MLB Insider Says Red Sox Among ‘Most-Improved’ Teams This Offseason

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been busy this offseason.

The Red Sox’s biggest moves of the winter thus far have all come via trade and each one involving an NL Central team.

First, Boston acquired three-time All-Star starting pitcher Sonny Gray in a November deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Red Sox landed another hurler for the rotation in early December when they brought in right-hander Johan Oviedo in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Boston again worked with former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom (now the Cardinals president of baseball operations) to acquire three-time All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras in mid-December.

MLB senior writer Jim Bowden of The Athletic included the Red Sox on his list of the “7 most-improved teams so far this offseason” on Monday.

“Boston traded some good prospects that Bloom was really high on for starter Sonny Gray and first baseman Willson Contreras. Gray is the Red Sox’s new No. 2 starter and slots behind their ace Garrett Crochet. Contreras is a significant upgrade at first base and he will supplant Triston Casas and others as the everyday first baseman,” the former general manager wrote. “Red Sox chief of baseball operations Craig Breslow also improved the rotation depth by trading more prospects for Johan Oviedo and completing a prospect challenge trade, sending right-hander Luis Perales to the Nationals for left-hander Jake Bennett, who is closer to big-league ready than Perales. In all of his trades, Breslow did hold on to the team’s very best prospects, but at the same time has traded away a big chunk of their farm system depth.”

Though Boston notably missed out on sluggers like Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso in free agency, Bowden believes that the Red Sox aren’t done yet.

“The Red Sox are not done making moves, as they remain in the running for Bregman, Bichette and Eugenio Suárez, among others,” he wrote.

It’s been reported multiple times that the team’s “priority” remains re-signing All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman.