The MLB offseason is in full swing, and it's a pivotal one for the Boston Red Sox.
The club needs an overhaul after its second consecutive last-place finish in the American League East. MLB pitcher-turned-front office executive Craig Breslow will lead the roster-building effort as Chaim Bloom's replacement. He begins his tenure as Boston's chief baseball officer with no shortage of items on his to-do list.
Improving the starting rotation is priority No. 1 for the Red Sox this offseason. After that, Breslow's focus should be on finding a right-handed bat and fixing a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in most metrics in 2023.
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With glaring needs on the roster, this should be one of the most active Red Sox offseasons in recent memory. We've got you covered with every rumor, signing, trade, and hiring over the next few months. You can keep track of it all below:
Thursday, Dec. 7: The Red Sox are one of "many" teams interested in Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
A two-time All-Star in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league, the 30-year-old Imanaga posted a 2.80 ERA with 174 strikeouts in 148 innings this past season.
Heyman also reports the Red Sox are still in on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who's one of the top free-agent pitchers on the market.
Thursday, Dec. 7: Juan Soto is officially a Yankee, while Alex Verdugo indeed is staying put in New York. Read the full trade details here.
Wednesday, Dec. 6: The Yankees reportedly are gaining momentum on a blockbuster trade with the Padres for Juan Soto, but MLB Network's Jon Morosi reports that Alex Verdugo isn't expected to be included in the deal.
Wednesday, Dec. 6: The Red Sox have shown interest in free agent outfielder Michael Taylor, per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 in Houston.
Taylor hit just .220 for the Minnesota Twins last season but tallied 21 home runs and 51 RBIs and is an excellent defensive outfielder.
Tuesday, Dec. 5: We have a deal! The Red Sox have traded Alex Verdugo to the rival Yankees for pitchers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice, the team confirmed Tuesday night.
Tuesday, Dec. 5: The Red Sox are one of several teams showing interest in free agent right-hander Lucas Giolito, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Tuesday, Dec. 5: Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto is one of the Red Sox' "top priorities" at this week's MLB Winter Meetings, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reports.
Yamamoto is expected to make his decision sometime in December but after free-agent superstar Shohei Ohtani, per Morosi.
Tuesday, Dec. 5: The Red Sox are "stepping up" their pursuit of right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, who also notes the Braves are among "four or five" other teams showing interest.
The free agent starter went 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA, 140 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP over 146 1/3 innings for the Padres last season.
Tuesday, Dec. 5: The Red Sox have interest in free-agent catcher Martin Maldonado, ESPN reports.
The 37-year-old is limited offensively -- .191 batting average over his last five seasons with the Astros -- but is an excellent defensive catcher who developed a strong rapport with Houston's pitching staff to help the team win a World Series in 2022.
Maldonado is a Puerto Rico native who has a "long-standing friendship" with Red Sox manager Alex Cora, per ESPN.
Monday, Dec. 4: The Red Sox have hired Justin Willard as their new director of pitching, The Boston Globe's Julian McWilliams reports. Willard previously served as the pitching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins.
Friday, Dec. 1: Boston is viewed as one of the "favorites" to sign star Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports. The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are Yamamoto's other top suitors, per Passan.
Friday, Dec. 1: The Red Sox are out of the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, it appears. ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that the Red Sox, New York Mets and Texas Rangers have "turned their attention to other players" after showing initial interest.
Tuesday, Nov. 28: Cuban pitching prospect Yariel Rodriguez worked out in front of the Red Sox and Padres over the weekend in the Dominican Republic, per reporter Francys Romero. Our John Tomase has more on Rodriguez here.
Monday, Nov. 27: The Red Sox showed interest in 2023 NL Cy Young award winner Blake Snell during the GM meetings, according to MassLive.com's Sean McAdam.
Monday, Nov. 27: Coveted free-agent starter Jordan Montgomery is living in Boston this winter, according to MassLive.com. The left-hander, who hails from South Carolina, has been working out at Boston College and calling the city his home while his wife begins her dermatology residency at an area hospital.
Monday, Nov. 27: It's unlikely ex-Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez will reunite with Boston this offseason, according to FanSided's Robert Murray. Rodriguez, who helped the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2018, is among the top starters in the 2024 free-agent class.
Monday, Nov. 27: Another top-end starting pitcher is off the board: Sonny Gray is finalizing a three-year, $75 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports.
Tuesday, Nov. 21: It's official: Former San Francisco Giants pitching coach (and close friend of Breslow) Andrew Bailey has been named Boston's new pitching coach.
Tuesday, Nov. 21: According to The Athletic's Jim Bowden, the Red Sox "have already engaged in trade talks" involving a pair of second basemen: the Cincinnati Reds' Jonathan India and the New York Yankees' Gleyber Torres.
Friday, Nov. 17: The Red Sox are trading second baseman Luis Urias to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for right-handed reliever Isaiah Campbell, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
Thursday, Nov. 16: The Red Sox think very highly of free-agent pitcher Jordan Montgomery, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne.
"From what I've heard, they like Montgomery more than these other (pitchers)," Browne told host Steve Perrault on the "ITM" podcast. "They like him more than they like (Blake) Snell. They like him more than they like (Aaron) Nola. ... He's the guy that they're really targeting."
Wednesday, Nov. 15: The Red Sox are set to hire San Francisco Giants pitching coach Andrew Bailey as their new pitching coach, per multiple reports. Bailey and new Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow were teammates for a total of five seasons in Boston and Oakland.
Tuesday, Nov. 14: ESPN's Jeff Passan shared a few notable Red Sox-related nuggets in his column Tuesday morning.
- Passan reports the Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers are all "expected to be in the sweepstakes" for free agent superstar Shohei Ohtani.
- Boston is "targeting a front-of-the-rotation type" pitcher, per Passan, who added that the Red Sox are among at least five teams in the mix for Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
- Passan reports there's a "miniscule" chance of the Red Sox sending outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Yankees for infielder Gleyber Torres, but that the "industry believes Boston wants to move Verdugo."
Friday, Nov. 10: Could an old friend return to Boston? The New York Post's Jon Heyman reports the Red Sox are a "possible contender" to sign the veteran left-hander.
Wednesday, Nov. 8: Craig Breslow revealed during the GM Meetings that the Red Sox have received calls from potential trade partners about outfielder Alex Verdugo.
Tuesday, Nov. 7: Andrew Bailey is the "clear favorite" to replace Dave Bush as the Red Sox' pitching coach, according to MassLive.com's Sean McAdam.
Tuesday, Nov. 7: MLB Network's Jon Morosi reports the Red Sox spoke with free-agent left-hander Jordan Montgomery's agent Scott Boras at the GM Meetings.
Sunday, Nov. 5: The Red Sox are "expected to be heavily considered" by free-agent superstar Shohei Ohtani this offseason, according to USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale.