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After Willson Contreras trade, what’s next for ‘incomplete’ Red Sox roster?
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- After Willson Contreras trade, what’s next for ‘incomplete’ Red Sox roster?
As Christmas approaches, the Red Sox have knocked off most of the items on their offseason shopping lists. The early offseason trades for starters Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo fortified the rotation, more than a handful of smaller swaps were made to change out the back end of the roster and on Sunday, Craig Breslow added an impact bat by sending three pitchers to the Cardinals for Willson Contreras , a three-time All-Star who projects as the starting first baseman.
So far this offseason, Breslow has made 10 trades, including sizable ones to obtain Gray, Contreras and Oviedo, a creative prospect-for-prospect swap that sent Luis Perales to Washington for Jake Bennett and fringe moves that have seen Brennan Bernardino , Chris Murphy , Luis Guerrero , Vaughn Grissom and Cooper Criswell exit the organization while Ryan Watson, Tristan Gray and Tyler Sanamiego entered it. There have also been the free agent departures of Steven Matz, Dustin May and on Monday, Rob Refsnyder . A group that already looks much different than the one that took the field for the final time in the Bronx on October 2 will be even more unrecognizable when spring training opens in mid-February.
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“We’re still looking for any opportunity to improve our team,” said Breslow, keeping all options open. “We feel like we’ve got a competitive team and one that’s capable of a postseason run. But we also recognize that, at this point, the roster is probably incomplete, and it doesn’t make any sense to turn off specific paths to improving. We’ll continue to look in free agency and look into trade markets for ways to get better.”
Boston ’s main goal — one Breslow described as both a “target” and “priority” Monday night in a Zoom call with reporters — is adding more offense to a lineup fortified by the addition of Contreras on Sunday. With the outfield overcrowded and three other positions (catcher, first base and shortstop) seemingly set, the Red Sox would seem to have room for a significant addition at either second base or third base. The pitching side of the roster, for now, is a secondary concern.
“I think our focus is pretty firmly on the position player side right now,” Breslow said. “But that’s not to say that we are engaged in conversations around some additional pitching. Exactly what that looks like, I’m not sure. But there will probably be opportunities to add to the bullpen, to round out that group a little bit. As always, if there are chances to improve the rotation, we’re going to take a look at that as well.
Speaking to people with the Red Sox, it’s clear that Plan A, at this point in the winter, is locking down a reunion with Alex Bregman , though the sides have yet to line up on a deal to this point. With teams like the Cubs, Diamondbacks and Blue Jays in the mix for Bregman, it’s no guarantee that he does return, though as MassLive reported Sunday night, the Sox remain hopeful — while not necessarily optimistic or pessimistic — that common ground can eventually be found with Bregman . Re-signing Bregman and installing him at third base is perhaps the cleanest way to finish off the heavy lifting of the offseason. In that scenario, a platoon of Marcelo Mayer and Romy Gonzalez (who can also play other positions) would make sense at second base. External pursuits at second ( St. Louis ’ Brendan Donovan and Arizona ’s Ketel Marte ) are still in play but seemingly secondary to the Bregman pursuit at this point. If Bregman signs elsewhere, a pivot to Bo Bichette , who would play second base, is possible.
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Breslow mentioned Gonzalez, Mayer and David Hamilton as the top internal options at second while reiterating that the Sox hope to play Ceddanne Rafaela in center, not the infield.
“If we’re able to acquire someone that takes an everyday job (at second), then that can certainly improve our team,” Breslow said. “But at the same time, there are guys who have moved around and shown that they can be good major league players.”
In the trades he has already made, Breslow has dealt 15 players, including young starters Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts , three top-10 organizational prospects (Luis Perales, Jhostynxon Garcia and Yhoiker Fajardo) and other talented young players like Jesus Travieso and Brandon Clarke. The club also lost righty Jedixson Paez to the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft . The way that the offseason has unfolded has not yet decimated Boston’s strong core of good young players, but it has surely put a large ding in the farm system’s depth. With that said, Breslow hinted that a free agent addition might be preferred because it requires only the spending of cash — and not forfeiting more young talent.
“It’s hard to perfectly handicap what those chances are until you have the opportunities in front of you,” he said. “That said, my job is to be mindful of balancing the short-term and the long-term, and there’s only so much that you can dig into your system and trade before you start to impact your ability to sustain success over time.
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“Free agency is part of the equation here. It’s been part of the recipe for success for a really long time. I anticipate that will continue.”
The biggest question looming over the rest of the Red Sox’ winter comes down to finances. With the addition of Contreras (and his competitive balance tax hit, which is valued at $17.25 million in each of the next two years), the club is projected to be right near the first CBT threshold of $244 million. Earlier in the offseason, as MassLive reported, the industry sense was that the Sox would be reluctant to surpass the second threshold, valued at $264 million, and incur further penalties . A major addition of someone like Bregman or Bichette would require that step, meaning the Red Sox could look to trade someone else ( Masataka Yoshida ? Jarren Duran ? Patrick Sandoval?) to dump some salary. Unsurprisingly, Breslow didn’t want to discuss payroll Monday.
“I think you know I’m not going to get into conversations around budgets or thresholds,” he said, “outside of saying that I’m going to do everything that I can. Our front office, with the support of ownership, is going to do everything we can to build the best team possible. That’s what we’re working off of.”
The Red Sox have time on their side when it comes to further roster moves. Monday marks seven weeks before the official start of spring training, and plenty of good free agents and trade candidates remain unmoved. Even after everything they’ve already done, expect the Red Sox to be active.
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It’s clear Breslow and the Red Sox are comfortable with the idea of Gray as the club’s No. 2 starter before Opening Day, though Breslow runs the front office in a pitching-obsessed manner and will surely keep bandying about potential pickups with trade candidates like Kansas City ’s Cole Ragans , Milwaukee ’s Freddy Peralta and others available. A veteran addition (or two) to the bullpen would make sense and the Red Sox have checked in on a ton of available relievers, including Seranthony Dominguez , Danny Coulombe and others. The club is still open to moving an outfielder like Duran or Abreu for the right price and could add a major league piece or two that way.
As the calendar turns to 2026, though, the main focus is clear.
“I think that there’s an opportunity to add another bat to the roster and complement the group that we have right now,” Breslow said.
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