Extend Bello, Casas
Brayan Bello and Triston Casas are no longer in “wait and see” mode. They were arguably the Red Sox’ biggest bright spots of the 2023 season, and it became clear that the two young stars should be extended long-term. In recent months, Red Sox Nation has stormed to social media to plead that the front office sign Bello and Casas to extensions.
Doing so would allow the Red Sox to benefit in a way similar to the Braves. Atlanta has become notorious for signing its young stars to cheaper deals early in their careers, rather than spending top dollar right before they hit free agency. Naturally, this does carry some risk because the player being extended is still somewhat unproven, at least relative to where they could be a few years down the road. However, if it works out, the club is left with a superstar making far less than their market value for many years to come.
In the midst of the chaos, this off-season is still the best time to extend Casas and Bello. pic.twitter.com/XoG3lgxrkW
— It’s Yoh-time (@itsyohtime) December 19, 2023
Strengthen the farm system
Fans like to see immediate results at the big-league level, so this may not feel like a huge priority. However, using the farm system as a way to supply eventual major-league talent is imperative, especially for a club struggling to lure free agents.
Through draft selections and trades, enhancing the farm system is one area where Dave Dombrowski and Chaim Bloom were actually both quite successful, despite their vastly different styles of operating. Having a top-10 farm system gives a team additional trade flexibility while simultaneously showing both fans and prospective free agents that the club is committed to winning long-term. Boston has started to form a strong pipeline, but there is still significant room for improvement, especially on the mound. According to Baseball America, even Boston's improved farm system failed to make the top 10 in Statcast's pitching rankings and the top 8 offensively. Dillon Lawson's hire could help that, but the Sox simply must crack at least the offensive list next season.