Spring training is nearly upon us, and many Boston Red Sox players and staff have reported to Fort Myers, Florida, to get an early start on the action.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora answered questions from reporters as the team gears up for the upcoming season. We'll address the obvious first: neither Breslow nor Cora commented on the state of free agency and trade discussions, but Boston still hopes to add a right-handed bat and a reliever.
Even without their desired additions, Breslow said he believes the Red Sox are a playoff-caliber team. That response is a far cry from his Feb. 7 statement that the roster is "a bit incomplete" as it stands, but a few of Breslow and Cora's answers shed light on their confidence in the players they have.
The greatest improvement made to the Sox this offseason has been the added pitching depth. Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval and the return of Lucas Giolito from elbow surgery give Boston much more starting depth than before. Cooper Criswell, Kutter Crawford, Richard Fitts and Quinn Priester are also in the picture as potential depth options.
Craig Breslow and Alex Cora answer questions about right-handed bats, potential six-man rotation, Vaughn Grissom and Masataka Yoshida before Red Sox spring training
The Red Sox have enough pitchers — and enough question marks — to use a six-man rotation in 2025, and the team is still considering that option, according to Breslow. Crochet only has one full season as a starter under his belt, Giolito is fresh off internal brace surgery and Buehler has been inconsistent since his own elbow repair, so a six-man rotation could give Boston's pitchers some much-needed rest and recovery throughout the year to stay fresh down the stretch.
Infielder Vaughn Grissom was a popular subject of conversation for both Breslow and Cora. The 24-year-old had a rough first season in a Red Sox uniform. After two hamstring strains kept him on the injured list for much of the season, he posted a .190/.246/.219 slash line in just 31 games.
LIVE from Spring Training with Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow: https://t.co/jINTjC5jkH
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 11, 2025
The Red Sox expect Grissom to be more of a factor in 2025, though, as the young middle infielder added about 20 pounds this offseason. The extra muscle and his few years with some big league experience could give Grissom an edge over Kristian Campbell for the starting job at second base on the Opening Day roster.
Boston is also happy with Masataka Yoshida's progress after he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in October. Cora noted that Yoshida is stronger than he's been before, as reported by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe in the days leading up to spring training. Cora noted that Yoshida is swinging, but has not begun throwing as he recovers from surgery. The Red Sox don't have a definite timetable for his return to big league action.
The Red Sox's added pitching depth and the returns of Grissom, Giolito, Trevor Story and a full season of Triston Casas should make them a better team than last year's 81-81 squad. There's still a glaring hole in the roster with the lack of right-handed pop in the batting order, but there's still time for additions to be made or for Story or Campbell (hopefully both) to break out.