In a conversation with the Boston Globe, new Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow discussed the direction of the organization, and laid out what they plan on doing as of now in the starting rotation.
1) Out of the last four seasons, the Red Sox have finished last three times. The starting rotation on the pitching staff has been the main source of the team’s weaknesses.
Fans dreamed of Dylan Cease on the trade market or Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Jordan Montomery in the free agent market going into this offseason as a result. Breslow’s remarks don’t seem to point toward any of those outcomes.
Rather, it seems that the Sox will use dubious or stopgap arms in their rotation. Giolito is a potential for a comeback because he has a strong résumé but is coming off a poor year. Can he succeed, though? Houck and Whitlock have never demonstrated that they can be productive starters for the entire 162 games.
2) Breslow added the following regarding Giolito:
However, the Sox also determined how they believe Giolito, who has a 4.96 ERA in 47 starts since the 2022 All-Star break, can be “unlocked” to greater quality.
Breslow stated, “There was a natural marriage here.” “Our plan for him was in line with his offseason work.”
Part of the reason Breslow and new pitching coach Andrew Bailey were hired was their track record of putting players in place to help them grow. That internal growth will be critical since it’s essentially all the team has right now, and the Sox don’t seem willing to trade for a frontline starter or spend at the top of the market.
3) Regarding trade:
Breslow stated, “I don’t think it makes a ton of sense to give up some of our prospects for pitchers that don’t also come with a ton of control, just given the emergence of this young core around who we intend to build.” “This conversation probably quickly bleeds into the overall direction of the club.”
Thus, no, the team will not be making a trade for Corbin Burnes or Dylan Cease, two starting pitchers. It’s also evident that the squad isn’t planning to fully commit to 2024, thus this season can end up the same as the last one.
Chaim Bloom, the Chief Baseball Officer of the New Boston Red Sox, broke some disappointing news on Tuesday about the team’s 2024 starting rotation plan.
According to The Boston Globe:
Giolito, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Nick Pivetta were all listed by Breslow as being in the rotation; Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock, and Josh Winckowski were in contention for a slot as well.
Here, a number of factors are in play: