The Boston Red Sox carried their busy offseason right up to the first day of camp in trading for infielder Caleb Durbin on Monday, likely rounding out a slew of moves that have given the roster a decidedly new look.
The Red Sox made additions to bolster their starting staff in signing Ranger Suárez and trading for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo, while trading away several pitchers. They failed to re-sign Alex Bregman, but they upgraded at first base with Willson Contreras and added Durbin. And after an offseason of wondering whether they’d trade one of their four outfielders, it now appears they will all start the season with the club.
After months of speculation and roster moves, several questions linger as camp commences. We’ll start with these three.
Which of the nine starters will begin the season in the rotation?
In case you tuned out this offseason, the list of big-league rotation options is long: Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Johan Oviedo, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early. Tanner Houck is expected to miss the season as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.
The front end of the rotation seems set (barring any injuries) with Crochet, Suárez and Gray securing the top three spots — a sure upgrade from last season’s Nos. 1-3: Crochet, Bello and Lucas Giolito (who remains unsigned).
Bello figures to fill the fourth spot. While The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Red Sox “quietly shopped” Bello this offseason and his name resurfaced recently in potential trade talks as the Red Sox sought to upgrade their infield, the club ultimately dealt Kyle Harrison and prospect Shane Drohan.
Oviedo, Crawford and Sandoval will likely compete for the last spot in the rotation. Oviedo, acquired from Pittsburgh in early December, has minor-league options. Crawford (knee/wrist surgery) and Sandoval (Tommy John surgery) are recovering from procedures that kept them out last season. Both have been in Fort Myers for much of the offseason and have begun throwing bullpens to prove their health. Early and Tolle are likely to start the season in the Triple-A Worcester rotation alongside prospect Tyler Uberstine.
The Red Sox may use a six-man rotation at points this season, but Crochet said he prefers to stay on a five-day schedule more often than not and the Red Sox are likely to accommodate their ace.
But injuries crop up and players underperform, so the Opening Day rotation is hardly set in stone.
How will the infield shake out?
With Contreras at first and Trevor Story at shortstop, the Red Sox have some questions to answer this spring at second and third base, along with their bench.
Durbin will have a starting spot, but neither manager Alex Cora nor chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was ready on Monday to commit to a specific position for him yet. Though Durbin played 131 games at third base in his rookie season last year, he spent most of his minor-league career (153 games) at second base. Whichever spot Durbin lands, Marcelo Mayer is likely to fill the other position. Earlier this offseason, a team source indicated a preference for Mayer at third, but it’s unclear if that preference remains with Durbin in the mix.
The Red Sox also agreed last week to a one-year deal with infielder Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, who doesn’t offer much on offense but is a strong defender at shortstop, second and third. While the Red Sox have not yet defined his role, he will play a key role as Story’s primary backup. Story played 155 games last season and started to wear down at the end of the year, his first full season since 2021.
The addition of Durbin alongside Kiner-Falefa means the roster crunch on the bench has gotten tighter. Kiner-Falefa, infielder Romy Gonzalez, backup catcher Connor Wong and a fourth outfielder take up the four bench spots, with Masataka Yoshida still on the roster — for now — as a DH. That leaves little room on the roster for Nick Sogard, Nate Eaton and Kristian Campbell. Cora did note on Monday that Gonzalez is battling a shoulder injury that flared up in workouts last month.
Meanwhile, adding more to the crunch, the Red Sox claimed infielder Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers Friday and have several non-roster invitees in camp, including Gold Glove-winner Brendan Rodgers.
Depth is never a bad thing, but there’s a clear logjam here.
How will the four-man outfield/DH rotation work?
A team source said last week that there’s still interest in Boston’s outfielders, but the Red Sox are still setting a high bar for any trade talks involving the group.
It seemed throughout the winter that they would need to trade one of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu or Ceddanne Rafaela (with Roman Anthony all but untouchable). But the club continued to harp on the benefits of four strong outfielders and its plan to rotate them through the designated hitter spot.
Cora said on Monday that Abreu and Rafaela will be close to everyday players in right field and center field, respectively. With that in mind, Anthony and Duran are likely to rotate between left field and DH. Duran could shift to center to give Rafaela days off, and Anthony can play right field to spell Abreu.
What that means for Yoshida’s role remains an open question. Meanwhile, when the club traded for Contreras, it indicated he’d see most of his playing time at first base but would also see time at DH, which would be tough with the current setup. And that’s not even counting what they’ll do when Triston Casas returns, likely sometime in May.