Following the 2015 season, the Boston Red Sox were coming off a 78-84 season and back-to-back last-place finishes in the American League East.
The team had gone worst-to-first from 2012 to 2013, but immediately plummeted back to worst. In August of 2015, the Sox hired Dave Dombrowski to be the chief baseball officer, and he went running into the 2015 offseason.
They had a budding superstar in Mookie Betts on the roster, surrounded by a young core that included Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts. There was veteran leadership with David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia. Dombrowski came in and injected life into the franchise. He got David Price to sign the largest pitcher contract in MLB history to be the new ace of the team, and traded for All-Star Craig Kimbrel to be the closer. The moves worked, and the team rebounded to 93-69 the next season and back to first place.
Ten years later, the franchise finds itself in a not too dissimilar place. They have a budding superstar in Roman Anthony, who is also surrounded by a young core of players. There are veteran leaders in Trevor Story and Aroldis Chapman. While they aren't coming off a last-place finish, the team is looking to take another big jump and win the AL East. And, just like that team back in 2015, they have money to spend and big trades to make.
The 2026 Red Sox are in a similar place as the 2016 team that made huge offseason moves
The needs aren't quite the same. They already have their ace, but need to find a reliable No. 2 in the rotation to pare with him. They don't need a closer, but do need a big time bat. It feels like one way or another the type of moves made, a big market signing and a blockbuster trade, are bound to happen this offseason.
Now, Craig Breslow is not Dombrowski. The latter is known as a gunslinger; he'll trade away any prospect to make the major league squad better, and gets his owners to empty their pockets in free agency. He did so in Boston and has done so again in Philadelphia. Breslow is more measured, balances the farm with the major league roster more, but has shown he has what it takes to make the needed moves, as he did last season.
In his third year in Boston, Breslow is going to need to be more like Dombrowski than he ever has. He'll need to convince John Henry to open his checkbook just like Dombrowski could, and will have to make the uncomfortable trades that Dombrowski executed with ease. They say history repeats itself, so Red Sox Nation should be hoping that 10 years later, it will in Boston.