"We have to constantly think about, 'OK, this is Plan A, but if that falls through, what does Plan B look like and what does Plan C look like?'"
The Red Sox are in the thick of the Juan Soto sweepstakes, but there's still a decent chance they're unable to land the star outfielder.
Regardless of what happens with Soto, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow seemingly has contingency plans in place. While he couldn't comment about the team's pursuit of any specific player, Breslow told MassLive's Sean McAdam that the team has other targets set as he indirectly addressed the Soto situation.
"I think the one thing we want to avoid is putting ourselves in a position where the success of our offseason hinges on a single transaction," Breslow told McAdam. "Because there's just too much uncertainty around any of that. We have to constantly think about, 'OK, this is Plan A, but if that falls through, what does Plan B look like and what does Plan C look like?' And so on.
"I don't think anyone has the tolerance for us to come out in February and say, 'The success of our offseason hinged on this single transaction and we failed there, so therefore our offseason didn't work out.' That's not good enough."
Soto is obviously the top name on the free-agent market this offseason. The 26-year-old star outfielder could receive the largest deal in MLB history and has reportedly received offers worth at least $600 million from the Red Sox and four other teams.
It's unclear where the Red Sox currently stack up to the other four teams in the Soto sweepstakes. Insiders have speculated, though, that the Mets and Yankees are the favorites to sign him since free agency began in early November.
Luckily for Breslow and the Red Sox, it seems like they'll get an answer on where Soto will play next soon. He's expected to sign his next contract by the end of next week's winter meetings and could have a deal in place when the meetings start on Monday, ESPN's Jeff Passan previously reported.
While losing out on Soto would certainly be a bummer for the Red Sox, there are still other star free agents out there. On the hitting front, Teoscar Hernández, Willy Adames, Alex Bregman, and Anthony Santander are among the names who could help the Red Sox. There are also a couple of All-Star pitchers available on the free-agent market in Max Fried and Corbin Burnes.
Losing out on Soto could allow the Red Sox to sign two of those aforementioned players as they have over $50 million in cap room before the first luxury tax threshold. The Red Sox also have one of the game's best farm systems, which they could use to help facilitate a trade for a top player.
Breslow is seemingly aware that the Red Sox sit in a good spot to add to their roster this offseason.
"That versatility is beneficial for a number of reasons," Breslow told McAdam. "One, is that it does open up different pathways to improving the roster because we have the flexibility to slide guys in and out and a number of guys who can handle multiple positions. And once the season rolls around, we've seen how aggressive Alex [Cora] is in managing the game and trying to create optimal matchups."
If the Red Sox wind up with Soto, they'd still have some pitching concerns to address. In that scenario, Boston would be more likely to add a "top-of-the-rotation starter via trade," The Boston Globe's Alex Speier reported earlier in the week. In the event that the Red Sox miss out on Soto, Boston could pursue one of Fried or Burnes and one of Bregman or Adames, according to Speier.
At the very least, it seems like the Red Sox are set to be more aggressive this offseason compared to the last few winters. Breslow confirmed that's the case to McAdam, but also recognized that it takes two to tango.
"It's time to deliver," Breslow told McAdam. "It seems like what [information] has been made available publicly is that people are picking up a more aggressive posture [from us]. But then again, it's hard for me to be the person answering the question about how others are responding to us."