4 takeaways from Craig Breslow, Alex Cora’s first comments from spring training
"We’ll have fun with it and they know it. They’re prepared.”
With pitchers and catchers required to report to Fort Myers on Wednesday morning, Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow both addressed the media on Tuesday at the team’s spring training facilities.
Both Cora and Breslow touched on several topics, including any last-minute additions to Boston’s roster, the bullpen, and much more.
Here are four takeaways from Tuesday’s pressers.
Red Sox still looking for right-handed pop
The Red Sox will begin holding full-team workouts on Feb. 17. But even with a majority of Boston’s roster either already in Florida on their way down to Fort Myers, Breslow acknowledged that the team’s makeup is still largely incomplete — even at this stage of the offseason.
“We’re still pursuing a right-handed bat and hopeful we can accomplish that. And then, another opportunity we’ve talked about is adding to the bullpen,” Breslow noted.
The Red Sox are in desperate need of more pop from the right side of the plate, especially after Tyler O’Neill left in free agency.
Boston is reportedly still in the running for free-agent infielder Alex Bregman, and have also been linked in trade talks with Nolan Arenado throughout the winter.
“I think we have done a good job presenting our program and taking a step forward,” Cora said of Boston’s pursuit of outside talent. “After that, it takes two to tango, right? We’ll see what happens in the upcoming days and upcoming weeks. I think we’ve been very aggressive in certain situations. I won’t be surprised if we add something else.”
Embracing the next wave of talent
Much of the excitement resonating with Red Sox fans entering the 2025 season should revolve around Boston’s stacked prospect pipeline.
Baseball America tabbed the Red Sox’s farm system as the best in baseball — headlined by the “Big Three” of Roman Anthony (No. 2 prospect, per Baseball America), Kristian Campbell (No. 4), and Marcelo Mayer (No. 15).
While Mayer might need more seasoning in Triple-A Worcester after an injury-plagued 2024 season, both Campbell and Anthony could make pushes for big-league reps as soon as April.
While Cora brushed aside talk of those prospects making a push for MLB roster spots in previous years, he acknowledged on Tuesday that the three are ready to make some noise.
“I was against talking about the kids a few years ago,” Cora said. “Now, it doesn’t matter. We’re in a spot where they’re here. There’s no age limit to make it to the big leagues. You can make it at 20, you can make it at 32. They did an outstanding job last year. … We don’t have to hide it. The cool thing about them is they’re very humble, too. They understand how it goes. They’re fun to be around. We’ll have fun with it and they know it. They’re prepared.”
While Cora is embracing the excitement that comes with this influx of young talent, Breslow also preached patience for Boston’s next wave of stars as they try to take a major step forward.
“There’s excitement around Roman, around Kristian, around Marcelo, around others and rightfully so,” Breslow said. “At the same time, I think it’s important to be mindful of the reality that Roman is 20 years old and in his first big league camp. Obviously, we’re thrilled he’s a part of this organization. We’re thrilled with the current state of the farm system, but our job is not to win farm system rankings. It’s to win big league ball games.”
The plan in the ‘pen
The Red Sox made some upgrades to their relief corps this winter, with the team signing both Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson to boost their bullpen.
But with Kenley Jansen leaving in free agency, the Red Sox don’t have a surefire closer in place going into the 2025 season. Even though Boston should have no shortage of options between Chapman, Liam Hendriks, and Justin Slaten, Cora also doesn’t want the closer role to be a rotating assignment through the year.
“I believe in that,” Cora said when asked if he wants just one set closer in 2025. “But we’ll see. We’ll see. Health comes into play, right? The good thing is that we haven’t promised any of these guys a role. We haven’t talked to Liam or [Chapman] … We have options, which is a good thing.”
Breslow expanded the list of potential closers on Boston’s roster, with Slaten in particular looking to build off of a promising debut season with the Red Sox in 2024 (2.93 ERA over 44 appearances).
“Hendriks and Chapman, of course,” Breslow said of candidates for the closer role. “But also Slaten is a guy that I think deserves some consideration. [Garrett] Whitlock is someone who I think can be deployed as a real weapon, given his ability to throw multiple innings. Those could be multiple innings in a bridge-type role, or they could be multiple things at the back end of the game. Wilson is someone with a track record of pitching at the back end of games.
“As things stand today, I think there’ll be a level of competition that will be really productive. We’ve got guys with strong track records of being able to generate swings and misses at the back end of games.”
Whitlock — who has dealt with injuries since making the switch to the starting rotation — was at his best as a set-up man in 2021, posting a 1.96 ERA over 46 appearances.
A six-man rotation?
While the closer role is still up for grabs entering camp, Breslow added that Boston is also considering a six-man starting rotation — featuring Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito.
“We’re definitely considering it,” Breslow said. “I think there are a few factors that will help determine the viability. Obviously health is one. Performance is another. We’ll take a look at the schedule early in the season and optimize matchups and recovery.
“But it’s definitely in consideration — I think largely because we have a number of starting pitchers who are major league caliber who are capable of us winning games.”
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