For all the young players on the Red Sox who have signed long-term deals (Roman Anthony, Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela) we haven’t heard much reporting about an extension for Wilyer Abreu. As it turns out, the Sox tried to sign him on the eve of his rookie year. But, unlike Bello and Rafaela, both of whom signed that spring, Abreu decided to take it year-to-year and bet on himself. The Sox have not approached him since, but Abreu says “[he] can listen.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
We haven’t seen any reports about a possible extension for Connelly Early either, as the youngster attempts to establish himself in the big leagues. To that end, he spent the winter bulking up to try to maximize his stuff and lengthen his outings. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Payton Tolle was given the opposite offseason assignment. As he already has plenty of bulk for a pitcher, he worked on refining what the run-prevention unit is calling a “three-headed monster of hard.” That would be his outstanding four-seam fastball, his developing cut fastball, and a brand-new two-seam fastball. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
Tolle isn’t the only Red Sox pitcher adding to his repertoire. Brayan Bello reported to camp this spring with a new curveball, though his offseason priority was getting his changeup back on track. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
While Early and Tolle will be two must-sees this spring, the bigger questions about the team are found on the offensive side of the ball. And there’s no denying that the lineup projections for the team are underwhelming. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
One thing to keep an eye on this spring is MLB’s new automated ball-strike challenge system. As teams try to figure out the best strategy for how to use their challenges, the Red Sox plan to feel out the system by aggressively challenging calls this spring. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
