Nick John

2024 was a big year for the New York Yankees as they made it back to the World Series for the first time since 2009. It might be a tough task for the team to make it back there as more than a third of their starting lineup was not brought back. Add to it a rotation that has been dealt several injuries already and it’s looking like an uphill battle to repeat as the champs of the American League. But if there’s any franchise you can’t count out, it’s unfortunately the Yankees. What’s Changed Since Last Year? Let’s start with the elephant in the room. After trading for Juan Soto entering the 2024 season, the Yankees were unable to hammer out an extension with the star slugger before free agency. After a long free agency period that saw several teams attempt to sway Soto into signing with them, the left-handed slugger remained in New York. But he chose the Mets over the Yankees. After missing out on the generational hitter, the Yankees pivoted their free agency pursuit and immediately made moves to improve their pitching, the biggest being a seven-year deal with Max Fried, winning a bidding war with the Boston Red Sox. Fried was projected to slot in as the number two pitcher in the rotation when signed (more on that later). The Yankees weren’t finished either, trading for All-Star closer Devin Williams of Milwaukee to take over the ninth inning. They also signed Carlos Carrasco to a minor league deal, and he broke camp with the team. Offensively, the Yankees swapped out Anthony Rizzo and Alex Verdugo for Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger, respectively. Rizzo and Verdugo were allowed to walk in free agency after mixed seasons in 2024. While Rizzo remains unsigned, Verdugo signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves near the end of spring training. Goldschmidt signed as a free agent after six years in St. Louis. The first baseman will look to add power to the lineup while providing a veteran presence in the clubhouse. Bellinger came over in a trade with the Chicago Cubs during the winter. Bellinger will be expected to handle center field, allowing Aaron Judge to return to his natural position of right field. What Remains the Same? Most of the lineup returns as it will be lead by MVP candidate Aaron Judge. The highly touted Jasson Dominguez also looks to finally play an entire season for the Yankees after getting two short runs the last two seasons. Joining the two outfielders in the lineup includes fellow first-round picks Austin Wells behind the plate and Anthony Volpe at shortstop. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is also back for another season with the Yankees, but this time he’s been projected to play second base instead of third base. Third base will instead be handled by Oswaldo Cabrera after DJ LeMahieu injured himself near the start of spring training games. Ben Rice should also see plenty of at-bats as the team waits for Giancarlo Stanton to be healthy enough to play again. On the pitching side, the Yankees retained most of their rotation... is what I would like to say if they weren’t injured. Gerrit Cole is gone for the entire season due to Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil is out with a strained lat, while Clarke Schmidt is dealing with shoulder fatigue. Because of this, the only starters from last year who are ready for the season are Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman. Will Warren, who made six appearances last year for the Yankees, looks like an option to begin the season in the rotation as well. The bullpen sees some familiar faces return in the way of Luke Weaver, Mark Leiter Jr. and Tim Hill. Yerry De Los Santos, who pitched in Scranton last season, looks to join the bullpen and provide assistance. Where Do The Yankees Stand in the 2025 AL East Hierarchy? As someone who hates the Yankees, I would like to say this team is a steep drop off from last year’s team and the Yankees will struggle all season. But, since I hate them, I also know it won’t happen, as we’ve all seen the Yankees eventually go on a run and put themselves into the conversation for the playoffs regardless of their roster. Despite that, I feel that as currently constructed, the Yankees will have a hard time winning the division and would need to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. PECOTA currently has the Yankees projected to finish third in the division, nabbing around 85 wins on the season. They have a 23% chance of winning the division and a meager (for them) 51.1% chance of making the playoffs. FanGraphs projects the Yankees to have a decent enough lineup with all but Ben Rice having a WAR above 1.0. The team is led by Aaron Judge having a projected 7.4 WAR for the season, followed by Anthony Volpe and his 4.0 WAR. Wells, Bellinger and Chisholm are all projected to have at least a 3.0 WAR as well. On the pitching side, Max Fried leads the way with a 3.4 WAR, while Carlos Rodón is second with a 2.6 WAR. After that, the rotation is rather average as Stroman is projected to have a 1.5 WAR and Warren a 1.2 WAR. For the bullpen, besides Devin Williams and his 1.4 WAR, there isn’t anyone who FanGraphs feels will stand out WAR wise as the next highest is Fernando Cruz and his 0.8 WAR. The Yankees might be dealing with injuries to quite a few players to open the season, but if there’s anything I’ve learned from watching New York play against other teams, it’s that they always find a way to improve and win. I wouldn’t be surprised if this team begins to shuffle its roster after less than a month if they get off to a slow start. It seems like they could struggle, but never count the Yankees out.

With the regular season less than a week away, the Red Sox are making decisions about the last few roster spots. On Saturday the Red Sox made it a little bit easier to envision what their bullpen will look like, as MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported that both Adam Ottavino and Matt Moore were told they would not be making the team. Ottavino triggered his opt-out clause in order to look for a roster spot elsewhere, and the Red Sox have released him. Both Ottavino and Moore were brought in on minor league deals and given non-roster invites to the major league camp. Moore also has opt-out in his deals that would need to be exercised by this weekend. Otherwise, he’ll begin the season in Worcester. Ottavino is no stranger to the Red Sox, having been traded to the team before the 2021 season. During that season he was a veteran presence in the bullpen and a valuable mentor. Ottavino would spend the next three seasons as an important piece of the New York Mets bullpen. This offseason, he didn’t receive many offers and instead chose to sign a minor league deal with the Red Sox on February 18, after pitchers and catchers had already reported. Ottavino appeared in five games this spring, pitching five innings, surrendering six earned runs, striking out eight, and allowing five walks. Of his five outings, four were scoreless appearances with multiple strikeouts. His one bad appearance was on March 11 against the Phillies; he lasted only a third of an inning and gave up six runs and three walks. Moore was another late signing, agreeing to a deal on February 23. The Red Sox were looking for left-handed depth following the news that Zach Penrod would miss time due to elbow soreness. Moore spent 2024 with the Angels, and he struggled to a 5.03 ERA in 48 1/3 innings pitched. However, his previous two seasons were much better and there was hope his performance could bounce back to its previous level. Moore, entering his age-36 season, pitched in only a few spring training games for the Red Sox and did not allow a run. In three appearances, he threw three innings and struck out two. Alex Cora has said that five relievers are locks for the roster: Aroldis Chapman, Justin Wilson, Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Liam Hendriks. That leaves three spots in the bullpen for five candidates: Brennan Bernardino, Cooper Criswell, Zack Kelly, Bryan Mata, and Greg Weissert. Following the roster cuts, the Red Sox have 45 players in the major league camp. Of those 45, Michael Fulmer and Seby Zavala have been told they will not open the season with Boston. Another six will open the season on the injured list. That brings the total down to 37 players fighting for 26 spots. The last few days of spring training will be filled with battles for the last few spots.

The Toronto Blue Jays are at an important point in time when it comes to their current core of players. With the likes of Chris Bassitt, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. all hitting free agency at the end of the season, this could be the last season for the current core. The team failed to make the playoffs last year and the two seasons that they did make it with this core they lost in the Wild Card round. However, with a division that seems to be up for the grabs there might be a chance that the Blue Jays can make a run and capture at least a Wild Card spot. What’s Changed Since Last Year? The biggest moves by the Blue Jays were the acquisitions of Andrés Giménez, Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman and Max Scherzer. The Blue Jays knew they needed to supplement the main core of José Berríos, Bichette and Guerrero Jr. and brought in several players to assist. Giménez and Santander look to slot right into the starting lineup as the second baseman and left fielder (or DH) respectively. Giménez was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians in December for Spencer Horwitz and prospect Nick Mitchell. Santander, on the other hand, was arguably Toronto’s biggest free agent acquisition in years, signing a five-year, $92.5 million contract that also includes a 2030 team option. The bench hasn’t changed much as Tyler Heineman, Davis Schneider and Addison Barger return to the team. The only new acquisition is outfielder Myles Straw who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland back in January. Max Scherzer is looking to prove he still has something left in the tank at 40 years old as he will be a part of the Blue Jays rotation, joining the likes of Berríos, Bassitt and Kevin Gausman. The bullpen has also changed slightly as the Blue Jays brought in the likes of Hoffman, Nick Sandlin and non-roster invite Richard Lovelady to try and improve on last year’s relief group. Instead of going after depth, the Blue Jays went after players they felt could help push this core over the edge and get them back to the playoffs, especially when it comes to Hoffman and Santander, who were both All-Stars in 2024. What Remains The Same? Honestly, most of the lineup. Horwitz was swapped for Giménez and with Davis Schneider projected to be on the bench this season after signing Santander, most of the batting order remains the same. Daulton Varsho is projected to start the year on the Injured List due to shoulder surgery, and for the time being, center field should be manned by Nathan Lukes. The lineup will again be led by face of the franchise Guerrero Jr. along with Bo Bichette, who looks to bounce back after an injury-plagued season. George Springer will continue to man right field while the recently-extended Alejandro Kirk will be the catcher. Ernie Clement looks poised to return as the starting third baseman as well. The rotation remains mostly intact from how it looked at the end of last season, as four out of five starters have returned and the fifth spot is projected to belong to Scherzer. iIf the Blue Jays’ top three pitchers can throw to their potential, they might have one of the better rotations in the AL East, especially with Berríos and Gausman leading the way for them. The bullpen has been shaken up this offseason as Génesis Cabrera left for the New York Mets. The Blue Jays still have the likes of Chad Green and Yimi García returning to help Hoffman in the back-end of the bullpen. Also returning is Brendon Little as a left-handed option, while it seems likely that Yariel Rodríguez could slide into a long-relief role this season. Where Do The Blue Jays Stand in the 2025 AL East Hierarchy? I won’t lie, I’m a Red Sox fan, and while my personal bias wants me to say the Red Sox will win the division (I said that in my Red Sox preview), I think the Blue Jays could have a good shot should all their players play up to their potential. Yes, regression is likely for players like Bassitt and Springer, but should they play just average baseball, the team should be in good shape, especially with Santander to help carry the offense alongside a healthy Bichette and Guerrero Jr. Do I think the Blue Jays will win the division? Not at this moment. Do I think they could get hot and make a run for it? Absolutely. PECOTA projects the Blue Jays to finish third in the division with roughly 85 wins on the season. Currently, they have a 21.7% chance to win the division and a 51.4% to make the playoffs all together. FanGraphs on the other hand has Bichette, Guerrero Jr., Santander, Giménez and Kirk as having a WAR of at least 3.0 with Santander having the lowest WAR at 3.1. Guerrero Jr. leads the projected offense and the team as a whole with 4.8 WAR, while Gausman leads all pitchers with 3.1 WAR. The Blue Jays lineup as a whole only has a single player with a WAR below 1.0, with that belonging to Lukes who will most likely be shifted to the bench when Varsho returns. The rotation is likewise deep as the lowest projected WAR belongs to Bowden Francis. With the American League East up for grabs this season, this could be the Blue Jays’ chance to make a run for it, especially knowing there’s a good possibility their core could be broken up this offseason. Should they find themselves in contention come July, there’s no reason they shouldn’t pull the trigger on a trade to help push this team into the playoffs. Of course, that all depends on if the team can play to its potential.

The Tampa Bay Rays had a tough offseason, though it was more due to Hurricane Milton destroying Tropicana Field. As the Trop is under construction to be playable in 2026, the Rays will instead play at the New York Yankees’ spring training park (George M. Steinbrenner Field) un 2025. The Rays look to put this event behind them and make a push back into the playoffs after missing it in 2024. What’s Changed Since Last Year? For the Rays, not much has really changed. Besides being forced to play at a spring training ballpark in 2025, most of their roster has remained the same from last season. Their big moves involved the free agent signings of Danny Jansen to be their starting catcher and Ha-Seong Kim to play shortstop, though the latter won’t be back until May or June as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. On the pitching side, the Rays did what they’re well known for: getting players who aren’t big names. They acquired Mason Englert from the Detroit Tigers for minor league player Drew Sommers back in February. Englert pitched in 12 games for Detroit last season, throwing 21 2/3 innings. The other moves the Rays made for their pitching staff was purchasing former New York Mets’ top prospect Mike Vasil from the Philadelphia Phillies who drafted him in the Rule 5 draft and making another trade with the Tigers for Alex Faedo. They also selected Nate Lavender from the Mets during the Rule 5 draft. Departing from the team is Jeffrey Springs, who was traded to the Athletics for a package of Joe Boyle and minor leaguers Will Simpson and Jacob Watters. The bullpen did see some losses this offseason as Colin Poche and Jason Adam left the team to sign with the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres respectively. Phil Maton also signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Probably the biggest difference in the team will be the fact that Shane McClanahan will be returning from his second Tommy John surgery, which he had in August 2023. McClanahan is an ace and will help shape the top of the Rays’ rotation now that he is healthy again. What Remains The Same? You could joke about it, but almost everything. The rotation returns most of its pieces as Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot, Zack Littell, Shane Baz and Drew Rasmussen will comprise the heart of the group. With the return of McClanahan, there’s a good chance the Rays begin the season with a six-man rotation to help with his load management. The offense itself isn’t changed much either, as the team will still be carried by veterans Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe on the right side of the infield while Junior Caminero looks to play well in his first full season in the major leagues. The outfield will see the return of Josh Lowe, who can flash both speed and power, while Danny Jansen will join everyone as the new starting catcher. The bottom half of the lineup will be filled with young guys as Jonathan Aranda hopes to crack the starting lineup and Christopher Morel (who was acquired at the deadline for Isaac Paredes) will shift to left field. Jonny DeLuca will man center field while Taylor Walls returns to handle the duties at shortstop. Even the bench hasn’t changed much as Curtis Mead, Richie Palacios and José Caballero will reprise their roles from last season. Joining them is Ben Rortved, who is likely to lose his starting position at catcher to Jansen. The bullpen sees the return of several pieces as Pete Fairbanks, Edwin Uceta, Garrett Cleavinger, Kevin Kelly and Manuel Rodríguez are all back for another go-round. And while relievers can be volatile and have up and down seasons, each of them are coming off of respectable campaigns out of the bullpen in Tampa Bay. The Rays know how to use relievers and how to get the most out of them. That trait will continue into 2025 as they look to use a variety of relievers to help them win important ball games. Where Do The Rays Stand in the 2025 AL East Hierarchy? As a Red Sox fan, I would like to say that the Rays don’t have much of a chance. But if there’s anything I know about the Rays, it’s that you can never count them out. Especially when you think you can. Last season was a bit different as the Rays dealt with injuries to their rotation from the start of the season, with only three starters making more than 20 starts and none of them handling more than 29. That’ll likely change this year, and the Rays will be more dangerous than they appeared in 2024. PECOTA projects them to barely finish above .500 with roughly 82 wins and a fourth-place finish in the division. Overall, they have just under a 10% chance of winning the division and have a 34.5% chance of making the playoffs. Personally, I feel those numbers are a bit low for the Rays. FanGraphs projects well for the Rays, as their lineup appears to be rather deep (at least in terms of WAR). Out of the projected starters, only Taylor Walls is projected to have less than a 1.5 WAR. The lineup sees three starters being projected with a WAR over 3.0 as Díaz, Lowe and Caminero lead the way (Caminero is projected to lead the offense with 3.4 WAR). Even the Rays’ bench seems to be well off, as both Rortvedt and Caballero are projected to eclipse 1.0 WAR in part-time duty. From the pitching side of things, none of the Rays starters are projected to have a WAR less than 1.2, and McClanahan is projected to lead the rotation with a 3.0 WAR. The Rays may not have many stars on their team, but they make up for it with their depth of quality major league players. This team is built for the long grind of a 162-game season that includes injuries and slumps. However, come the playoffs, that might not be enough to overcome other teams who have brought in stars to help lead the way.

In 2024, right field was a pleasant surprise for the Red Sox, as Wilyer Abreu proved himself to be a more than capable starting outfielder. Entering the season, it was assumed that Abreu would take over the starting right field position following the trade of Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees. Not necessarily assumed was that Abreu would prove to be more valuable than Verdugo, finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting and winning a Gold Glove. His steady play helped solidify the outfield, manning one of the hardest right fields in baseball with relative ease. Abreu is penciled in as the starting right fielder for 2025, and the team looks for him to provide outstanding defense once again while taking a step forward with his bat. Red Sox Right Fielders at a Glance Starter: Wilyer Abreu Backup: Rob Refsnyder Depth: Blake Sabol, Nate Eaton (NRI), Trayce Thompson (NRI) Prospects: Roman Anthony, Jhostynxon Garcia, Miguel Bleis Red Sox RF 2024 fWAR ranking: Six out of 30 The Good Right away, it’s Wilyer Abreu. Since coming over from the Astros at the deadline in 2022, Abreu has been impressive. He climbed through the minor leagues and made his debut in 2023. Following a good showing in September, the Red Sox felt confident entering 2024 with him as the starting right fielder and he did not disappoint. In his rookie season, Abreu put up 3.1 fWAR while slashing .253/.322/.459 with 15 home runs in 132 games. Abreu has shown he can be a bright part of the future, especially if he continues to improve as he has every year since joining the organization. Joining him is Mr. Reliable, Rob Refsnyder, who has fulfilled his role with the team every season since joining Boston. Brought in because of his ability to hit left-handed pitching and play all three outfield positions, Refsnyder has slashed .278/.367/.427 with 18 home runs in 239 games in Boston. The ability to hit lefties is crucial, given Abreu's shortcomings (and Boston's lack of trust) in that area, but Refsnyder is also a leader in the clubhouse, providing a veteran voice for an otherwise young roster. The Red Sox also have an abundance of depth, both on and off the 40-man roster. Blake Sabol was brought in over the offseason, and although he's a catcher, he has experience in the outfield and could play there if needed. Nate Eaton and Trayce Thompson are both interesting depth options who have been playing well in spring training. Both are on minor league deals and will be in Worcester to open the season. Should an injury occur, they would be able to fill in. The future is even more exciting. Between Roman Anthony, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Miguel Bleis there is a lot of talent waiting to make its way up to Boston. Of course, Anthony is the crown jewel as the consensus top prospect in baseball after playing in Portland and Worcester. Across 119 games he managed to slash .291/.396/.498 with 18 home runs. At 20 years old, Anthony is showing in his first major league spring training that he is ready for Boston, running a 134 wRC+ during his first 10 games. Miguel Bleis also has interesting potential. Bleis could be one of the biggest boom-or-bust prospects in the system. When he’s healthy and playing well, Bleis looks like he could be one of the top prospects in the system, thanks to plus speed, plus range, and plus raw power while also boasting an above-average arm. The Bad Abreu has yet to prove that he can hit left-handed pitching well enough to be a full-time starter. Last season, a strict platoon limited him to 61 at bats against lefties. It may have been for the best, as he batted just .180, but he'll never learn if he doesn't get the chance. Even early in spring training, the team has planned to keep him limited against left-handed pitchers, at least to begin the season. Health is the next issue. Last season, Abreu missed nearly all of June due to an ankle sprain, while Refsnyder had two stints on the injured list last season. While the team has depth to deal with injuries, whether they can handle a long-term absence is unknown. Thompson and Eaton don’t exactly have a strong track records, as the former has only managed a career .212 batting average and has struck out in nearly a third of his career at bats. Eaton has only amassed 159 at bats with .201 batting average. They're enough to last a couple weeks, but anything longer may lead the Sox to look to promote Roman Anthony to the majors instead. Miguel Bleis has also missed time in 2021, 2022, the majority of 2023, and some time in 2024. On top of that, he struggled during his first time in High-A Greenville, striking out out 54 times in 52 games. The Bottom Line As with left field, so long as the Red Sox stay healthy, they’ll be fine. After missing time due to a mysterious gastrointestinal virus, it seems like Abreu will get into game action soon, improving his chances of being ready. The outfield is in good shape right now, as right field is being patrolled by one of the best defensive outfielders for the upcoming season all while having what could be a generational player waiting at Triple A.

With Jarren Duran back in the outfield and sliding over to left field from center field, the Red Sox might have one of the best defensive outfields this season. Left field was one of the most consistent for the Red Sox last season, as they only used three players: Duran, Rob Refsnyder, and Tyler O’Neill. Of the three, only O’Neill is gone, as Duran is now the starting left fielder again. The explosive player looks to build off a career year and prove that his All-Star season was no fluke. Alongside him is once again Refsnyder and potentially Masataka Yoshida, as the Sox hope to have him play the field more than he did in 2024. Red Sox Left Fielders At A Glance Starter: Jarren Duran Backup: Rob Refsnyder Depth: Masataka Yoshida, Trayce Thompson (NRI) Prospects: Roman Anthony (NRI), Will Turner, Corey Rosier Red Sox fWAR Ranking Last Year: 1st out of 30 The Good Jarren Duran is coming off of a career year, which is something to look forward to. The left fielder made his first All-Star game and finished eighth in MVP voting this past season. Slashing .285/.342/.492, Duran led the Red Sox offense throughout the season. He also hit 21 home runs, leading the league in doubles and triples with 48 and 14, respectively. It might sound crazy, but Duran has a chance to build off his incredible season as he works to hit left-handed pitchers better. Last season, Duran began the year as the left fielder, but injuries forced him to move to center field after Ceddanne Rafaela was moved to shortstop. Now, the plan is for him to return to left field, where his weaker arm won’t be taken advantage of as often. Bringing back Refsnyder after he considered retirement is another positive. Refsnyder is a lefty killer, consistently hitting well against left-handed pitchers and providing a veteran voice in the clubhouse. Even with the loss of O’Neill to the Baltimore Orioles, Duran and Refsnyder are as good a duo to handle left field as any team in the major league can boast. The ability to make contact, hit for power, great speed, and good defense makes the Red Sox very comfortable with left field entering the season. The Bad There isn’t much depth. After Duran and Refsnyder, the only other player with major league experience playing left field consistently is Yoshida. Last season, he became the team’s designated hitter and hasn’t played in the outfield since 2023. It’s also likely that the team will want to avoid using him in left field to begin the season as he continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. After Yoshida, there’s Trayce Thompson, who’s lighting up the Grapefruit League. However, he’s not on the 40-man roster, and it's unlikely they will add him to it. Roman Anthony is more of a right fielder but has played some left field in the minors. However, the Red Sox would most likely prefer that he sticks to his main position if he’s up in the major leagues. Finally, Duran had some issues against left-handed pitchers. In 43 games, he hit .235/.289/.358 and struck out 57 times in 187 at-bats. The Bottom Line So long as the Red Sox stay healthy, they’ll be fine in left field. Duran will provide a consistent presence in left field, backed up by arguably one of the most consistent players since arriving in Boston in Refsnyder. Most teams would love to have this combination on their roster, especially as Duran broke out last season. Should the injury bug strike both of them, the Red Sox may be forced to call up top prospect Anthony and have him adjust to playing in front of the Green Monster.

They always say you can never have too much pitching, and the Boston Red Sox are proving that true. With news that Lucas Giolito will open the season on the injured list, the Red Sox have now seen three starters shut down this spring. Kutter Crawford went down first, dealing with a knee issue that he had been bothering him since last season. There was some concern that he might need surgery, but that doesn’t look likely now. Crawford will instead look to rehab it and look to help the Sox during the season. Brayan Bello was the next, dealing with a sore shoulder that kept him behind schedule. The right-hander has yet to pitch in a spring training game, but has thrown on the backfields as he’s worked to get ready for the season. Bello is expected to miss only the 15 days needed to qualify for the IL, so long as he doesn’t suffer a setback. He'll likely pitch in a couple of rehab appearances in the minors before returning to Boston. As for Giolito, the right-hander signed a two-year, $38.5-million deal before the 2024 season, but injuries have kept him from making a single start for the Red Sox. In his first spring training appearance, Giolito lasted a single inning, being pulled due to a left hamstring strain. Giolito said he felt it while pitching to the first batter of the game and that he has dealt with worse. Giolito had been lined up to pitch the fifth game of the season per Alex Cora but the injury will now place him on the injured list. Just like Bello, it seems he’ll only miss the minimum amount of time. Usually, three injuries to your starting rotation before the season even starts can be enough to derail an entire season, leaving the team so far in the hole that they can't recover. The Red Sox, however, built up their pitching depth over the offseason and it’s starting to pay off. Even with Hunter Dobbins being optioned to minor league camp, the Red Sox have three potential candidates in camp competing for the last two spots in the rotation: rookie Richard Fitts, trade deadline acquisition Quinn Priester, and swingman Cooper Criswell. Fitts has looked the most impressive out of the three, and may have already locked up a spot in the rotation. In three appearances this spring, Fitts has gone 6 1/3 innings and struck out nine. What may be most impressive is the increased velocity on his fastball. Last season Fitts’ four seamer averaged around 94-95 mph. Through his three spring training appearances, his fastball has climbed to 97 mph and even topped out at 99 mph. He's also introduced a sinker and curveball to his arsenal and now looks like a different pitcher. To put into perspective the improvement of his arsenal, in 20 2/3 innings last year, Fitts only struck out nine batters. In 6 1/3 innings this spring he’s already matched that. If he can continue to get whiffs with his improved fastball, then Fitts could make the Verdugo trade with New York look even better than it already does. Prior to this change, his ceiling appeared to be a fifth starter or a bullpen arm. Now? If he’s able to put everything together, there’s an argument to be made that he could become a number three or four pitcher. Priester has also looked different since the start of spring training. He put on 15 pounds of muscle over the offseason, and like Fitts, his fastball has improved, topping out at 96 mph this spring. The right-hander was acquired at the trade deadline for Nick Yorke and spent most of his time at Worcester. Priester made one start for the Red Sox, pitching five innings and allowing a single run. So far in the spring, he has looked good, starting three games and throwing 6 2/3 innings, though has allowed his share of walks, surrendering four of them so far. Still only 24 years old, Priester could be a decent fill-in until either Bello or Giolito is healthy. Finally, Criswell is the pitcher with the most big-league experience. A low-cost signing last year, Criswell became invaluable to the Red Sox as he bounced back and forth between Boston and Worcester, filling in for the rotation and bullpen as needed. In 99 1/3 innings over 26 appearances and 18 starts, Criswell pitched to a 4.08 ERA. So far in spring training, he has been hit the hardest, pitching in three games and allowing four runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched. While the Red Sox have yet to offer any hints about who will fill out the rotation, there’s a good chance they might go with Fitts and Priester. Criswell would either be sent down to Worcester to begin the season, or, with Josh Winckowski struggling, fill in as the long man in the bullpen. The Red Sox are in a good position because of their depth, and also because Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, and Walker Buehler, make an excellent top of the rotation.

In 2024, Wilyer Abreu was a key piece in the Red Sox roster, providing irreplaceable defense and delivering clutch hits. This year he’s behind schedule and there’s a good chance he might not break camp with the team because of it. Abreu has yet to play a game or do much more than just track pitches and play catch. He came to spring dealing with a gastrointestinal virus, unable to do any baseball activities. Instead, he was getting lab tests done in hopes of being given the all-clear to begin getting ready for the season. Abreu got the go-ahead last week, but the virus cost him strength and several pounds. He's now trying to ramp up so he won’t miss the start of the season. Should that prove impossible, there are plenty of candidates to take his spot, but there really isn’t just one answer. It’ll all depend on how much time Abreu needs to get back into the lineup. In a perfect world, Abreu would be able to get into game action sometime before the end of the week, ending all these concerns. Abreu is a valued member of the team, playing outstanding defense in what is arguably one of the hardest right field in all of baseball. Add to that the offensive potential he showcased last year, batting .253 with a .322 on-base percentage and 15 home runs, and he’ll be missed no matter how much time he might miss. I’ve thought of a few different scenarios, and it’s been reported that the Red Sox are looking for rght-handed outfielders in the trade market, everything you're about to read was written under the assumption that the team doesn't acquire anyone else. Option 1: Rob Refsnyder is the temporary left fielder, Jarren Duran moves to center, Ceddanne Rafaela moves to right. This is probably the most likely scenario, besides Abreu being ready for Opening Day. Rob Refsnyder has been a key piece of this team since being called up from Worcester back in 2022. He’s played in 239 games, providing key hits and hustling on all plays. Last season was a career year for Refsnyder, one that was almost his last, as he pondered retirement despite running an impressive 130 wRC+. He also set a career-high with 11 home runs. Refsnyder is known as a lefty killer, which normally makes him a solid candidate for Abreu as a platoon partner. Refsnyder can play either corner outfield position, having split his time between the two last year. However, it would make sense for superior defenders Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela to cover the more challenging center and right. I think Rafaela's superior arm makes him the better candidate for right rather than Duran. Refsnyder would be a stopgap, a veteran presence comfortable when he’s facing a left-handed pitcher but hoping for the best when a right-hander is on the mound. He'd return to the bench when Abreu returned, without causing much roster shuffling. However, if Abreu were out for more than a few weeks, that might be asking too much of Refsnyder. Option 2: Kristian Campbell breaks camp with the Red Sox as the left fielder. This situation may seem like a bit more of a stretch, but I feel the team could go in this direction. All throughout the beginning of spring training, we’ve heard about how much the team likes Kristian Campbell and how they would love for him to break camp with the big club. At the time, the thought was for him to be the second baseman, but it seems that there are two other options ahead of him at that position. Both Vaughn Grissom and David Hamilton have played well while Campbell pressed and struggled to begin spring training. When you look at where Campbell has played in the games, it becomes clear that the Red Sox are looking at him as a potential outfielder, to start the season at least. Campbell has played seven of his 11 games at second base and the remaining four in left field. It may not seem like much, three of those seven were his first three games played. Whatever the reason for it, the team seems to be thinking of Campbell more as an outfielder lately. However, this situation would be a bit different upon Abreu’s return. Instead of being sent down to Worcester, Campbell would stay on the roster, perhaps moving to second base if the current second baseman struggles. Or he could even stay in a platoon with Abreu considering the team may be hesitant to use him against left-handed pitchers. The point is, I can’t see Campbell being the replacement for Abreu if he is just going to be sent back down once Abreu is ready. It makes no sense to waste an option year like that and Campbell is a true star prospect. The team needs to do whatever they feel will help him develop into the best player he can be. Now, why did I choose Campbell and not Roman Anthony? While Anthony is an outfielder, he is also a left-handed hitter and wouldn’t help to balance the lineup. And considering that the team is searching for a right-handed bat to fill Abreu’s spot on the roster if necessary, it seems Campbell would be the better fit. It also seems like the team feels Anthony could use a little more seasoning in Triple A, despite how well he played there last year. Lastly, Anthony succumbed to the stomach bug making its way through the clubhouse last week, and he also lost some time getting up to speed. Option 3: Trayce Thompson makes the team, then gets DFA’d upon Abreu’s return. This may be more likely than Campbell playing left field in Boston aside from one hiccup. Thompson is a veteran with some power who can play all three outfield positions, and he's having an unbelievable spring so far, but he isn't on the 40-man roster. At this point in the spring, Boston’s 40-man roster doesn't have any room to spare, meaning someone would need to lose their spot for Thompson to gain one. The most likely openings will occur near the end of spring training when Zach Penrod and Chris Murphy are likely placed on the 60-day injured list. Even if Thompson were to make the team, there’s no guarantee the Red Sox would keep him for anything longer than a short stint. His spring training stats are something else: a .391 batting average to go along with six home runs. But it’s still spring training. Sam Travis and Bobby Dalbec should remind fans of how spring training stats can be deceptive. Thompson ran a 129 wRC+ in spring training in 2024, then ran a below-average batting line in the minors, never earning a big-league appearance. Thompson last played in the majors in 2023, when he split the year between the Dodgers and White Sox, appearing in 72 games and struggling mightily. In his entire career, he’s only had one really decent season. In 2022, he ran a 142 wRC+ over 80 games with the Padres and Dodgers. His track record is against him, and even if he made the roster, it's hard to imagine him keeping his spot once Abreu is ready (unless his monster run continues into the regular season). Beacause of the roster crunch, Thompson would most likely be DFA’d immediately upon Abreu’s return, passing through waivers and returning to Triple A. There's no shortage of options, but the best option is still Abreu proving himself ready to start the season on March 27. In order to do that, he'll need to get back into playing shape and get quality at-bats in games. Abreu is a key piece of the team, and while you can’t outright replace him, these Red Sox have the depth to be able to withstand a short absence.