While free agency won’t open for a few more weeks at this point, the Red Sox already have plenty of work on their offseason to-do list. Earlier this month it was reported that several changes were coming to the club’s coaching staff, and Sean McAdam of MassLive.com recently floated a possible name for the job of assistant hitting coach: Dillon Lawson, who has spent the past year as chief baseball office Craig Breslow’s minor league hitting coordinator.
Prior to joining the Red Sox last winter, Lawson had worked as a hitting coach in the minor leagues for the Astros and Royals until he joined the Yankees in 2018. Lawson started out as the club’s minor league hitting coordinator, the same role he has now with Boston, before being promoted to the role of hitting coach prior to the 2022 season. Lawson lasted just a season and a half in the role before being fired mid-way through the 2023 season, the first time the Yankees fired a coach midseason since 1998.
Despite that unfortunate piece of trivia, however, it’s fair to note that it’s unclear how much blame Lawson really deserved to shoulder for the club’s offensive woes in 2023. After all, the club’s wRC+ after firing Lawson (90) was actually slightly worse than it was under Lawson’s guidance (93), suggesting that the club’s struggles may have been due to lackluster performances from individual veterans such as Kyle Higashioka, Giancarlo Stanton, and DJ LeMahieu. Regardless of who is to blame for New York’s struggles on offense last year, the Red Sox were clearly pleased by Lawson’s work with the club’s young players in the upper minors this year if they’re considering him for a role with the big league coaching staff.
Shifting focus towards the front office, McAdam also notes that there’s an apparent top candidate for the as-of-yet-unfilled GM role directly below Breslow in the club’s baseball operations hierarchy. Per McAdam, there’s “little doubt” that the top internal candidate for the role is assistant GM Paul Toboni, who was promoted to his current position back in January after previously acting as the club’s VP of amateur scouting and player development to become one of four assistant GMs below Breslow, joining Raquel Ferreira, Eddie Romero and Mike Groopman.
McAdam adds that an executive with another club suggested that Toboni could be highly sought-after by rival organizations if the club were to settle on another candidate for the GM role. An internal candidate to replace Chaim Bloom as chief baseball officer before the club settled upon hiring Breslow, it’s possible that Toboni could receive interest from another club such as the Giants (who are in the midst of their own GM search) or Twins (who recently parted ways with GM Thad Levine) in the event that Breslow ultimately settles on an external candidate to act as his second-in-command with the Red Sox.
Turning back towards the players on the field, McAdam also notes that the Rule 5 protection deadline next month will come with a number of decisions for the Red Sox. It’s hardly uncommon for a club to face tough calls about whether to add a prospect to their 40-man roster or risk leaving them exposed to that winter’s Rule 5 draft, but Boston has one particularly unusual candidate for protection: veteran right-hander Michael Fulmer. Fulmer signed with the Red Sox on a two-year minor league deal last winter after undergoing surgery on his UCL and appears to be on track to be ready for Spring Training in February.
The 31-year-old’s unique situation as an experienced big leaguer with a solid 3.55 ERA since moving to the bullpen back in 2021 would make him a very attractive addition to the majority of clubs’ bullpen mix, as he could be added without the uncertainty that surrounds typical Rule 5 picks that are plucked out of the minors without any big league experience under their belts. Given Fulmer’s big league experience and the fact that he has more than enough service time to reject an optional assignment to the minors anyway, opposing clubs would shoulder relatively minimal risk if they decided to select Fulmer, meaning the Red Sox will likely have to add him to their 40-man roster next month if they hope to retain him for 2025.
Fever Pitch Guy
None of this matters if the Red Sox continue to insist they won’t try to win until at least 2026.
mlb fan
“continue to insist”…Clearly, the Red Sox haven’t gone all out the last few years, but when did they ever say publicly that they “won’t try to win” until 2026?
I don’t watch the Redsox 24/7 like some R’Sox fans, but if they didn’t say this you’re actually putting (false) words in their mouths. I’ll let the hardcore Sox fans correct me if I’m wrong about this.
Goose
I don’t recall if they stated a date but the one thing they lied to the fans on is they weren’t going to start spending until they got under the luxury tax penalty. Then they got under and reset the clock and did nothing for two years. For a team that has the money they were ‘in’ on everyone and signed no one.
The most telling thing this season was they didn’t jump in on Snell or Montgomery when the years dropped down to nothing and were easy commitments. They also didn’t go get Flaherty at the trade deadline when it only cost the Dodgers their 8th and 22nd prospect. They needed starting pitching badly.
I have no faith the current ownership will go acquire any big pieces via free agency or the trade market.
KingKen
They haven’t.
Fever Pitch Guy
Ken – Your constant lying is getting really annoying.
ibuititnoonecame
Everytime they say full throttle we are all in we mean it this time. Anytime they say stuff like this they mean they have no intention to compete
ibuititnoonecame
Their actions say it and show it
Fever Pitch Guy
IB – Exactly.
At the All-Star Break they were 10 games over .500 and just 5 out of first place and just 1 out of the 2nd WC … and their “acquiring pitching and a RHB” involved getting Paxton, Hill, Ramirez, Jansen, Sims and Garcia. The team obviously knew ownership had no desire to win this year, and understandably their performance suffered.
Fever Pitch Guy
Mlb – I was going to politely say, for the millionth time, ownership has repeatedly stated they will not attempt to contend by pushing in their chips and increasing the payroll by supplementing the roster with talented free agents or prospect trades until CMAT becomes established major league players, which obviously won’t happen until next offseason at the earliest considering none of CMAT has yet to play a MLB game.
And if you followed the standings at all, you’d know ownership stuck by that statement last offseason and during the trade deadline.
But your last sentence in which you state you’ll “let others correct you” is extremely obnoxious, insulting, and has me on the verge of muting you. I sincerely hope the next post you direct at me is an apology.
Don’t ask me a damn question and then say only other people’s answers count.
MLB Fanatic
@mlb fam is full of condescension. I’ve politely corrected him before and he’ll ghost the thread.
all in the suit that you wear
Fever Pitch Guy: “ownership has repeatedly stated they will not attempt to contend by pushing in their chips and increasing the payroll by supplementing the roster with talented free agents or prospect trades until CMAT becomes established major league players”
=====================
False and misleading. This has never been said.
mlb fan
“Obnoxious, insulting..verge of muting you”..You clearly have issues unrelated to baseball. When your answer is 95% insults, it strongly implies your original point is mostly bs.
The Redsox have plenty of reasons to be criticized by fans, but when you have to make up stuff, it shows you’re not really paying attention and are too emotionally invested to be truthful. And like I really care if you “mute” me. Grow up broham.
all in the suit that you wear
when did they ever say publicly that they “won’t try to win” until 2026?
=============
The Red Sox have never said this. This is more trolling from Fever Pitch Guy.
mlb fan
“Never said this”…I guess Fever Pitch couldn’t think of anything accurate or intelligent to say, so he fabricated quotes.
And what’s more he’s one of those delicate, insecure softies that threatens to “mute” anyone that calls him out on it. He’s so arrogant and full of himself, that he thinks removing himself from others is punishment to website users.
TerryTurnbuckle
Next year is the year our Red Sox return to glory. Breslow has done an outstanding job and the pieces are finally coming together
Fever Pitch Guy
Terry – I like Bres, but the Sale trade and deadline moves and Gio signing and Cora extension and Rafaela extension all disqualify him from “outstanding job” status, obviously.
deweybelongsinthehall
If Fulmer shows anything, of course he’s being protected. I’m curious of the upcoming trades as without moving quantity, the team will have to release players that could possibly be added as depth pieces before the roster is set. I don’t think Valdez has any trade value but maybe others do, just as an example.
BaseballClassic1985
Dillon “Hit strikes hard” Lawson. There was a reason this clown was the first mid-season firing in 25 years. Glad he’s with the Red Clots
whyhayzee
They’re such a mish mosh of players. This needs to get sorted during the offseason. So many health questions. The team just feels like a pile of players. Too many left handed hitters. Too many poor defensive players. Not enough starters for a rotation. Not enough reliable relievers. I think .500 was an overachieve for them this year. THere are ingredients for a playoff team but it has to get sorted. Whoever can do that is hired.
johnsilver
–Not enough reliable relievers–
I wouldn’t go that far whyhazee. Problem is many of the better ones they kept shoving into the rotation.. Crawford, Whitlock, Houck, Winkowski and only real one can claim as a 100% success is Houck, tho Crawford might be able to make it as a 4-5 after watching him last season, rest were failures and waste of time/cost the team games for better than servicable relievers.
Unclemike1525
This isn’t even a thing. After keeping him all year and paying him to rehab does anybody really think they’ll expose him to rule 5? C’mon, Find something relevant to write about.
Jarred Kelenic's Beer Can
Yeah we need analysis on what Ohtani ate for breakfast before game 5!
Ltsz2904
This starts with Daddy John Henry. He’s interested in spending 300+ million on the PGA. The Sox are an afterthought because Fenway generates $$ no matter how mediocre the team is. Does anyone recall that no real GM in baseball wanted Buyslow’s job? What does that say about ownership?
Fever Pitch Guy
Lt – Yep, not even internal longtime execs like Raquel wanted the job. That speaks volumes.
Ltsz2904
And Sam Kennedy is the “yesman” for ownership.