The Red Sox made it through Fenway Fest before the Alex Bregman news broke. After months of negotiations and all the work that went into acquiring him last year, the saga is over. Only a few people will ever know how whether the Red Sox were genuinely serious or if this was a pursuit designed to fail simply because he wanted more money and/or years than the team would ever offer. Alex Speier, among others, insists that Bregman was “Plan A,” but that there could be several Plan Bs.
As the clock ticks
down — 71 days until Opening Day — can Craig Breslow finish the roster? He seems intent on doing something else, though what that move will be is completely unknown. Let’s take a look the calendar ahead.
Today
The roster looks…good. Not great. But good. The starting pitching is better and deeper than last season. Although the “New Number 2” didn’t quite materialize as a multi-year option to pencil in behind Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray is a good pitcher. Tolle and Early waiting in the wings or sneaking into the rotation (probably only one of them) is much better than simply hoping Lucas Giolito, Walker Buehler, and Patrick Sandoval all shake off injuries. As much as you can be disappointed in the “Number 2” talk, there was progress made here.
The bullpen needs Aroldis Chapman but behind him Garrett Whitlock really settled into just being a reliever full time again. There’s guys in the major and minors to rotate through.
First base is settled. But second and third are up in the air. Clearly the team wants Marcello Mayer at one of those positions but hasn’t been able to settle things down yet to figure out which one he fits in. This is a problem if you operated with Alex Bregman’s name faintly traced in pencil into that lineup card.
February 2: Truck Day
Is this enough time for the Red Sox to figure something out? It’s just a few weeks away.
Alex Bregman didn’t sign until February15th in 2025. That was very late.
Right now Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette are still available.
And after them, Eugenio Suárez is a free agent. And, sigh, Nolan Arenado is a washed up St. Louis Cardinal. But they also have Brendan Donovan. Arenado might be relatively cheap to get but you’re still talking more prospects out the door to maybe fix a problem but also is he’s washed you’re still in trouble for 2027 and maybe earlier. Donovan is perfectly fine. He’s not great and he’s not bad. He and Mayer would represent possibly a nice floor for the infield.
February 10: Pitchers and catcher work out
A week later and, well, we’re there. Guys will have reported. While Chaim Bloom might still be taking phone calls and doing his best Carlton Lassiter impersonation while running a full reset and rebuild in St. Louis, other teams will be saying “sorry, our roster is set.” Granted the Sox might be a team still dealing anyway in February because they still have a crowded outfield.
February 15: Full-squad workout
This is when they announced Alex Bregman last year and the pressure will really be on this year. It’s just over a month from today, which could feel like an eternity (like the month ending the 2025 season without Roman Anthony). This is truly the last day you want to be making a roster move. With a shortened spring to accommodate the WBC for those participating, every day together will matter.
February 20: Games begin
It’s go time. While the first game is technically a scrimmage against Northeastern University it’s often the real guys for at least the very start of the game. And you’d definitely, absolutely, certainly, want the roster ready for the first official game of the spring against the Twins the next day.
March 4: World Baseball Classic begins
And that’s how long Alex Cora will have with his full roster — maybe. The first game kicks off on March 4 but players might be out earlier to get in a few days of practice with their national teams. That shouldn’t be too many guys — although Masataka Yoshida signed with Boston and went off to connect with Team Japan his first Spring Training so who knows what could happen. Maybe a new addition turns out to be busy.
Stephen Drew in 2014 signed with the Red Sox on May 21 after misreading his market. It’s unlikely that anyone they’re looking at now will still be available on March 4 much less May, but for whatever reason, it was a disaster of a season for Drew.
March 26: Opening Day
Opening Day is at 4:10 PM against the Cincinnati Reds, in Cincinnati. The team will arrive in Boston for an April 3rd home opener. To cheers, ideally. At least for the players. No promises for anyone else they bring out except Big Papi.
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