of money it would require to extend Skubal. The last nine-figure commitment by the team came more than a decade ago when the Tigers eight-year, $248 million extension for Miguel Cabrera. Skubal's projected salary for 2026, his final year of arbitration eligibility, is estimated at $17.8 million. That's an affordable number for the Red Sox' projected payroll and, relatively speaking, a bargain for the two-time Cy Young Award winner. Money…...

3+ day, 21+ hour ago (419+ words) In what was largely a procedural move and one that was already telegraphed earlier in the week, the Red Sox did not tender contracts to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and pitcher Josh Winckowski. Last Tuesday, when the team was in need of clearing spots on the 40-man roster in order to protect some prospects from next month's Rule 5 draft, the Red Sox had designated both players for assignment. The decision, then, to non-tender both Friday was a mere formality and made both players free agents, able to sign elsewhere. Lowe, an August acquisition by the Sox after he had been released by the Washington Nationals, appeared in 34 games for the Sox and slashed .280/.370/.420 while hitting two homers and knocked in 16. He was projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026 via salary arbitration, a number the Red Sox didn't see as comparable with…...

4+ day, 9+ hour ago (344+ words) The Red Sox have a promising future and showed reason for optimism in 2025. It was enough for one former MLB general manager to think it's only just beginning of brighter seasons ahead. "If I'm buying stock, I'm buying Red Sox stock right now," Steve Phillips said on MLB Network. "They've got financial flexibility after moving Rafael Devers and with (Alex) Bregman coming off the books. Sure they've got a hole there now, but they could (re-sign) Bregman, and sign Pete Alonso and still be within the money of what they had in their budget this year for Bregman and Devers." Bregman opted out of the final two years of his contract with Boston. He's expected to garner plenty of interest, and it's unclear if he'll return to the Red Sox. Boston has also been linked to first baseman Pete Alonso,…...

4+ day, 9+ hour ago (223+ words) One of the highlight plays for the Red Sox" came in May when Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela teamed up for an improbable catch in the outfield. In the bottom of the seventh inning in a 5-5 game against the Detroit Tigers on the road, Kerry Carpenter hit what looked like was going to be the go-ahead home run. Abreu chased down the ball and jumped up to attempt the catch, but deflected the ball into Rafaela"s glove in alley-oop-like play, who was in the right spot at the right time. "That was really crazy," Abreu said on "Players on Players." "The moment I saw the ball slip from my hands and that you were there to grab it, it was literally right there, and that was crazy. My reaction was too funny because it was something you don"t…...

4+ day, 9+ hour ago (216+ words) Tarik Skubal won his second straight American League Cy Young Award this season, but he had some strong competition in Garrett Crochet. The Red Sox ace finished his first year in Boston with an 18-5 record, 2.59 ERA and 255 strikeouts in 205" innings pitched. He came in second to Skubal, who went 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts in 195" innings pitched for for the Detroit Tigers. "Crochet had a hell of a year, too. I mean, that's kind of who I thought the race was between was, and you can make an argument either way," Skubal said on "Foul Territory." Skubal said he figured he earned his second Cy Young Award after the regular season ended, but didn't discredit anything Crochet accomplished and offered high praise to the ace. Crochet came in second behind Skubal, but proved he can be the ace the Red…...

5+ day, 3+ hour ago (438+ words) Dustin Pedroia spent his 14-year MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, but he could understand why Rafael Devers seemed bothered by the signing of Alex Bregman last offseason. Speaking to WEEI's Rob Bradford on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast, the former Red Sox second baseman admitted he was caught off guard as to why Boston signed second baseman Yoan Moncada two years after Pedroia signed an eight-year extension. "As a player, you're thinking in your mind like, man, I thought I was their guy. I thought they loved me like I love them," he later added. "But that's an emotional reaction right away. And I guarantee you, Raffy had the same reaction when we signed Alex." Moncada was traded in 2016 to the Chicago White Sox in a package for Chris Sale. After they signed Bregman, Devers made it clear…...

6+ day, 4+ hour ago (493+ words) Craig Breslow woke up and chose chaos Tuesday, which was the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster in order to protect them from next month's Rule 5 draft. Instead of making a move or two around the edges, the Red Sox made four trades, added three minor league pitchers to the roster and cut two notable contributors by designating them for assignment. What does it all mean? Here are five thoughts: 1) The Red Sox really need to add left-handed relief help Expect the Red Sox to add a southpaw or two in the mold of what Wilson was last year when the club signed him to a one-year, low money deal in November. The free agent options are plentiful and include Wilson, Matz, Hoby Milner, Sean Newcomb (yes, him), Caleb Thielbar, Danny Coulombe, Gregory Soto, Caleb Ferguson,…...

6+ day, 6+ hour ago (301+ words) The Red Sox have acquired 22-year-old catching prospect Luke Heyman from the Mariners for minor-league pitcher Alex Hoppe, according to a source. It was one of four trades that Boston made Tuesday. The Sox dealt lefty Chris Murphy to the White Sox for minor-league catcher Ronny Hernandez and righty Luis Guerrero to the Rays for infielder Tristan Gray. They also sent left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino to the Rockies for 26-year-old infielder/outfielder Braiden Ward. Seattle selected Heyman, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-handed hitter, in the 14th round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of the University of Florida. He did not appear in any professional games in "25 because he was recovering from a fractured forearm that shortened his final season with the Gators. He batted .301 with a .397 on-base percentage, .578 slugging percentage, .975 OPS, 13 homers, seven doubles, one triple, 44 RBIs, 37 runs, 22 walks and 38 strikeouts in…...