It’s been quite a few years since you could consider the Red Sox a “complete” team, as they finished last in the American League East in three of the last four seasons.
Boston manager Alex Cora believes his team will get back on track in 2024, however.
The Red Sox already have undergone some pretty significant change this offseason, hiring Craig Breslow as their new chief baseball officer after dismissing Chaim Bloom prior to the end of the 2023 season. It’s now up to Breslow to build a winner, with free agency already in full swing.
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Cora envisions it’ll be a busy period for the Red Sox.
“I do believe when Opening Day comes, you’re going to see the team and it’s going to be a complete team — and this is from (Rafael Devers) to the 26th guy,” Cora said in an appearance on “The Name Redacted Podcast” on Thursday. “I think where we’re at, we can go different ways. We know that, but having a complete team is going to be important for us.
” … I do believe there’s going to be decisions in spring training where people are like, ‘What?!’ That’s because (we’ll be in) a better spot talent-wise.”
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It’s become clear that Boston is in need of starting pitching, but Cora made sure to focus on the offense when speaking about how much better he believes the Red Sox can be. He focused on players returning from injuries when discussing where the team will be to start the year.
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“I think guys like Jarren (Duran), Raffy, (Triston) Casas, Trevor (Story) — we know that Trevor is the key to the offense in a sense,” Cora said. “We’ll see what happens in other situations, but I do believe you can feel comfortable that when Opening Day comes, (we’re) going to be in a good spot. It should be fun. It should be good.”
Story, in particular, has been disappointing since arriving to Boston, but this will be his first full offseason in more than three years. That has many optimistic about what he can do moving forward, while Casas’ breakthrough second half is something Red Sox fans’ dreams are made of. Devers also is expected to bounce back from an oddly quiet season, while Duran’s entering a make-or-break year.
There’s certainly plenty to be excited about, but that’s only if the Red Sox make a concerted effort at improving their weaknesses from recent seasons. It’s nice to know Cora believes they will.
Featured image via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images
