Four Red Sox-Related Predictions For 2024 MLB Winter Meetings

The Boston Red Sox will begin the next phase of their offseason Monday when the MLB winter meetings begin in Dallas.

So far, relief pitchers Justin Wilson and Aroldis Chapman were Boston’s most notable additions but plenty of time remains. The pursuit of free agent outfielder Juan Soto is still red-hot. There’s been no shortage of names linked to the Red Sox and the willingness to go all-in became apparent under the leadership of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

“It’s time to deliver,” Breslow told MassLive’s Sean McAdam on Friday. “It seems like what (information) has been made available publicly is that people are picking up a more aggressive posture (from us). But then again, it’s hard for me to be the person answering the question about how others are responding to us.”

Here are four Red Sox-related predictions before Monday’s meetings commence:

Frontline starter gets added to the rotation
The Red Sox didn’t snag Blake Snell in free agency, but that’s fine.

Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Japanese standout Roki Sasaki are among a handful of arms still available on the market — all of which Boston has already been rumored to have interest in. It’s hard to take an eye off the Soto sweepstakes, but adding a generational talent as such isn’t the beginning or the end of Breslow’s agenda this offseason.

Pitching depth, even beyond the bullpen, is among the biggest needs for the Red Sox so addressing its void would be an encouraging step forward toward 2025.

Boston replaces Danny Jansen
It was a short-lived stint in Boston, but Jansen’s departure to join the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays on a one-year deal opens the door for the Red Sox to explore.

Connor Wong is the current favorite to be Boston’s Opening Day catcher while Kyle Teel — the No. 25 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline — remains the next man up. This leaves a short-term opportunity for a backup to split duties with Wong behind the plate until the Red Sox give Teel the nod from Triple-A Worcester. It’s not hard to find a backup catcher, as this season’s past trade deadline demonstrated. Therefore, the Red Sox could easily make it out of next week’s meetings with a new backstop.

Red Sox strike first major trade of their offseason
This has to be expected at some point, right? So why not get to dealing in Dallas?

Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet and St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado are just a few big-time avenues the Red Sox could explore. Of course, if a Crochet or Arenado swap to Boston were to go down, the asking price wouldn’t be clearance aisle cheap. White Sox general manager Chris Getz told Audacy’s “670 The Score” in November that a “position player” would be the ideal return for Crochet, which could be interpreted in more than one way.

Regardless, Boston’s options aren’t limited to free agency only.

Boston signs an outfielder — even if it’s not Soto
Of course, the biggest offseason storyline attached to the Red Sox is the race for Soto.

Boston, along with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, dove right into the middle of the Soto sweepstakes. Rumors suggested offers reached the $700 million mark with Soto yet to decide, leaving all of Fenway Park’s faithful going to sleep dreaming of watching the 26-year-old perform his batter’s box shuffle in Boston for 81 games next season.

But… if that doesn’t happen there’s no reason to panic.

Teoscar Hernández, an on-the-record fan of Fenway Park, and Anthony Santander, an American League East terror in the batter’s box, are among the best options available on the second-tier of outfield free agents this offseason. They’d both offer a reliable glove and power at the plate — Hernández (33) and Santander (44) both recorded career highs in home runs in 2024 — to manager Alex Cora’s lineup while giving the front office flexibility to spend elsewhere to supplement the rest of the roster.

Not a bad alternative, at all — if necessary.