Exclusive Talk Sox Interview: MassLive's Chris Cotillo Discusses Red Sox's Offseason, Alex Bregman Saga

[Nick John]

The Boston Red Sox are still recovering from the shocking revelation of Alex Bregman signing with the Chicago Cubs over the weekend. They'll attempt to pivot with around four weeks remaining until the team reports to spring camp. While they have made improvements through the trades of Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Johan Oviedo, the team still has some holes to fill, especially on offense.

In an effort to understand where Craig Breslow and the front office may go from here, MassLive’s Chris Cotillo joined Talk Sox for an exclusive interview. We asked the Red Sox insider about Bregman, the relief market, the team's pitching depth, and much more. Here's a breakdown of the main points that were discussed, and we ask you to please stay tuned for the full video recording of our interview, coming out shortly after publication of this article.

• The relief market hasn’t moved as well as expected. While the big names came off the market and signed around the Winter Meetings, there are still plenty of options for the Red Sox to sign to a contract in the range of one year and around $2 million, or even on minor-league deals. If Justin Wilson chooses to pitch for another season, he could be a good option for a reunion. At the moment, it doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of separation between the guys available and those currently in the organization. However, if someone the Red Sox really like is available, the closer they get to spring training, the more aggressive they may become.
• Currently, the bullpen is a big question mark outside of Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock, because of the losses of guys who had big roles like Brennan Bernardino and Chris Murphy. Also, guys who were in the bullpen at the end of the year like Payton Tolle and Kyle Harrison will begin spring training being stretched out to be starters. Of the free-agent right-handed options, Seranthony Domínguez could be a target for the Red Sox to pursue if they think they can rein in his control.
• It seems likely that the Red Sox will enter spring training with the plan to build out two full rotations who could be called upon between Boston and Worcester. It is much easier to decrease a pitch count instead of building it up. That way, the team won’t have to turn to guys like Matt Dermody or Kyle Barraclough if they run into an injury to their rotation or need someone from Triple-A. They’re in a good spot with starting pitching depth even after Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, and Cooper Criswell have been traded or lost. If the team eventually needs a good, high-leverage bullpen arm during the season, then they could look to transition someone from the rotation to the bullpen.
• At full strength, it’s currently tough to see any of the young guys or Kyle Harrison getting a spot in the rotation over Kutter Crawford or Patrick Sandoval to begin the season. Though it’s a big "if" for them to open the season completely healthy after both starters missed the entire 2025 season.
• The Red Sox underestimated how big of a stink Rafael Devers would put up over losing his position and then they underestimated how hard it would be to retain Alex Bregman after the season. Those two events came together and for a big-market team, you can’t allow that to happen. Cotillo feels that losing Bregman is very similar to how the Red Sox lost Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres by underestimating the market and allowing a motivated team to come in and sign the player.
• The Red Sox could either remain focused on offense or pivot to pitching and defense, as raised by Rob Bradford. Cotillo believes the team will remain engaged on Bo Bichette and Eugenio Suárez to a lesser extent. The team could turn to the trade market too for Brendan Donovan or Isaac Paredes, who the team was engaged on before the Winter Meetings. From a pitching standpoint, they could go after Zac Gallen, Ranger Suárez, or Framber Valdez due to the starting pitching market not developing as many free agents hoped it would.
• Paredes, if the Red Sox looked to trade for him, could require a very similar deal to the Contreras package, which makes a lot of sense for a starting point in discussion. The Red Sox gave up Dobbins, Blake Aita, and Yhoiker Fajardo for Contreras, three young, controllable pitchers with upside. Paredes is a good fit for the Red Sox, as he’s under control for two more seasons, can play third base for the team and has power (20 home runs in 102 games last season along with an .809 OPS). But Cotillo wonders if the Red Sox want to keep trading away prospects after they’ve already traded so many this offseason.
• Lastly, for all those who follow along on Cotillo’s Twitter account, only a few spots remain for his latest workshop, though time is limited as it begins tonight (January 13) at 7pm EST.  

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