WASHINGTON — The Red Sox will send three players to next week’s All-Star Game in Atlanta — and all three were key acquisitions by chief baseball officer Craig Breslow over the winter.
Starter Garrett Crochet, closer Aroldis Chapman and third baseman Alex Bregman were all named All-Stars on Sunday, when Major League Baseball announced the complete rosters for each league. All three were voted in by their peers as part of the player vote. Crochet (348 votes) ranked second in player balloting among AL starters, trailing only Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. Chapman (245 votes) led AL relievers. Bregman (193 votes) finished second behind Cleveland’s José Ramírez, who won the fan vote and will start.
“For your peers to select you, that means a lot,” said manager Alex Cora. “Chappy, Garrett and Alex — Alex, in a short period of time — they have impacted this organization on the field and off the field. They’re really good at what they do. You’ve got to give credit to Bres.”
The Red Sox have largely hovered around .500 all season and are just one game above the mark at 46-45 after sweeping the Nationals in Washington, D.C. over the weekend. But as Sunday demonstrated, there’s little doubt three of Breslow’s key offseason acquisitions have worked out very well for the club.
“I think you hope when you make acquisitions in the offseason that guys play up to their potential or beyond their potential,” said Breslow. “These are three guys, all of whom were All-Stars in the past. They’re new to the organization this year, but I think it’s a really exciting moment for everybody here.”
Crochet, acquired in a December blockbuster that sent four prospects to the White Sox, is an All-Star for the second straight year after being selected for the first time a year ago. Bregman and Chapman, though, have waited much longer. Bregman, after signing a big free agent deal (three years, $120 million with opt-outs after 2025 and 2026) at the outset of spring training, will be an All-Star for the first time since 2019 — and the third time ever. The 37-year-old Chapman is back in the Midsummer Classic for the first time since 2021 (and the eighth-time ever) after signing a one-year, $10.75 million deal with the Red Sox in early December.
Crochet, who entered Sunday leading baseball in strikeouts (144) and ranking second in innings (115.1), has anchored the rotation all year. Chapman’s renaissance has been marked by a 1.25 ERA and 15 saves in 39 games. And Bregman, despite not playing since May 23 due to a quad strain, got off to a torrid start in his first year outside of Houston, hitting .299 with 11 homers, 17 doubles, 35 RBIs and a .938 OPS in 51 games before the injury.
“I think the credit starts with the players, and they’ve shown that they’re All-Star caliber players before they got here,” Breslow said. “But a lot of credit goes to the coaching staff, to everyone that’s involved in the acquisition process and identifying these guys.
“One thing that we can all be proud of is the fact that Garrett was an All Star last year, but for Alex and for Aroldis, it’s been a few years. Any role that the organization had in helping them regain that All Star form is something we should be proud of.”
Boston’s three All-Star selections match last year’s total when Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck all made it. The last time a first-year Red Sox player was named an All-Star was just two years ago when Kenley Jansen represented the American League after signing a two-year free-agent deal the winter prior.
Perhaps the most notable Red Sox snub was catcher Carlos Narváez, who entered Sunday ranking second among MLB rookies in fWAR (2.6) and third among AL catchers in the category behind Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk. Narváez, who was acquired on the same day as Crochet in a minor trade with the Yankees, has also been a bright spot after coming over this winter. Outside of scuffling starter Walker Buehler, virtually all of Breslow’s winter additions — including Bregman Chapman, Crochet, Narváez and reliever Justin Wilson — have thrived in their first years in Boston.
“We try to do as much work as possible in talking to teammates and looking at the performance and seeing how players play in the brightest moments and the markets that they’re coming from,” Breslow said. “You try to put all the pieces together, but it’s really hard to know if somebody can thrive in Boston until they get to Boston and they put the Red Sox uniform on.
“You can kind of look at them as the leaders in their group on the team, right?” Breslow added. “Alex as the leader of the position player group, Garrett as the leader of the rotation, and then Aroldis in the bullpen. Often, your All-Stars are leaders, but it doesn’t have to be the case. In this way, you can see the leadership qualities and the impact that each of those three guys has had on the rest of the group.”
Chapman will be in the AL bullpen next Tuesday at Truist Park and Crochet will likely join him with Tarik Skubal expected to be selected as the starting pitcher for the American League. Bregman, who remains on the injured list and could return as soon as next week, might not play. That decision has not been reached yet.
Red Sox players were informed that the trio made the All-Star team during an 11 a.m. team meeting at Nationals Park before Sunday’s game.
“I think the guys at the clubhouse take a lot of pride to be represented so well,” Breslow said. “It’s awesome. And those three guys deserve a ton of credit for it.
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