Joseph Motroni
Cornerstone Offseason Additions/Preview
The wait is finally over, Major League Baseball is back in full swing, and there’s plenty of buzz surrounding the Boston Red Sox this season. After another season finishing in the middle of the pack, Red Sox fans began to lose patience and pleaded for John Henry and Craig Breslow to make moves to improve the team’s starting pitching and balance of the lineup. The Sox were looking to find an ace starting pitcher as well as a right-handed power bat to fill a much-needed hole in the lineup after the departure of Tyler O’Neill. John Henry, Craig Breslow, and Co. went out and made moves to address those exact issues. First, Boston completed a trade to acquire former Chicago White Sox SP Garrett Crochet. Crochet, 25, was one of if not the most highly sought-after pitchers this offseason, meaning that the Red Sox did have to give up a substantial amount in order to get their ace of the future. The Red Sox would send away C Kyle Teel, OF Braden Montgomery, who was the 12th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, and IF Chase Meidroth in exchange for Crochet. The second big move the Red Sox made this offseason came much closer to the start of the season when Boston inked Gold Glove 3B Alex Bregman to a 3-year $120M deal with opt-outs after the first two seasons. In essence, the contract is a series of 1-year deals where Bregman would be leaving $40M on the table if he were to opt out of the remaining deal.
The Red Sox opened up the regular season against the Texas Rangers last Thursday. Let’s dive into how each of these games played out:
Game 1: Red Sox: 5 Rangers: 2
With Opening Day of the MLB season, there is bound to be some rust on both sides despite spring training action. Both the Red Sox and Rangers’ offenses struggled, with only two runs scored on each side through 8 innings. The long-awaited regular season debut of Garrett Crochet was good, not great as Crochet struggled with command at times leaving the ball in the zone and allowing for extra-base hits. Wilyer Abreu would prove to be the difference for Boston, launching a 3-run home run in the 9th to give the Red Sox the 5-2 lead. Justin Slaten would cap off a solid bullpen day all-around earning his first save of the season after scoreless outings from Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman.
Game 2: Rangers: 4 Red Sox: 1
The Red Sox offense continued to struggle, which would remain a storyline for the rest of the series. Boston would have no issue getting runners on base, but rather with cashing in with runners in scoring position. Jonah Heim would provide a spark on offense for the Rangers, hitting his first two home runs of the season. Those were Tanner Houck’s first two home runs allowed this year, coming off a season where he only allowed 11 all season long. Houck also seemed to struggle with control in total, allowing four runs over 5.2 IP.
Game 3: Rangers: 4 Red Sox: 3
Yet another competitive game for both sides of this series, where the issues continued to ail the Red Sox. Once again, the offense was able to get on base and create chances to produce runs. However, with those runners in scoring position, the big hit went missing again. For the Rangers, Adolis Garcia would provide the big blow, launching a home run for his first of the year. Walker Buehler made his debut on the mound for Boston. Buelher also struggled with his control only last 4.1 IP, allowing 4 runs over 7 hits. Buehler was visibly frustrated coming off the mound, so expect some extra adrenaline from him in his next start.
Game 4: Rangers: 3 Red Sox: 2
A similar competitive game with offense hard to come by as was in game three in game four. This game was a back-and-forth contest, with both teams having leads before the 9th inning. The Red Sox were not able to hold the 1-1 tie after Richard Fitts allowed a home run. Similarly, the Sox would take a 2-1, but Richard Fitts would allow another home run to Adolis Garcia, homering for the second straight game, tying the game 2-2. The Rangers’ two runs in the 6th would be enough as the Red Sox would once again squander late-inning chances.
Series Takeaways
Run-Scoring Struggles: The Red Sox played competitive games during all four games of this series. The one glaring issue that all fans could see was producing runs. Boston scored no more than five runs in any game during the series. Boston could not provide the big hit finishing the series by hitting 6 for 41 in at-bats with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox also had issues with putting the ball in play, striking out 10.5 times per game as a team.
Rafael Devers: There was plenty of drama surrounding the role that Rafael Devers would play on this 2025 Red Sox team after the signing of Alex Bregman. Devers was not thrilled originally at the idea of becoming the full-time DH, claiming that he has always been a third baseman. Devers has been at the center of the Sox’s early season struggles, ending the Rangers series 0 for 16 with 12 K’s.
It’s Early: Remember, the MLB season is 162 games, so there are bound to be ups and downs throughout the season. Even with spring training, it takes players time to adjust to playing the best of the best from each team night in and night out. The Red Sox have the talent in Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman, and an emerging Kristian Campbell to supply the offensive that the Fenway Faithful expect.
