What Kennedy, Breslow said about Red Sox payroll, offseason

After missing the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, the Red Sox held their season-ending press conference at Fenway Park on Monday afternoon.

Manager Alex Cora, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and team president Sam Kennedy fielded questions on topics including the team’s outlook and fiscal flexibility.

Here are six takeaways from Monday’s press conference: 

Disappointment and optimism

The good news? The 2024 Red Sox won more than 78 games for the first time since 2021. 

The bad news? Boston still finished with a pedestrian 81-81 record, missing the playoffs for the third season in a row. 

“We’re not there. That’s on us,” Kennedy said of Boston’s ownership and the team’s failure to deliver in recent years. “You can phrase it any way you want. But when you fall short of your expectations, you can always do more.

“And we feel that obligation and that responsibility each and every year. … I think our job is to walk the walk and do all the right things from a baseball perspective that position us to be good for the long-term. We fell short. So we’ll have to let our actions speak louder than our words.”

Even with the bitter taste of another October without baseball at Fenway Park, Breslow stressed that the franchise showcased positive signs of growth in 2024.

“We didn’t reach our goal,” Breslow said. “Our goal every year should be to contend for a division title, to poise ourselves for a deep playoff run, and with that as the standard here, we fell short. There’s no dancing around that. We need to be better. And that is not to say that there weren’t things that should be reason for optimism, things that are really encouraging or exciting. 

“We can point to the emergence of a number of position players that look to be cornerstones of the next great run here; we can look to the emergence of three homegrown starters who each made 30-plus starts and reached innings totals that they haven’t seen before.

“But at the end of the day I think our fans have the expectation that we are going to compete for World Series championships, we share that expectation, and we fell short this year.”

Pitching stands as top priority for Red Sox

The Red Sox had several pitchers make strides in 2024, with Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Brayan Bello all expected back in the starting rotation next summer. The return of free-agent pickup Lucas Giolito — who missed the whole season due to elbow surgery — should bolster Boston’s staff.

But Boston still needs to add a proven, top-of-the rotation starter in 2025, be it through free agency or trade. 

“I think it’s more likely that every avenue will be explored,” Kennedy said of Boston’s options for acquiring an ace. “I can tell you this ownership group feels urgency and hunger to explore every avenue to improve and build upon this team to get back into the postseason.”

Boston has the assets both at the big-league roster and in the farm system to trade for a proven starter like the White Sox’ Garrett Crochet or one of the Mariners’ top arms in Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, or George Kirby. 

The Red Sox could also dole out a hefty contract in free agency to a starter like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried.

“I feel like, as the chief baseball officer, ultimately I’m accountable for baseball decisions,” Breslow said. “So if we think like there’s an opportunity to improve the team via a certain pathway, I feel very confident that not only will we have the resources but also the endorsement from ownership.”

Breslow added that the Red Sox will not shirk away from trading top assets if the return shores up critical vacancies. 

“I think at this point, everything has to be on the table,” Breslow said. “I think to position ourselves otherwise could potentially eliminate a possibility. Now, the reality is, often times, values don’t match up where it makes sense to trade someone that we believe is going to be a superstar here for a really long time, but I think to approach a conversation and take people off the table just doesn’t make sense given our need to improve our product on the field.”

Other areas of emphasis for Breslow?

Beyond a proven pitcher at the top of the rotation, Breslow stressed that the Red Sox need to make a concerted effort at shoring up their defense and bullpen, while also adding more power from the right side of the plate. 

The Red Sox relinquished the second-most errors in baseball in 2024 with 115, just two behind the Marlins. 

“We need to improve our defense,” Breslow said. “I can point to a defense that was kind of bottom of the league, especially our infield defense.”

The Red Sox lineup has plenty of impactful young hitters already in place. But it is inundated with left-handed batters, which could prompt Breslow to move some of them this offseason if it shores up other areas of the lineup. 

The potential departure of Tyler O’Neill in free agency would further complicate matters, as the righty supplied 31 home runs over 113 games in 2024. 

“Obviously our lineup is pretty imbalanced in terms of being left-handed heavy,” Breslow said. ”Figuring out how to balance that out, take advantage of the short left field wall. We saw the effect of a guy like Tyler and 30-plus home runs as a right-handed power hitter in the middle of the lineup.”

The Red Sox might be in the market for another late-innings reliever this winter, especially with Kenley Jansen’s time in Boston likely over. 

Will Red Sox increase payroll in 2025?

In order for the Red Sox to go out and bolster a roster with several holes, Boston may need to ramp up its payroll for the 2025 season. 

Kennedy was asked about whether or not the Red Sox plan to increase their spending this offseason, even if it means surpassing the competitive balance tax base threshold of $237 million.

“It’s also been a hallmark that we don’t talk publicly about what we plan to do with our payroll. Not because we’re trying to hide anything from the media or the fans,” Kennedy said. “We just don’t like to talk publicly about our payroll plans because we see it as a competitive advantage in the American League East to not tip our hands to our competitors.

“That said, I can assure you that the feeling is that our fans have been through a lot. They’ve been patient and it’s time to get back to where we belong. We thought we had a good shot at getting there this year. But it’s time to get back and go for that division title, play baseball in the postseason. That’s why we are here.”

When pressed further, Kennedy did not offer a definitive statement on just where Boston’s payroll is going to fall this upcoming year. 

“I don’t know where the payroll is going to land,” Kennedy said. “I know we’re going to be focused on win totals and getting into the postseason. You can’t mess around in 83, 84 or 85 wins. That’s not where you want to be. You want to win the division, get in, be in a position where you’re sitting in a bye position and lining up who’s going to be starting Game 1 of the next series.”

The potential of the “Big Four”

Red Sox management’s focus on the future is likely tied into the promise found in Boston’s “Big Four” prospects: outfielder Roman Anthony, infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, and catcher Kyle Teel.

While pitching remains the primary focus for Boston this offseason, the Red Sox could receive a sizable boost if any of these blue-chip prospects make a push for an Opening-Day roster spot during spring training. 

Breslow was vague when asked about the likelihood of Boston opening the 2025 with one of its top prospects on the roster. 

“It’s a difficult question to answer on Sept. 30,” Breslow noted. “We are very excited about the seasons that those four — and many others — have had. … I don’t think it’s a coincidence that, year after year, we have position players like the ones we’re talking about emerging now. As it relates to their ability to contribute at the big league level, our hope is that they’re ready to step in early next year. 

“At the same time, if not, if it’s because we feel like we’ve got alternatives that gives us a better chance of winning, that’s a great place to be as well. I think we’ll have tough decisions, at it relates to the roster and hopefully those get even tougher every February and March, as we think about taking the best 26 players north that we can.”

Baseball America tabbed Anthony as the No. 1 prospect in baseball earlier this month, with Campbell awarded as the publication’s “Prospect of the Year.” 

Alex Cora hopeful for the future

It was another up-and-down season from Cora, who saw his team once again flounder in the second half en route to another failed playoff bid.

“What I learned in 2019: Every season is different,” Cora said. “We were great in ‘18, we were OK in ‘19, ‘21 was awesome, and the last few years have been a struggle. I learn a lot just dealing with a young roster, the player development thing doesn’t stop in Triple-A, we can do it here, and I think as a group, top to bottom, we did an outstanding job helping these kids to be better and you saw the results. 

“Obviously, we fell short, but at the end you start looking at it piece-by-piece and there’s a lot of success stories. Others [are] not so great, but we learn from those ones, and we should be better in the offseason attacking those things.”

Even with this season’s disappointing returns, Cora — who signed a three-year extension in July — believes that the franchise is still on the upswing. 

“I truly believe this is the last struggle, to be honest with you. I think this is it,” Cora said. “There were a lot of positives, there were some negatives, but I believe where we’re going as an organization, it’s going to be fun again.”