“Because of the depth we’ve built over the last couple of years, we feel pretty good about starting pitching overall, maybe No. 3 through No. 10,” Breslow said. “And that’s not to take away from guys who are certainly capable of doing more, and more to say I don’t think we’re going to spend a lot of time adding a No. 4, No. 5 starter.”
That makes sense, given the guys currently on the roster. Garrett hook It gives the club a clear lead, but there is also a notable gap with the rest of the group. Brayan Bello is probably the second man on paper at this point, but he’s not really the kind of dominant force you think of for those types of roles. He has a low-strikeout and high-grounder profile that should make him more of a solid back-end guy than a front-of-rotation killer.
Behind him are guys like Cuts Crawford, Cooper Criswell, Tanner Houck, Patrick Sandoval, Kyle Harrison, Payton Tolle, Connelly asked and others. Crawford has some intriguing numbers, but his ERA has been above 4.00 each of the last two seasons. Criswell is a low strikeout swingman. Houck had Tommy John surgery in August and will miss most or all of 2026, meaning he may go undrafted. Sandoval missed the entire 2025 season due to his own elbow surgery. Harrison, Tolle and Early are all intriguing young players, but they are not yet established at the big league level.
Given the question marks in that group, it is understandable that the club is looking for a surefire upgrade. It may also explain why the club have not made a qualifying offer to Righty Luke Giolitowho is now a free agent. Giolito posted a 3.41 ERA with the Sox this year, but his 19.7% strikeout rate was subpar. He benefited from a .273 batting average on balls in play and a 76.7% beach percentage, both of which were on the lucky side. His 4.17 FIP and 4.65 SIERA suggested he deserved worse. He also ended the season on the injured list with an elbow problem. Bringing him back would likely come down to adding another No. 4 or No. 5 starter, as Breslow put it.
The Sox certainly feel like they can and should do better. They were connected Joe Ryan from the Twins before the deadline and perhaps they will reconsider that endeavor. Ryan has a career ERA of 3.79 with a 27.6% strikeout rate and a 5.7% walk rate. The Twins appear to be doing a reset of sorts and only have Ryan under control through 2027, so he could be available this winter. Other impact starters that may be available on the trading bloc include MacKenzie Gore, Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara and others.
Acquiring any of these players would mean giving up talented prospects or big-league players. The Sox not long ago had one of the best farm systems in baseball, but they traded some notable talent to the White Sox in the Crochet deal and also graduated some of their top players to the majors.
An easier path would be to simply sign a free agent. This winter’s market has notable names such as Dylan stops, Framber Valdez, Tatsuya Imai, Ranger Suarez, Michael King, Brandon Woodruff and others. Those players would cost more financially than the trade targets, but wouldn’t require the Sox to give up their prospects, although everyone in that group except Imai rejected a qualifying offer, meaning the Sox would hurt their prospect pipeline in some other way.
Breslow also pointed to a plan on the offensive side of things. “There’s just something about a bat in the middle of the lineup that forces another team to create a game plan, which has a compounding effect on the rest of the roster,” Breslow said. “So we haven’t floundered nearly as much as I think we can, or we will, and we’ll pursue opportunities to improve that.”
Through the entire 2025 season, the Sox finished ninth in the majors in slugging percentage and tenth in isolation power. They’ve also lost some key bats in recent months. They acted Rafael Devers to the Giants’ midseason. Alex Bregman Last week he opted out of his deal and became a free agent.
There are a lot of potential options in free agency, although the Sox have a crowded outfield. The most logical places to add are the infield corners. Bregman’s departure leaves third base open. There is a question mark on first base Triston Casas still injured. Nathaniel Lowe He held that spot by the end of the 2025 season, but he might not be tendered this month.
Bringing back Bregman would be a simple solution, although it’s unclear whether the Sox want to commit to him long-term. He is likely hoping for a longer deal this time, after settling for a three-year, opt-out treaty last time. Besides Bregman, there are other corner infield free agents with big bats Munetaka Murakami, Pete Alonso, Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor, Ryan O’Hearn and others. Willson Contreras And Christian Walker could be available on the trading market.
The free agent market has that too Kyle Schwarberwho previously had a brief stint with the Sox, including a memorable stint at first base. However, it may be difficult to outbid the Phillies. There’s also the fact that Schwarber hits left-handed and Boston’s lineup is already loaded with lefties.
“In a perfect world, I think we would want to balance the lineup a little bit,” Breslow said on the subject. “That said, if you can hit the ball out of the park, it doesn’t really matter.” Murakami, Naylor and O’Hearn are also left-handed, while Alonso, Suárez, Contreras and Walker are right-handed.
It’s unclear what the Red Sox plan to spend on the 2026 roster. According to Grid sourcein 2025, the club had a payroll of $207 million, but a competitive tax number of $245 million. RR projects these figures at $180 million and $216 million in 2026. Lowe and Houck not tendering would add more than $17 million in additional headroom.
One part of the selection where Breslow does not want to make major changes is the shortstop position. Per Christopher Smith from MassLiveBreslow said that Trevor story will be the shortstop next year. Story recently decided not to terminate his contract. He signs until 2027 with a club option for 2028.
After being injured for most of his first three seasons in Boston, Story had a nice return to form in 2025 despite a slow start. He hit .289/.334/.492 for a 124 wRC+ after the month of May. However, his defensive numbers throughout the season were not great. He was given minus-7 defensive runs saved and minus-9 outs above average. Still, Breslow and the Sox plan to keep Story on the market next year.
There aren’t many great options for external upgrades. Bo Bichette is the top free agent, but he will be expensive and his defense was worse than Story’s this year. Hi Seong Kim is a solid defender, but his offense wasn’t great in his first season after shoulder surgery. C.J. Abrams may be the best trade candidate, but isn’t a great defender either.
Internally there is an argument for trying it Marcelo Mayer In short, Story moved up to second place, although Mayer is still fairly unproven. He hit just .228/.272/.402 in his first 136 at-bats in the big leagues. He missed more than a month due to a right wrist sprain.
Breslow also spoke about Mayer, saying he needs to add strength. “[Getting stronger] will just help him manage the workload of a full season and just be able to meet the demands of a full season, which is honestly something he hasn’t been able to do,” said Breslow, according to Healey. “And some of those were just kind of freak injuries, but others seem to be maybe just the accumulation of workload.” With Story moving back to shortstop, Mayer could find playing time at second or third depending on what moves the Sox make this winter.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images
#Breslow #Red #Sox #starter #front #midrange #bat