Red Sox 2025 Season Review/Offseason Preview Thread

[Larry Cook]

Devin Williams signs with the Mets 

[Randy Red Sox]

On 11/28/2025 at 7:48 PM, Larry Cook said:

Detroit fans are thinking Bregman is going to sign with either us or them! 
 

if Detroit signs Bregman, they will not trade skubal! 
 

but why would Bregman sign with Detroit if skubal will likely leave after 1 season??? 
 

 

because Bregman is after the $$$

[Randy Red Sox]

30 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

Devin Williams signs with the Mets 

wow

 

[Larry Cook]

Just now, Randy Red Sox said:

because Bregman is after the $$$

I think dollars are important to Bregman. But so is winning. 

[Larry Cook]

2 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

wow

 

Steve has really deep pockets 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Larry Cook said:

Devin Williams signs with the Mets 

Great! Keep him away from Brez!

Apparently he's getting $51M/3, but some is deferred, so the actual amount will count as lower.

I heard the Dodgers will go after E Diaz, so how much will he make after seeing this deal?

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, Larry Cook said:

Devin Williams signs with the Mets 

Odd signing, imo.  If you're going to go for ~ $45M/3 CBT, you might as well step up $80M/4 for DIaz.  And I like Williams well enough, but he feels a lot riskier than Diaz.

[Hugh2]

Crazy offseason move ideal of the week. Two Trades.

Trade 1. Tristan Casas and Kutter Crawford to St. Louis for Brendan Donavan to play 3B. 

Trade 2. Jarren Duran and Payton Tolle to KC for Cole Ragans. 

Sox sign Japanese FA Kazuma Okamoto to play 1B

Offense. 

3B Brendan Donovan

LF Roman Anthony

SS Trevor Story

RF Wilyer Abreu

1B Kazuma Okamoto

2B Marcelo Mayer

DH Masataka Yoshida

CF Ceddane Rafaela

C Carlos Narvez. 

Bench: Wong/Garcia/Romy/Eaten

Rotation: 

Garrett Crochet

Cole Ragans

Sonny Gray

Brayan Bello

Patrick Sandoval

 

Why there is a greater than 0% chance of this happening???? It involves the Red Sox staying under the luxury tax. 

 

 

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, Hugh2 said:

Why there is a greater than 0% chance of this happening???? It involves the Red Sox staying under the luxury tax. 

That's an NL central lineup if I've ever seen one.

[moonslav59]

11 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

Odd signing, imo.  If you're going to go for ~ $45M/3 CBT, you might as well step up $80M/4 for DIaz.  And I like Williams well enough, but he feels a lot riskier than Diaz.

The Mets say they are still interested in Diaz.

[Hugh2]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

That's an NL central lineup if I've ever seen one.

That's funny, I couldn't quite put a name on that lineup but sounds about right. 

[mvp 78]

Welcome to five years of suck STL! Bloom will give you a tremendous farm system though. Lots of tinkering at the bottom of the 40 man roster too. 

 

[notin]

3 hours ago, Hugh2 said:

Crazy offseason move ideal of the week. Two Trades.

Trade 1. Tristan Casas and Kutter Crawford to St. Louis for Brendan Donavan to play 3B. 

Trade 2. Jarren Duran and Payton Tolle to KC for Cole Ragans. 

Sox sign Japanese FA Kazuma Okamoto to play 1B

Offense. 

3B Brendan Donovan

LF Roman Anthony

SS Trevor Story

RF Wilyer Abreu

1B Kazuma Okamoto

2B Marcelo Mayer

DH Masataka Yoshida

CF Ceddane Rafaela

C Carlos Narvez. 

Bench: Wong/Garcia/Romy/Eaten

Rotation: 

Garrett Crochet

Cole Ragans

Sonny Gray

Brayan Bello

Patrick Sandoval

 

Why there is a greater than 0% chance of this happening???? It involves the Red Sox staying under the luxury tax. 

 

 

Any reason for the Okamoto preference over the younger and more successful Murakami?

[Hugh2]

Just now, notin said:

Any reason for the Okamoto preference over the younger and more successful Murakami?

lol Murakami is a strike out king, in a league that preaches contact.  He would be Bobby Dalbec 2.0 here.  Probably worse.  

[Hugh2]

Murakami's K rate the last several years. 

2025 27%

2024 29.5%

2023 28%

Lets keep in mind that players who come over from Japan often see an increase in their strike out rate.   MLB has higher quality pitchers.

Someone is going to overpay him because he's young and has power, Murakami should scare the s*** out of any Boston fan. 

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, notin said:

Any reason for the Okamoto preference over the younger and more successful Murakami?

Murakami isn't more successful unless you're counting striking out IMO. 

[mvp 78]

Okamoto: RHB, good defender, professional hitter with pop

Murakami: LHB, terrible glove, high k, loads of power, basically high risk Kyle Schwarber 

[Hugh2]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

Okamoto: RHB, good defender, professional hitter with pop

Murakami: LHB, terrible glove, high k, loads of power, basically high risk Kyle Schwarber 

The more I think about it, the more I think I really like Okamoto.  I don't think he's going to cost a lot either.  If he can be had on two years I'd bite. 

[Hugh2]

ADD:

High risk Kyle Schwarber is effectively Bobby Dalbec. 

All the power in the world won't help you if you can't hit enough to tap into it. 

[mvp 78]

6 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

ADD:

High risk Kyle Schwarber is effectively Bobby Dalbec. 

All the power in the world won't help you if you can't hit enough to tap into it. 

And left handed in Fenway. Not ideal for a Murakami landing spot. 

[drewski6]

12 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

The more I think about it, the more I think I really like Okamoto.  I don't think he's going to cost a lot either.  If he can be had on two years I'd bite. 

No way hes coming for a 2yr commitment.  4 years at 17m each is my best guess.  Whether or not I would, im not sure as I dont know about him, but I dont chase low k rates because there are multiple ways to bring your ks down.  If hes shortening up / letting the ball get deep, and making contact that way - huge pass.  If hes meeting the ball out front, committing to his reads, pull-approach but still limiting Ks and can defend the position, hes well worth 17m/yr.r

Budget getting tight tho.

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

but I dont chase low k rates because there are multiple ways to bring your ks down.

Yeah, I'm sure every team that has ever coached him has tried to work with him on not striking out so much. Just saying "here's some ways to do it as you transition to the hardest league in the world" is a bit of a stretch. If he k'd about 30% in NPB, he's going to k about 35% in MLB. For qualified batters, Ryan McMahon led MLB at 32.3% last season. His strike out comp is probably Patrick Wisdom who is now playing for the Kia Tigers in Korea.

[drewski6]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

Yeah, I'm sure every team that has ever coached him has tried to work with him on not striking out so much. Just saying "here's some ways to do it as you transition to the hardest league in the world" is a bit of a stretch. If he k'd about 30% in NPB, he's going to k about 35% in MLB. For qualified batters, Ryan McMahon led MLB at 32.3% last season. His strike out comp is probably Patrick Wisdom who is now playing for the Kia Tigers in Korea.

You speaking of Murkami, but Im speaking on Okamoto.

Murkamis k rates are alarming, but completely irrelevant to that - if we are going to target Okamoto because he doesnt strike out - my first question is why doesnt he strike out.

Is it because he chokes up on the bat, lets the ball get deep, super short swing? Is he Luis Arraez?

If you are not striking out because you are good at picking up spin, getting the bat to the ball, Im impressed. If you are not striking out because you are choking up, going oppo, letting the ball get deep, Im not impressed.

Avoiding Ks isnt what it use to be.  I want guys who are confident in their reads and try to hit the ball. Not dudes who are scared of striking out and keep the bat on their shoulders until the last second only to foul off meatballs or best case , slap a ball through the infield.  If you make contact on the back half the plate , youll strike out less, but you wont drive anything.

Meet the ball out in front. Drive it.  If you can do that WHILE minimizing Ks , Im in.

[drewski6]

Of course, the exception is Tony Gwynn.  But I dont think these guys are Tony Gwynn.  Roman might be though.

[drewski6]

Because Tony would let the ball get deep and wrist it oppo over the third basemans head into the corner for doubles all day.

[Hugh2]

31 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

No way hes coming for a 2yr commitment.  4 years at 17m each is my best guess.  Whether or not I would, im not sure as I dont know about him, but I dont chase low k rates because there are multiple ways to bring your ks down.  If hes shortening up / letting the ball get deep, and making contact that way - huge pass.  If hes meeting the ball out front, committing to his reads, pull-approach but still limiting Ks and can defend the position, hes well worth 17m/yr.r

Budget getting tight tho.

You're probably right on the committment.  I'm not sure about the K's though, theres a much much longer list of guys who never made it to the bigs because they couldn't get their K rate down than there are K's who made it to the MLB and then brought their K rate down. 

[drewski6]

1 minute ago, Hugh2 said:

You're probably right on the committment.  I'm not sure about the K's though, theres a much much longer list of guys who never made it to the bigs because they couldn't get their K rate down than there are K's who made it to the MLB and then brought their K rate down. 

Hitting Profile

• Power: Okamoto is a slugger who hit at least 30 home runs in six consecutive seasons in NPB (2018-2023), with a career high of 41 in 2023. He is known for having above-average "game power" and the ability to drive the ball to all fields.
• Contact & Discipline: A key aspect of his hitting profile is his ability to make consistent contact and limit strikeouts, a trait that sets him apart from other NPB power hitters like Munetaka Murakami. He has good bat-to-ball skills, limits "chase" swings outside the strike zone, and remains aggressive on pitches in the zone. His strikeout rates in Japan have generally been well below the MLB average.
• Approach: He is considered a "polished hitter" with a mature approach at the plate. He does particular damage against fastballs and has shown strong results against off-speed and breaking pitches as well.
• Batted Ball: Okamoto employs a long, rotational swing with a leg kick that is designed to lift and pull the ball, which helps him maximize his home run potential. 

 

[Hugh2]

2 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

Hitting Profile

• Power: Okamoto is a slugger who hit at least 30 home runs in six consecutive seasons in NPB (2018-2023), with a career high of 41 in 2023. He is known for having above-average "game power" and the ability to drive the ball to all fields.
• Contact & Discipline: A key aspect of his hitting profile is his ability to make consistent contact and limit strikeouts, a trait that sets him apart from other NPB power hitters like Munetaka Murakami. He has good bat-to-ball skills, limits "chase" swings outside the strike zone, and remains aggressive on pitches in the zone. His strikeout rates in Japan have generally been well below the MLB average.
• Approach: He is considered a "polished hitter" with a mature approach at the plate. He does particular damage against fastballs and has shown strong results against off-speed and breaking pitches as well.
• Batted Ball: Okamoto employs a long, rotational swing with a leg kick that is designed to lift and pull the ball, which helps him maximize his home run potential. 

 

Crap....I like him even more now.  I thought I read he plays both 3B and 1B well too.  So he kind of leaves to door open for a Bregman reunion or an Alonso addition as well. 

[drewski6]

Thats just AI auto generated, what I posted, looks good though.

I agree Hugh, if someone is coming over with an ugly k rate, thats scary and unlikely to get better facing MLB pitching when he was whiffing vs lesser pitching before.

But I dont love chasing low k rates, because I dont want a team of luis arraez's.  Just super short , half-swings.  Youll make a lot of contact, but youll also be a singles machine.

But according to what I posted. Okamoto rotates his hips, has a swing on the longer side (which is in as "new school" as opposed to "shortest swing possible" - which is old shcool), so Im intrigued.

Like I always say, its a lot about where the contact is being made.  I want a hitter who makes contact with the ball in front of the plate, not someone who lets the ball get super deep and makes contact over the back half of the plate.

Im very much a new school hitter.  That comes with more strikeouts, because Im committing to my reads, so I will get fooled from time to time on a well tunneled slider (and I do).  Ill also get fooled from time to time on a curveball in the dirt because Im commiting to what I think I see, and if the ball makes a late break, then I tip my cap at the pitcher and take my K.

But overall, I have better results then dudes who are super hesitant, try to drive counts, try to foul, wait until the last second to start their swing, make contact over the back half of the plate.  Theyll strike out less, but they will also have less homeruns and gaps.  And they wont punish mistakes at the rate I do.

Youll never get a "get me over" pitch past me. Im always hunting.  And Im always ready to let the bat fly.

[drewski6]

3 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Crap....I like him even more now.  I thought I read he plays both 3B and 1B well too.  So he kind of leaves to door open for a Bregman reunion or an Alonso addition as well. 

The blurb I posted makes him look good, agreed.