It has long been the team’s desire to improve the Red Sox rotation this winter, but despite their pursuit of players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga, they haven’t accomplished much on that front other than replacing Chris Sale with Lucas Giolito thus far. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has stated that the team is still “engaged” in the starting pitching market, but club CEO Sam Kennedy recently expressed scepticism about the likelihood of the team adding a big player by stating that it is unlikely that the payroll in 2024 will match that of 2023.
That being said, going into the season, at least one pitcher for the Red Sox is optimistic about the team’s internal possibilities. The team, which includes Giolito, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Nick Pivetta with Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock vying for the fifth spot, has the talent to succeed, according to newly hired pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who refuted the idea that the team needs to add another starting pitcher to its rotation mix in an interview with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. After 791 innings of work, that group of pitchers had a 4.51 ERA collectively last year.
Bailey is fortunate to have optimism in the club’s internal alternatives for the rotation, as it remains to be seen if the team will be able to add another arm to the rotation this summer. The club’s current anticipated salary, according to RosterResource, is just $21 million less than its level in 2023, which probably leaves little more than room for a low-level acquisition like Mike Clevinger, Hyun-Jin Ryu, or maybe a reunion with James Paxton. The club would undoubtedly need to relocate closer Kenley Jansen’s contract in order to make room for more substantial signings like Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell, especially given the team’s ongoing pursuit of Adam Duvall, a right-handed hitter.
Although 48-year-old manager Alex Cora is about to enter the final year of his contract in 2024, he recently revealed to reporters, including Chris Cotillo of MassLive, that he hasn’t had any meaningful conversations with the team about his future. However, he added that it would be “very selfish” of him to concentrate on that and divert his attention from the upcoming season. Though it’s important to note that he also said he’s “not ready” to make that move at this time in his career, Cora has previously stated that he would like to move upstairs to a front office post at some point. After the 2024 season, if he stays in the dugout at Fenway or somewhere else, he’ll do so as one of the most well-liked managers in the league after five seasons in charge in Boston, with a record of 440-370.
Ownership is one aspect of Red Sox management that is unlikely to change anytime soon. Christopher Smith of MassLive has reported that club chairman Tom Werner recently discussed the ownership group’s long-term ambitions to stay in Boston with reporters. The Red Sox, according to Werner, are the “cornerstone” of Fenway Sports Group, the team’s parent corporation that also owns the Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool F.C. Ownership intends to stay in charge in Boston “for a couple more decades at least,” Werner continued.
Pitching guru Kyle Boddy joined the Red Sox earlier this week as a special advisor to Breslow, according to Eno Sarris of The Athletic. This is a big addition for the team’s executive office. Boddy’s most well-known accomplishment is founding Driveline Baseball, an independent player development facility based on analytics. In addition to his employment at Driveline, Boddy was the pitching director for the Reds from October 2019 to September 2021. The Red Sox have placed a strong emphasis on hiring people with experience in pitching development throughout this offseason; in addition to Boddy, Breslow and Bailey have recently joined the team.
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