Red Sox prioritizing patience while trying to rebound in '24

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Without question, it has been a quieter offseason for the Red Sox than many people expected, given that the club is coming off consecutive last-place finishes in the American League East.

However, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, president/CEO Sam Kennedy, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora all emphasized on Friday night at Winter Weekend not to mistake lack of offseason sizzle for diminished expectations for 2024 and beyond.

• Breslow, Red Sox diving deep to improve pitching

As targets slipped away -- none bigger than Yoshinobu Yamamoto -- the Red Sox decided the right path was not to overplay what is left on the market.

Instead, the Sox hope the team’s talented young core (Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck etc.) can take a step forward in the coming season while the highly touted top prospects (Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel) inch closer to their MLB debuts.

In fact, Kennedy said the team’s payroll in 2024 likely will dip below the Competitive Balance Tax payroll of $225.7 million they invested in last year’s club.

For a team that carries the history and expectations of the Red Sox, it can be a tough message to sell, as evidenced by the boos that took place during Kennedy and Breslow’s stint on a panel at Friday night’s opening night event at Winter Weekend.

“It’s on us, it’s on me, we need to be better,” said Kennedy. “You have my word we will do everything in our power to do so, starting in 2024. It's a process that started back in 2019 and 2020. It continues, and we recognize the results have been completely and totally unacceptable. And that's on us. We're the leaders of this organization. There's no sugarcoating it. We have to be better.”

This winter, the Sox have added starting pitcher Lucas Giolito via free agency and outfielder Tyler O’Neill in a trade. Former ace Chris Sale was traded to the Braves for Vaughn Grissom, and the hope is the prospect will take over the second-base job.

With less than a month left before Spring Training, the Sox are still on the hunt for another starting pitcher and a right-handed bat. Breslow has stated he is looking to acquire players who would come with multiple years of club contractual control.

“I'm confident,” Breslow said. “Obviously, I think we've been pretty explicit in the last few days around what those parameters are. I think there are a number of players who fit within those parameters. But you know, all of those things need to come together and need to line up.”

Ownership made it clear it is in lockstep with Breslow’s vision to turn the Red Sox into perennial contenders again.

“I think you all know that prize at the end of the year doesn't go to the team with the highest payroll,” Werner said. “In fact, the three teams with the highest payroll last year didn't even make the postseason. So as Sam said, we're here to support Craig and build a consistent winner. And we have the resources to be competitive, and we expect to be.”

• Mayer leading exciting trio of prospects into 2024

What about Werner’s comment at Breslow’s introductory press conference, when he said the Red Sox would be “full throttle” this offseason? Werner acknowledged Friday he could have expressed those thoughts better at the time.

“Well, I think a lot has been made out of two words,” Werner said. “For me personally, full throttle is that I approach every year expecting for us to be competitive and using all the levers at Craig's disposal -- and that could be acquiring talent through trades free agency, building a core, having a stronger pitching staff, having a stronger coaching staff.

“So when I was saying full throttle -- and I admitted that it probably wasn't the most artful [phrase] -- we are accountable to our fans. We are not happy, as Sam said, for our performance last year, and we expect to be better this year.”

Once the season starts, the focus will shift from the front office to the dugout and playing field. Cora looks forward to helping the team rebound from a pair of disappointing seasons. Even though Cora is entering the final season of his contract, he expressed no issue with the club’s forward-thinking approach.

“I think Baltimore is doing the same thing, and it paid off last year,” Cora said. “Obviously, they’ve still got some kids that are not there yet and everybody's talking about them. I think it's cool to brag about our kids. They're really good. They're good citizens, good kids, great players. And from my end, just spending time with them the last three days [at Rookie Development Camp] and talking to them, seeing them work out, all that stuff, I do believe the Red Sox are in good hands.”