Good morning. Japanese third baseman/first baseman Kazuma Okamoto has traveled to the US to meet in-person with teams in advance of his fast-approaching signing deadline. Regardless of whether the Sox are meaningful players in this pursuit, this should speed up their offseason by clarifying the third base picture around the league. Talk about what you […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
After a series of decisions at the end of the 2025 season, the Red Sox quickly went from a plethora to a dearth of left-handed pitchers, almost overnight. Justin Wilson, who spent a year in Boston, and Steven Matz, who was acquired at the trade deadline, were both free agents at season’s end. Then, at […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Good morning! Bobby Dalbec, the Red Sox once and future first baseman, is out of Major League Baseball. After playing in just seven games with the White Sox last year, Dalbec signed a one-year deal with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, one of the most successful and famous clubs in the sport. Nippon Professional Baseball is […]
about 1 month ago | 5 reads
Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Next up, a future Hall of Famer who is still hanging on. There are Top 50 free agent lists complied […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
Good morning! According to Alex Speier, the Red Sox continue to pursue one more infield bat, with the targets of that pursuit remaining consistent throughout the offseason: Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Ketel Marte, or Isaac Paredes. Who of those four do you want and who do you think the Sox will snag? Talk about what […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Next up, a third baseman who may or may not be on the trading block. Who is he and […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
Good morning! Earlier this week, Maura asked what would be next for Triston Casas in the wake of the Willson Contreras trade. Now, we have part of our answer: hair: Looking good, TC! Now maybe we can see some videos of him actually taking a full swing…
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
Only two major league teams have yet to sign a free agent: the Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox. The Rockies are, well, a unique situation. Undergoing possibly the first real management change in team history (though not in ownership), Colorado is mostly building a new team, new ethos from scratch. Assuming Paul DePodesta […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
Hitting is hard. I could barely do it when I was 14, playing on the freshman team in Western Massachusetts, where the talent pool isn’t full of future major leaguers. If the pitchers started throwing 97 mph with wipeout sliders and mind-bending changeups, I probably would have started writing about the game about 10 years […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
From all of us here at Over The Monster, we wish you a Merry Christmas, and we hope it’s a wonderful day surrounded by family and friends wherever you are! As we wait for action to resume, let’s hope some Sox free agent gifts are still somewhere at the bottom of Santa’s bag, and that […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
Roman Anthony was recently spotted at a Celtics game, which is awesome. It’s always fun to see Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins players show up at Fenway on Opening Day, especially after a World Series. Or David Ortiz at anything. Just seeing Big Papi showing up somewhere makes it that much more interesting. So as this […]
about 1 month ago | 3 reads
Happy Tuesday, Red Sox Nation! We’ve passed the darkest day of the year, inched closer towards some time off for the holidays, and traded for Willson Contreras. Alex Bregman remains unsigned, and Craig Breslow refused to answer questions about luxury tax thresholds. That’s all I’ve got. Use this thread to talk about whatever you want. […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
I’ve been vocal about my love for Triston Casas, and my hopes for his emergence as a key part of the Red Sox roster for years to come. These hopes and dreams once seemed quite reasonable, based on early returns, but they’ve been dashed by significant injuries and questions about whether he can ever meet […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Good morning! The Red Sox have a new first baseman after completing a trade that sent Hunter Dobbins and minor leaguers to the Cardinals for Willson Contreras. What does this mean for their other pursuits? According to one insider, it means they are done talking with the Diamondbacks about a trade for Ketel Marte: Of […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
The Red Sox today acquired three-time all-star first baseman (former catcher) Willson Contreras — and $8 million in cash to pay down part of the $41.5 million that remains in the last three years of his contract — from the St. Louis Cardinals (obviously) in exchange for Hunter Dobbins, single-A prospect Yhoiker Fajardo (#8 in […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Are we having fun living and dying by lightly-sourced rumors about the Alex Bregman negotiations? No? Well, too bad, that’s all we got. What else are you going to do, watch football? Ugh, how awful. According to the latest reports, Bregman’s market is now more robust than it was last year and he is seeking […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
The Tampa Bay Rays completed two significant trades this afternoon. First, they dealt Brandon Lowe to Pittsburgh as part of a three-team deal with the Astros involved as well. Tampa got two prospects back in the deal: Jacob Melton, an outfielder from Houston, who has some major league experience, as well as High-A pitcher Anderson […]
about 2 months ago | 4 reads
Good morning. Kristian Campbell is starting to look a little bit better at the plate down in Puerto Rico. He’s also reportedly going to be playing exclusively left field down there. Interestingly, Campbell did not start any of the final 10 games of the 2025 season in left. (Moreover, the last thing the Red Sox […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
It’s the holiday season and, even if your favorite baseball team isn’t being as generous as you’d like, that doesn’t mean you should follow its example. If you’re looking for a Red Sox-themed gift for friends or loved ones, here are some favorites from the OTM staff. A puzzle, a snuggy, and a creepy bobblehead […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads
Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Next up, an in-house veteran who is one of the best hitters in the game… in one particular scenario. […]
about 2 months ago | 2 reads
Ignoring the fact the Red Sox don’t do guaranteed long-term free agents contracts anymore (they literally have not handed a deal to a free agent for more than two years guaranteed with no opt outs under Craig Breslow), I’d like to pause for a moment and pretend they’ll actually get serious. Simple question: Who would […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads
If you haven’t been following Kristian Campbell down in Puerto Rico this winter, here’s a little update: in 8 games he’s hit .214 with just 3 extra base hits. Not great, Bob! But the Sox aren’t too concerned with his back-of-the-baseball-card results. They view this as an opportunity to “pressure-test” the changes he made to […]
about 2 months ago | 2 reads
Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Next up, a contact hitter who could change the dynamic of the Red Sox lineup. Who is he and […]
about 2 months ago | 5 reads
Good morning! There’s a new player in the Alex Bregman sweepstakes and it’s… the Arizona Diamondbacks? It’s certainly curious that Arizona would be in on Bregman given that they began the offseason purportedly open to move Ketel Marte in order to reduce payroll. Then again, the DBacks have moved in some interesting ways in free […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
When it comes to free agency, the most useful tool most players possess against clubs calculating how to crush their value is the ability to wait things out for the entire winter. In fact, Scott Boras has made this his signature move over the last decade and a half, stretching things into spring training and, […]
about 2 months ago | 0 reads