Craig Breslow’s offseason work is already underway, and the Red Sox general manager has a few more moves to line up coming out of this week’s GM Meetings.
Boston has already started trimming the 40-man roster, with Nate Eaton, Tsung-Che Cheng and Eduardo Rivera all shipped out to create space. But that’s just the opening act. With a full roster and payroll pressure creeping toward the second luxury tax threshold, the Red Sox are heading into another trade-driven winter.
The biggest issue sitting in front of Breslow is the outfield. Boston has put off dealing with the logjam long enough, and now it has to be addressed.
That can happen in a few different ways: moving Jarren Duran, dealing from a position of strength with Wilyer Abreu or Ceddanne Rafaela, or packaging one of them with another piece. However it gets done, the Red Sox can’t keep carrying four starting outfielders and rotational players into 2027.
Duran is the fan-friendly name to move, but the best chance to make a major splash may require including one of the others.
Breslow should also be working the market for pitching, and the Mariners look like a natural place to start. Seattle has multiple controllable starters with at least two years of team control and is reportedly open to listening.
Boston has built around pitching and defense, and that shouldn’t change just because the offense needs help. Adding one of those Mariners starters to Garrett Crochet, Payton Tolle and Ranger Suarez would give the Red Sox one of the best rotations in baseball.
Seattle is also looking to turn one of its pitchers into an impact bat, which gives Breslow a possible trade path if he can offer an outfielder in return. The Red Sox don’t need to head into 2027 with uncertainty at the back end of the rotation, and this is the kind of long-term fix that fits.
Romy Gonzalez is another name that should be in play. He was an important bench and platoon piece for Boston in 2024 and 2025, and he hit above average in both seasons while standing out in 2025.
He spent most of his time at first and second base, though he also logged innings at third and shortstop. But after missing the first few months of 2026, he came back too soon while the team was struggling, never got rolling, and eventually was optioned without returning.
Even with that stumble, Gonzalez still has value. The Red Sox have found other utility options, and his combination of a remaining minor league option, a two-WAR season in fewer than 100 games and defensive flexibility should make him appealing.
Boston may not get a premium return, but he should be able to bring back a prospect in the 20-30 range. For a team trying to keep reshaping the roster, that’s the kind of deal worth exploring.
In Other News...
Red Sox Are Linked To A Former Yankee With One Big Risk
Clay Holmes is back on the market after a season that showed both why teams will be interested and why there is some hesitation. The former Yankees reliever, who spent part of last year starting for the Cubs, worked through a fractured leg injury and still managed a 3.29 ERA over 18 starts before the injury, then finished with a 4.25 ERA after the trade to Chicago. For a Red Sox club looking at rotation options, that kind of profile makes him an intriguing name to monitor.
The appeal is obvious: Holmes has starter experience now, a track record in the division from his Yankees days, and projections have already tied him to a three-year, $57 million deal. The risk is just as clear, though, because his recent work comes with health questions and some uncertainty about how stable he can be over a full season in a Boston rotation that could use reliability as much as upside. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Face Real Urgency As Breslow Weighs 3 Key Moves
The Red Sox are heading into the General Manager Meetings in Las Vegas with a sense that this winter may not stay quiet for long. With the calendar pointing toward a possible lockout on Dec. 1, Craig Breslow and the front office have a narrow window to get aggressive, and the early chatter around the club suggests Boston could be looking at a mix of short-term pitching help and a more significant shakeup in the outfield.
Among the ideas being floated are a run at outfielder Randy Arozarena, a possible reunion with Sonny Gray on a short-term deal, and even the possibility of moving Jarren Duran in a trade. None of that is set in stone, but it does show the range of decisions in front of Breslow as the Red Sox try to balance urgency with flexibility before the offseason gets any more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Get A Reality Check On Tarik Skubal Pursuit
The Red Sox are heading into the offseason with their priorities pretty clear: find more offense first, and then sort through the pitching market for help where it makes sense. A frontline arm like Tarik Skubal would obviously change the conversation, but Bostons current rotation is already full enough that the more realistic path looks like a lower-cost addition who can deepen the staff rather than reshape it.
That leaves the club in a familiar spot, balancing ambition against practicality. Skubal would be the splashiest name in the mix, but reports indicate the Red Sox are unlikely to dive into the kind of contract it would take to land him, which means the real work may come in identifying a middle-to-back-end starter who can fit the roster without blocking the bigger offensive upgrades the team wants to make. [Read more 🡒]