Three Red Sox Takeaways After MLB Winter Meetings

As the MLB winter meetings in Nashville have come and gone, the Boston Red Sox still have plenty of work to do this offseason.

Though they were linked to several players throughout the course of the three days, the only tangible big league move for the Red Sox came when they traded outfielder Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees in exchange for three pitchers. Ultimately, Boston still has to get started on addressing their needs this winter.

As goes for the majority of other teams in the sport, there is still plenty of time to make impact moves.

With another offseason landmark event in the books, here are three takeaways from the Red Sox’s operations at the winter meetings:

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1. Boston’s Priorities Still Need To Be Addressed
Throughout the offseason, the Red Sox have had clear needs that stand out: frontline starting pitching, a second baseman and a right-handed bat to balance the lineup.

Ultimately, Boston is not in any sort of hole in those categories as there hasn’t been any movement on that front. The big-ticket announcements of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto could eventually get the ball rolling. For now, Boston can do its due diligence with a number of players in negotiations.

As far as starting pitching goes, Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals, respectively, are the only two notable arms off the market. With starters such as Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery still available in free agency, the Red Sox still have plenty of options to make significant rotation upgrades.

At second base, that position has not seen much movement either with free agents and potential trade targets such as Whit Merrifield, Jorge Polanco and Tommy Edman all still available in some capacity.

Boston can also look to add the coveted right-handed bat in the outfield. Potential options could include Adam Duvall, Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. among others.

2. Like Nearly Every Other Team, The Red Sox Will Be Patient
Outside of the New York Yankees, no other team truly made any groundbreaking moves during the week in Nashville.

Boston’s AL East rivals totally overhauled their starting outfield, making the move for Verdugo before pulling off a massive blockbuster deal to acquire generational hitter Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. New York gets two badly needed left-handed bats to pair with Aaron Judge. In short, the Yankees made a total splash to respond to missing the postseason in 2023.

Around the league, New York was the only team to truly make a significant set of moves in Nashville. As a result, other teams also are in the same boat as the Red Sox: leaving options open before one signing could totally open up the market to swifter moves.

3. Boston Trusts Its Core
During his stay in Nashville, Red Sox manager Alex Cora emphasized that while external moves are important, Boston’s success in 2024 must be based on improved performances from players already on the roster.

Particularly through the Verdugo trade, the move showed trust from chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and the organization as a whole in young outfielders in Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu.

"I think it opens the opportunity for these kids to go out there and play."

Alex Cora on what the future of the outfield looks like without Alex Verdugo. pic.twitter.com/TX5aSXUVso

— NESN (@NESN) December 7, 2023

While the Red Sox will absolutely make important moves for needed upgrades, Boston continues to operate with internal accountability to get the best out of the current roster.