Roman Anthony joins
FORT MYERS, Fla. - This was not how the Red Sox drew it up when it came to following a somewhat expected offseason blueprint. Trading for Caleb Durbin as the Alex Bregman replacement, for instance, most likely wasn't on the front office's bingo card a few months ago.
But this is where this team has landed. And, according to most within the organization who circulated in and around Fenway South on Monday, they are alright with the end result.
"We’ve got a good baseball team. We do," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said while meeting with the media for his first spring training bench gathering.
"You have to give credit to the front office. That Saturday in Boston it felt like the world was falling and there is no direction and this and that. But they did an outstanding job of getting Suarez here. They kept working. Working, working. We have some good players. It’s a different roster than last year. It’s a different year. But ironically enough, I feel like we have a more complete team than last year. Now it’s just a matter of going out and working and seeing how the pieces fit, but overall a l ot of talent. Young talent. Good athletes. Versatile."
The acquisition of Durbin was, in many ways, a microcosm of the entire team-building path taken by Craig Breslow and Co. No Kyle Schwarber. No Pete Alonso. And no Alex Bregman.
Instead, the post-Willson Contreras position player feather in their cap was a 5-foot-7 infielder whose skill-set scratched right where this front office itched. Durbin's MLB resume may have only included his 136-game season with the Brewers last season, with an OPS of .721, but the almost-26-year-old was deemed worth this early February leap of faith.
He is an excellent defensive third baseman.
The home run total of 11 last season figures to go up at Fenway Park.
There is very little swing-and-miss.
And only one player in MLB was hit by more pitches than Durbin (which, believe it or not, is of some value to these decision-makers).
"We really like a lot of what Caleb brings to the table: strong defender, strong bat-to-ball skills,” said Breslow. “Really versatile, right-handed hitter. And I also feel like he's a good fit for our park, just given the profile of hitting the ball in the air to the pull side -- I think he has a 20 percent air pull metric last year. I feel like that will play well at Fenway. Versatility, in terms of where he can play, [is a plus] and we still feel like his best days are ahead of him given his age and control. We're excited to get him into our organization."
"Watching him from afar in that series last year, he was a pain in the butt," Cora said.
It is interesting to note that the impression left by the infielder during the Red Sox's three-game trip to Milwaukee was born from Durbin going 0-for-10. It is, however, a microcosm of the analysis of this entire collection. Some might call it an across-the-board leap of faith. Others would point to underlying analytics. In Cora's case, he just knows what he sees.
What the Red Sox and their manager envision is a team that will pitch better than anyone. Field the ball at an elite level. And take significant steps forward in all the right areas to make up for the perceived missing piece of this offseason puzzle - hitting more balls over the fence.
"We don't need to score seven every time," explained Cora, adding, "We expect guys to step up."
Considering the landscape in the American League East, with the offseason additions made by the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Yankees, there is some external uneasiness. This wasn't, after all, how anybody envisioned where the Red Sox's 2026 roster would land post-Rafael Devers trade. The players they got are gone. The money recouped hasn't ultimately led to significant wins in free-agent battles.
For the time being, however, this group is alright with this end result.
"Every year is different," Cora said in explaining what will be rolled out this week.
There is no better example of that than what we are being reminded on Day 1.