Red Sox mailbag, part 1: Campbell, Anthony promotions; the Yoshida dilemma

With pitchers and catchers set to report in under two weeks, we figured itd be a good time for a Red Sox mailbag.

As usual you sent in far too many questions to answer, more than 100, but we tried to get to as many as possible and prioritize the topics that were asked most often.

In Part 1 we will explore a potential Opening Day lineup, Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony promotion timelines, Masataka Yoshida s future, more bullpen additions, Nick Pivettas status and more.

In Part 2 on Friday, well look at a Garrett Crochet extension, payroll questions, the catching situation, a lot of Alex Bregman angst and more.

Lets dive in.

As of right now without any further moves being done, what is your prediction for an Opening Day lineup in Texas ? Sasha H.

Projected Opening Day lineup LF Jarren Duran 3B Rafael Devers SS Trevor Story 1B Triston Casas RF Wilyer Abreu 2B Vaughn Grissom DH Rob Refsnyder C Connor Wong CF Ceddanne Rafaela This isnt me predicting Yoshida will be traded, but, rather, because it feels like he wont be ready for Opening Day.

At Fenway Fest, Yoshida said he would begin taking dry swings (not hitting a ball, just the motion of swinging) by the end of January and wouldnt begin throwing until March.

Its possible hes ready for the start of the season, and its not as if hed be throwing regardless from the DH spot.

Still, I could see the team giving him extra time to rehab fully and, in turn, promote Campbell to start the season.

Advertisement If Yoshida is out to start the year, Refsnyder could get reps at DH.

Devers could, too, with Campbell perhaps playing third, though Campbell has only played five games at the position in the minors and arm strength is one of his few weaknesses.

Campbell has been talked about a lot as a second baseman, but hes just as talented in the outfield and could work into the mix there, too.

Right now, I think second base is Grissoms to lose and theres a lot riding on his spring.

If Campbell comes out too hot to ignore, they may end up starting Campbell at second over Grissom and keep Grissom on the bench.

Either way, that leaves three more bench spots.

Im predicting here that those spots go to catcher Carlos Narvaez and utility men David Hamilton and Romy Gonzalez , both of whom are getting work in the infield and outfield.

There isnt a true backup first baseman on this list, though.

Gonzalez did play 20 games at first last year, starting 10.

Is Vaughn Grissom the most likely starter at second base? Is he being overlooked/underestimated in all the offseason chatter? Derrick E I mentioned it above, but I do think its going to come down to who has a better camp between Grissom and Campbell.

Spring training isnt always about numbers, but when its about position battles, sometimes the numbers matter.

Its also about how guys show up and grind through the spring.

Grissom has a lot to prove coming off a rough, injury-marred first season in Boston.

He only just turned 24 in January (Campbell turns 23 in June).

That said, the team has clearly been high on Campbell and what he brings to the table, particularly with his versatility, while manager Alex Cora said at Fenway Fest that Grissom will only play second for now.

Itll be Campbells first big-league spring training and his first chance to see big-league pitching, or at least advanced pitching, on a consistent basis.

Cora went out of his way to mention how physical Grissom has looked when hes visited him this offseason and it was noticeable how much stronger Grissom looked at Fenway Fest compared to last year.

Well see how that translates to the field this spring, but I do think theres a chance he could have more of an impact than people are anticipating.

Advertisement Question in regards to Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell.

Does the potential draft pick compensation factor into them potentially breaking camp with the big league team? Colin M As part of the most recent collective bargaining agreement, MLB instituted the Prospect Promotion Incentive, which is meant to deter teams from holding back prospects in order to accrue an extra year of service time.

The rule stipulates a team can earn a draft pick after the first round if an eligible player accrues one year of service time as a rookie and either wins Rookie of the Year or places in the top three for MVP or the Cy Young Award.

Players with little or no service time (Anthony and Campbell) need to break camp with the club or be called up within the first two weeks of the season (players need to accrue 172 days of service time by the end of the year).

Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Carroll triggered the new rule in 2023, having been promoted at the start of the season.

Their teams benefitted when each won Rookie of the Year in their respective league, earning PPI picks for Baltimore and Arizona , respectively, in 2024.

So, in short, yes, I think theres certainly an incentive for the Red Sox to promote at least one of Campbell or Anthony for Opening Day.

The Red Sox tend to be conservative in prospect promotions, but this could be a factor.

I think Campbell is an easier fit because the Red Sox already have a crowded outfield and having Anthony sit on the bench doesnt seem beneficial to his development, whereas if Campbell were on the bench hed probably see more playing time because he can play second base and center field.

Another question asked which players might get bumped (DFAd) off the 40-man roster to make room for Campbell or Anthony.

Id think Zack Kelly , Chris Murphy or Zach Penrod could be in that mix.

New catcher Blake Sabol is also on the 40-man alongside Narvaez, but catching depth is thin so Im not sure hed be a DFA option.

I havent heard a word lately about Noah Song .

How is his Tommy John rehab coming and any chance hes on the mound any time soon? Jack F We got a few questions about Song, who had Tommy John surgery in April.

I reached out to Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham for an update.

Hes doing well.

In his throwing program and throwing daily.

Optimistic about his progress.

We will see how ST goes, but hes strong, showing good progress, said Abraham, who also noted Song wont face live hitters until later in the spring so hell likely stay in Fort Myers, Fla., for extended spring training to continue to rehab instead of heading to a minor-league affiliate.

Advertisement Overall very pleased with his progress, Abraham added.

Songs story has been well documented and while he had returned to the Red Sox at the end of 2023 from the Phillies and was ramping up last spring, the elbow injury threw another obstacle in his way.

When healthy, Yoshida has some value in a platoon role against right-handed pitchers (if only he was a league average left fielder and made $11 million less annually!).

What is the best way for the Sox to move on from his contract this spring/early summer? Teams would likely want to make sure hes healthy coming off surgery, be subsidized quite a bit, and possibly acquire a lottery ticket prospect or dump some of their own unwanted salary in any swap.

Even if the Sox swallowed $33 million of the remaining $54 million, the move would seem to give the team added flexibility and be a net gain.

What are your thoughts on the best /most realistic deal(s) they could pull off to dump Yoshida? Paul F I think Yoshida is a good enough overall hitter that if the Red Sox were willing to eat most of his remaining salary, they would have been able to find a trade partner by now.

Since it seems theyd be asking teams to take on more money, those teams probably deemed it not worth the cost.

The Red Sox clearly have been walking a tightrope with their payroll, so even eating $40 million or so of the remaining $54 million on his contract in order to free up roster spots apparently isnt something they want to do.

Otherwise, I think itd be done by now.

Im not sure what the solution here is, other than to wait until he comes back from injury, hope hes healthy and hits well then trade him over the summer to free up some roster space.

Cora had spoken this offseason about Masa returning to the outfield.

How likely is it that he sees playing time in the field this year? Alex G Cora mentioned this at Fenway Fest, but really, I think it was more of a way to keep Yoshidas market more palatable for any potential trade partners.

He knows its a bad look not only to Yoshida to say he cant play the outfield, but also to the league in posing Yoshida as a one-dimensional player.

But besides that, the Red Sox already have a pretty full outfield with Duran, Abreu, Rafaela and Refsnyder alongside Campbell and Anthony.

Then theres the fact that Yoshida is not going to begin throwing until March.

With an already sub-par arm, it seems like all of that adds up to an unlikely scenario in which hed play the outfield.

Im OK with not bringing in another bat and letting the kids play.

Im pretty shocked they havent upgraded the bullpen further though.

Do you see action to come there? Aaron M We took a look last week at how the bullpen is shaping up and how five spots already seem locked up with Luis Guerrero , Brennan Bernardino , Josh Winckowski and Zack Kelly, among others, in the mix for the final two.

That said, I wouldnt necessarily be surprised if they added another arm to the bullpen, but the options are thin.

They were tied to right-hander Carlos Estevez and he have could have been a good fit but reportedly signed with Kansas City on Wednesday night.

David Robertson and Kyle Finnegan are among the relievers that remain unsigned who might offer higher upside than the Red Sox current group.

Meanwhile, Max Scherzer reportedly held a workout recently and the Red Sox had scouts in attendance.

Scherzer turns 40 this summer and has dealt with a slew of injuries the last few years, but the three-time Cy Young winner made nine starts with a 3.95 ERA for Texas in 2024.

He missed time early in the year while recovering from offseason back surgery and also dealt with a nerve issue in his hand, shoulder fatigue and a strained hamstring.

Working him into the rotation mix seems tricky, but it could be an interesting addition if hes healthy.

Nick Pivettas agent misjudged the market.

With Boston still looking for bullpen help would a one-year deal to make him closer work for both sides? Austin L I cant see Pivetta signing on a short-term deal as a reliever coming off his best year as a starter.

Both he and the Red Sox expressed interest in a reunion, and maybe he gets desperate, but I just cant see him making that move.

I think its more likely he waits things out; some team will inevitably have an injury in spring training or early in the season and then hell sign there.

While he was good for part of the season in the bullpen in 2023, Im not sure hed be the closer with Aroldis Chapman and Liam Hendriks the likelier options in the mix.

(Top photo of Campbell: Jonathan Tenca / Cal Sport Media via Associated Press).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.