The Boston Red Sox have entered this week’s general managers meetings in Las Vegas with some clear interest in adding win-now veteran talent to the roster.
After the team reached the playoffs but fell in the first round to the rival New York Yankees this past season, the Red Sox seem close to making a more significant run at a championship but will need some upgrades if they hope to improve. That makes this winter a critical one for the franchise.
“At the start of an offseason of great significance, Red Sox chief baseball office Craig Breslow knows what he wants: a middle-of-the-order bat and another top-end starting pitcher,” Tim Healey wrote for The Boston Globe. “He was clear about those priorities as he spoke inside the Sox’ suite at The Cosmopolitan on Monday, the first day of MLB’s general managers meetings, where team executives are trying to lay the groundwork for the momentous moves to come.”
As Breslow and company evaluate the potential trade and free agent options to fill those needs, it’s clear that the team will also be counting on the continued development of a talented group of youngsters.
Outfield star Roman Anthony earned a third place finish in American League Rookie of the Year Award voting. Payton Tolle has the chance to seize a rotation spot after making his major league debut this past season. And infielder Marcelo Mayer could be a key part of the infield, though Breslow issued him a warning first.
“He needs to get bigger and stronger and be able to shoulder the workload of a full season,” Breslow said, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “That’s what the conversations have centered around.”
Mayer was promoted to the big-league club this past season after serving as one of the franchise’s top-ranked prospects. He seemed to belong as he slashed .228/.272/.402 in his first 127 at-bats, but then he suffered a wrist injury that ended his season in July in a harsh setback to that rookie campaign.
And that wasn’t the first time Mayer has seen a season cut short by injury. His ascension through the minors was marked with several other setbacks like that.
Now it seems the Red Sox want him to understand that he will have to make some physical adjustments if he hopes to become an everyday option for the team moving forward.
“I think it could help him hit the ball harder and more consistently, but I think more than anything it will just help him manage the workload of a full season,” Breslow added, per Cotillo. “And just be able to withstand the demands of a full season, which is frankly something that he hasn’t been able to do. Some of those have been just kind of these freak injuries, but others seem to maybe be just the accumulation of workload.”
