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Is Red Sox roster better right now than last year’s? Craig Breslow answers
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- Is Red Sox roster better right now than last year’s? Craig Breslow answers
BOSTON — The Red Sox certainly improved their starting rotation this offseason, signing free agent Ranger Suárez and trading for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo .
But Boston also lost some right-handed hitting production (and infield defense) with third baseman Alex Bregman leaving for the Cubs and fourth outfielder Rob Refsnyder signing with the Mariners .
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Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is still looking to add players, including acquiring an infielder and possibly a left-handed reliever. But does Breslow think the roster, as it stands right now, is as good or better than last year's?
"I think the improvements we made on the pitching side are significant," Breslow said Wednesday at Suárez's introductory press conference. "It can be difficult at times to fully appreciate the impact of having dominant starting pitching. But going into a game feeling like we can just play our game offensively and on the bases because our pitching is going to keep us in the game is such a huge advantage for the team. I think no matter who we're playing on any given day, we're going to feel like we've got a chance to win."
The Red Sox replaced Bregman's right-handed power by trading for first baseman Willson Contreras . However, the team struggled to hit for power even with Bregman in the lineup at times last year. Boston belted the third-fewest home runs among major league teams during the final two months. So it has been pretty clear since Bregman opted out of his contract that Breslow should add two hitters, not just one.
The Sox would be best served to add an infielder who's able to contribute offensively while also playing average-to-plus defense. They can't just acquire an offensive-minded infielder after assembling such an elite starting rotation. They need someone who can make plays. As Breslow said Wednesday, "I don't think there's a question anymore that the identity of our team, the strength of our team is going to be our pitching and our ability to prevent runs."
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Without Bregman, a 2024 Gold Glover, an argument could be made that the infield defense is worse than last year. That said, Marcelo Mayer has the ability to be a plus defender at multiple positions and could replace Bregman's defensive production if Boston were to decide to sign a second baseman.
The Red Sox also could put Mayer at second base if acquiring a third baseman makes more sense. Mayer has the ability to play plus defense at second, too. Many unknowns still remain, and Breslow hasn't committed to Mayer being the everyday player at one of those two infield spots.
"Defense is a significant contributor to run prevention," Breslow said. "We tend to get caught up in the pitching side of this but there are other key components as well. Defense being the most obvious. And so it's really important that we improve our defense, particularly our infield defense. I would argue we have the best defensive outfield in baseball, but we led the league in errors last year and our out-conversion needs to be improved. I think there are some things that we've already started to do internally to reprioritize that but also any additions that we may make, we'll be very mindful of the defensive skill set."
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