Mazz: 4 questions as the 2025 Red Sox open spring training
On Wednesdays, I like to do things in fours. But instead the customary fourthought gimmick this week, we’ve decided to give you four questions as the 2025 Red Sox open spring training.
Can’t you just feel the electricity?
I mean, it’s palpable.
Here’s the amusing part: I actually think the Sox are going to be better. Now I didn’t say great – or even good – but I did say better. So what exactly does that mean? I’m not entirely sure.
If the Red Sox remain generally healthy – especially as it pertains to rotation heads Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler – they should contend for and make the playoffs. But even Alex Cora acknowledged on Tuesday that the Sox aren’t “the best team in baseball,” which means they’re not really championship-caliber. And lest there be any doubt, that should still be the standard for any team, in any sport, that plays in Boston.
Ya but Mazz, ya gotta walk before you can run. Yes, I understand. The problem is we’ve all been walking for six years. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Red Sox are 437-433, a .502 winning percentage that places them 16th in baseball. There is just no way that is even remotely good enough.
During that same period of time, the Sox have employed three general managers and cut spending, which can’t help but wonder whether both they and the Patriots attended the same school of sports management.
Following the 2023 season, Sox owner Tom Werner gave us the “full throttle” promise, words that proved as hollow as the last six seasons. Then, following 2024, Sox President Sam Kennedy and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow certainly gave the indication that the time is now – or some variation thereof – and the Sox have nonetheless started spring training with a payroll that is less than it was after they finished 81-81.
Certainly, that could change. But at this point, it seems pretty clear that the Sox’ idea of flexing their financial might is by wiggling their toes.
So where is this going? Hard to say. If things jell, it could be a fun year. If not, the Red Sox will be roughly .500 again. But, as has been the case with the Sox for a while now, the overall level of commitment from the organization has left us all wanting. If you don’t feel quite inspired right now, it’s because the Sox haven’t quite inspired you.
Are the Sox really considering a six-man rotation?
The short answer is yes, which sounds like a good concept. It should soften workloads and keep people healthy, right? Yes. But it also assumes that, you know, the Sox can actually fill a rotation with six good pitchers, not just stuff it with pink insulation.
Cora and Breslow fair amount of time yesterday talking about their pitching depth, but going with a six-man staff immediately takes some of that and uses it in the rotation. Got it? You can’t have a six-man rotation and preserve depth at the same time – unless, of course, you happen to think the Sox reservoir of pitching is as deep as the Atlantic. (Hint: it isn’t.)
At the moment, the Sox rotation looks something like Crochet, Buehler, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito. There is definitely upside there. Buehler and Giolito have recent injury histories. Bello and Crawford have been inconsistent.
If these guys all pitch to their potential, the Sox could make the playoffs and threaten for the American League championship. Crochet is obviously the biggest piece. He’s the best combination the Sox have of youth and ability. Let’s hope the Sox don’t somehow screw it up.
Is the lineup deep enough?
Yes, the Sox finished third in the American League and ninth in the majors in runs scored last year, but they were also just 16 runs from being sixth and 13th, respectively. That makes them something closer to a B or B-, depending on what your standards are.]
Alex Bregman isn’t the player he used to be, but he’s still above average both offensively and defensively. Signing him would push a lot of tumblers into place and give the Sox someone with edge and experience, a combination the Sox need. Try to think of Bregman the way you thought of Dustin Pedroia.
One quick note: Bregman is a better choice than Nolan Arenado, who is available by trade – and it’s not even close. First, he’s a free agent and would cost only money. Second, he can play second base – and is willing. Third, he’s younger. Fourth, he hasn’t deteriorated nearly as much.
Ten or 15 years ago, the Sox would have already ponied up and paid Bregman. Maybe that would have been a little (emphasis on little) reckless. If the Sox end up with him just the same, then fine. But if they end up with some platoon-playing knockoff, well, again, you’ll know they’re not as serious as they used to be.
Who will play second base?
Comical, right? Over the last six years, the Sox defense has sucked and they’ve been an average team. Now another season is dawning and second base remains their junk closet. Hey, did you know Vaughn Grissom has added 20 pounds? But Kristian Campbell could be ready! Can’t Ceddanne Rafaela play there?
Blah, blah, blah. Here’s a novel idea: why not just get a full-time second baseman and give yourself the positional flexibility to withstand injury and unpredictability?
Look, I know it costs money, but I preferred the days when the Sox filled out the lineup card with regulars, then built a bench with strategic backups and complementary players. Back then, the Sox approach was something more akin to, “You can’t have too many good players.” Now, it’s more like, “You can’t have too many flawed ones.”
I learned my lesson as a homeowner a long time ago. Instead of replacing your crappy lawnmower with a series of cheaper, crappy lawnmowers, just buy a good one. Don’t fill second base with someone who could play second. Fill second base with someone who does. There’s a difference. And the defense matters.
Are the prospects all as good as projected?
Of course not. And if they are, again, that’s a good problem to have. Remember that growth is not linear and its timelines aren’t synchronized. Roman Anthony, Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer all aren’t likely to hit – and they’re not like to develop at the same rate and on the same path. Someone is likely to get hurt (Mayer?). Someone is likely to be more of a hitter (Campbell?). Someone is likely to be a stud. (Anthony?)
One thing to watch: after hyping the snot out of these kids, are the Sox ready to break camp with them? Or was that all just more manure before the Sox send them all to the minors so they squeeze the system for another half-year of service time before those players are eligible for free agency?
If you believe in such frugality, then you’re probably the kind of person who won’t spring the 10 cents for a bag at the grocery store. Sadly, there are organizations – most of them second-rate, minor-league ones – who operate their businesses that way.
Let’s hope the Red Sox aren’t one of them.
