Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was tasked this offseason with building a future contender, and the hope is that this year’s spring training will be the start of that.

There’s been a lot of hype around the top three Boston prospects, but Breslow told reporters this week the Red Sox remain “engaged” with the top free agents still available on the market. The vision among the major leaguers on the approach to the pitching staff is being felt.

But the question on fans’ minds is whether the team can escape the bottom of the American League East and compete for a playoff spot. NESN’s Tom Caron asked that question to Breslow on “Red Sox from Fort Myers” this week.

“Absolutely. We don’t play for projections, right?” Breslow told Caron. “We play the game that’s in front of us every single night. I’m really confident in the staff and our players’ ability to get the best out of each other. And I’ve been on World Series-winning teams that have far surpassed expectations. It’s the reason you play the game. There’s a level of competitiveness in every single one of those guys in the clubhouse and in the coaches’ room. We’re looking forward to that manifesting and what happens outside of the clubhouse needs to be irrelevant to our players and our coaching staff.”

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You can catch more interviews and action featured on “Red Sox from Fort Myers” on NESN or NESN 360.

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