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Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow didn’t give a “yes” or “no” answer when he was asked Wednesday if he thinks the Red Sox roster, as currently constructed, is as good or better than last year’s.
“I think the improvements we made on the pitching side are significant,” Breslow said. “It can be difficult at times to fully appreciate the impact of having dominant starting pitching. But going into a game feeling like we can just play our game offensively and on the bases because our pitching is going to keep us in the game is such a huge advantage for the team. I think no matter who we’re playing on any given day, we’re going to feel like we’ve got a chance to win.”
Breslow could have just said, yes.
That’s because the roster, as it stands right now, is as good and a little better. It can be much better if Breslow makes a significant trade to acquire another infielder.
The Red Sox have drastically improved their starting rotation after 2025 ended with Connelly Early making only his fifth career major league start in do-or-die Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees.
Four months later, Breslow has transformed his starting rotation into one that is built for postseason success. Free agent signee Ranger Suárez has a 1.48 ERA in 11 postseason outings (eight starts). He and Garrett Crochet make for a dangerous 1-2 punch to open any postseason series. Trade addition Sonny Gray also has had success in a more limited postseason sample size, posting a 3.26 ERA in six starts.
The Red Sox might be the deepest they have ever been at starting pitching with 14 on their 40-man roster.
Losing Bregman to the Cubs in free agency clearly is a blow to the lineup and infield defense. It’s also not the end of the world if the Red Sox trade for one more complete player such as Cubs 28-year-old second baseman Nico Hoerner, who has been mentioned in recent trade rumors.
Hoerner batted .297 and had 17 defensive runs saved in 1,326 innings while winning a Gold Glove at second base last year. He or someone similar is exactly who Breslow should be targeting.
Breslow needs to go big with one final trade.
Defense is as important as offense. The infielders need to be able to make all the routine plays to maximize the pitching staff, which Breslow referred to on Wednesday as the Red Sox’ strength and identity.
The Sox entered the offseason needing to add two hitters whether they re-signed Bregman or not. Trade addition Willson Contreras should help replace some of Bregman’s right-handed production. Manager Alex Cora already has identified Contreras as Boston’s cleanup hitter.
If the Red Sox add one more impact hitter, the 2026 offense should be better than last year’s at least on paper.
Bregman was an incredibly important lineup force, starting 49 games in the two hole and 62 games in the three hole. He also batted just .250 with a .338 on-base percentage, .386 slugging percentage and .724 OPS in his final 63 games. Bregman has a .799 OPS over his past five seasons.
It’s not like the Red Sox are losing 2001 Barry Bonds. Bregman’s production is replaceable.
Breslow upgraded his first base defense with the addition of Contreras, who ranked in the 91st percentile in outs above average among big league first baseman last year.
Still, infield defense overall is a question mark, especially with the roster incomplete right now.
The infield defense situation warrants patience until the roster is complete. Marcelo Mayer has the potential to be a plus defender at either third or second base depending on how the roster shakes out.
Trevor Story, meanwhile, had a down season defensively at shortstop but it also was his first full season back after undergoing major elbow and shoulder surgeries. He had five throwing errors during a seven-game stretch late in September and it could have been the result of some arm fatigue.
Story’s range last season also was below average. But that certainly has the chance to improve despite entering his age 33 season.
During the 2015-16 offseason, Dustin Pedroia worked on his quickness to improve his defense after one down year (by Pedroia’s standards). During his age 32 season in 2016, Pedroia’s defense did improve from the previous year, finishing with eight defensive runs saved.
Story, who’s historically a plus defender with 75 defensive runs saved in his career, keeps his body in great shape like Pedroia did and has always shown a first-step burst similar to Pedroia’s. It’s reasonable to think Story’s range can improve like Pedroia’s did at almost the same age.
Left-handed relief pitching and catching depth are two minor areas where Boston could upgrade.
All eyes right now should be on Breslow adding an infielder who can have a significant impact both offensively and defensively.
It is necessary and very achievable. Breslow can trade from starting pitching depth and outfield depth without gutting the farm system or hurting the big league roster.
This current roster would match last year’s 89-win total. One more big move could make them a 93+ win team.