Despite the team posting a last-place finish for the third time in four seasons in 2023, optimism hovered over the Red Sox this fall.
After firing chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom in September and replacing him with Craig Breslow the following month, the writing seemed to be on the wall that Boston was ready to open up its wallet this offseason.
Already bolstered by a stacked farm system featuring prospects like Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel, Boston presumably had plenty of fiscal flexibility this winter, with the team well below MLB’s first competitive tax threshold of $237 million.