Red Sox’s Four Biggest Needs As Craig Breslow Navigates First Offseason

In his first offseason in the front office with the Boston Red Sox, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow inherits a team with clear needs and the chance to be extremely active this winter.

Boston has finished in last place in three of the last four seasons. Despite those shortcomings, additions in a handful of areas could have the Red Sox return to contention in 2024.

With work to do as the offseason truly gets rolling, here are four areas of need for Craig Breslow to address with the Red Sox.

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1. Starting Pitching
The answer is simple: If the Red Sox do not add pitching, they will not win.

Boston absolutely needs two frontline starters to lead their rotation forward. Brayan Bello, Chris Sale and Kutter Crawford can compete for the Red Sox starting at the No. 3 spot in the rotation.

Boston did not have a single starting pitcher post an ERA under 4.00 last season. Only Bello pitched more than 150 innings. In short, the Red Sox starting staff failed to go deep into games, struggled to find consistency and taxed a talented bullpen down the stretch. Boston will need to find two arms that can dominate at the top of the rotation to ignite the club’s ability to compete.

Luckily, there are multiple starters available through free agency for the Red Sox to identify (at least) two to pursue. Potential names to watch will include Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Sonny Gray, Corbin Burnes and George Kirby.

2. Right-handed hitting outfielder
The good news for the Red Sox is that they have several solid outfield options. The bad news is that they probably have too many options and most of them are left-handed hitters.

The roster currently features the talents of Alex Verdugo, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida and Rob Refsnyder. Out of that group, Boston will have to decide who fits into the future of the roster with balance.

As a result, maybe a reunion with free agent Adam Duvall makes sense for the Red Sox. The veteran offers power as a right-handed hitter and can hold his own defensively.

While “need” may not be the word to describe Boston’s outfield situation, Boston will need to reprioritize talent within this position group.

3. Second baseman
The Red Sox have not had a steady presence at second base since Dustin Pedroia’s last full season in 2017. In the span since, Boston has had a growing list of fill-in players at the position.

This offseason would be a great time to find a consistent player at the position. Whoever that may be does not even have to be a long-term solution if the plan is eventually for Trevor Story or Marcelo Mayer to move to second when the top prospect makes his way to the majors.

A player such as Whit Merrifield, a veteran who also hits right-handed, would fit the mold of a productive, short-term solution while giving the Red Sox stability up the middle that they have lacked for six years.

4. Left-handed reliever
When rested, the Red Sox showed that they have a high-powered bullpen with the ability to shorten games. The core of Josh Winckowski, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen excelled late in games. If played correctly, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck could find their form again as exceptional relievers in 2024. Once again, this group will need balance as well.

Brennan Bernardino served as an unexpected contributor in 2023. Now, he is the only set-in-stone lefty in the bullpen after the team declined Joely Rodriguez’s 2024 option after injuries kept him off the mound for most of the season. Chris Murphy, Joe Jacques and Brandon Walter all filled in at times, though Boston would be serving itself well to find another left-hander out of the bullpen.

External options such as Matt Moore, Wandy Peralta, Andrew Chafin and Will Smith could make sense for the Red Sox to explore as another lefty reliever.