BOSTON -- While mammoth snowbanks still lined every street corner of Boston, an annual rite of spring took place earlier this week as the Red Sox’s equipment truck exited Fenway Park and headed to Fort Myers, Fla., where the team’s 2026 squad will begin to take shape next week.
After another eventful offseason for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, there are several compelling storylines to keep an eye on as the official opening of Spring Training is now less than a week away.
Here are three that come to mind.
Which infielder will be acquired?
The Red Sox have a recent history of making key acquisitions once Spring Training has already started. And barring something unexpected over these next few days leading into the opening of camp, that should again be the case.
In 2018, J.D. Martinez and his big free-agent bat strolled into camp on Feb. 26, setting the wheels in motion for the World Series title that would follow eight months later. Four years later, it was Trevor Story signing a six-year deal on March 23. And everyone remembers the big celebration when Alex Bregman signed his three-year deal on the eve of position players report day last season.
Given the excitement on that day, it’s hard to believe Bregman is already gone. But that is life in the world of opt-outs, and Bregman exercised his in November, leaving the current opening in the infield.
Pete Alonso and Bregman himself were two of Breslow’s top targets this winter, but they both slipped away. Brendan Donovan, a rumored trade candidate, went from the Cardinals to the Mariners on Monday. Eugenio Suárez and all of his home runs are off to Cincinnati, his subpar defense a turnoff for Boston. Perhaps the best fit of all via the trade market -- Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte -- was pulled off the market weeks ago.
