Is there a chance that, at age-34, Willson Contreras gets even better next year? As a right-handed hitter who pulls the ball in the air in left field, he’s going to the perfect ballpark. And there is very recent history of a righty coming from St. Louis to Boston and immediately improving in a statistical sense. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
But maybe there’s another right-handed hitter who could end up as a surprise mainstay in the Sox lineup next year. Kristian Campbell has bulked up a bit this offseason as he gets used to playing in the outfield down in Puerto Rico. And the Red Sox organization remains invested in his future. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
And speaking of righties… Alex Bregman remains unsigned! Of course he does! Absolutely nobody should have expected a speedy resolution to his free agency. As of publication, his market remains limited to four teams: the Sox, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays. The Tigers — who offered him the longest deal last season — are reportedly “lukewarm” on Bregman this year, but may be waiting for his market to collapse later this offseason before making an opportunistic move. (Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press)
I don’t expect a Bregman deal any time soon — certainly not before Japanese corner infielder Kasuma Okamoto signs with a team in the coming days. While there is no concrete information a Red Sox offer for Okamoto, they are still considered contenders:
While a reunion with Bregman appears to at least be highly plausible if not quite probable, a reunion with Lucas Giolito does not. And while Giolito says he loved his time in Boston and would love to return, he now acknowledges that “if you look at the writing on the wall I dn’ot think they need another starting pitcher. That’s business, baby. That’s how it goes.” (Lauren Campbell, MassLive)
”That’s how it goes” is a good philosophy for dealing with a lot of things that can be disappointing, like the Hall of Fame voting. That voting will be disappointing to Dustin Pedroia this year in the sense that he’s not going to be elected in 2025. But just by tallying up the publicly displayed ballots, we already know that he at least will get enough votes to remain on the ballot. Check out the tracker here.
