Getty A group of Red Sox teammates celebrate one of their relatively few wins in 2023
Following an exclusive interview with Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, an MLB columnist has reported that the team is in talks with outfielder Adam Duvall to return in 2024.
“The Sox remain in touch with free agent Adam Duvall, who had an .834 OPS over 92 games with the Red Sox last season and hit 21 home runs,” Peter Abraham reported for The Boston Globe.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Breslow, Abraham also touched on the Red Sox strategy for building toward World Series contention as the team has seen a fairly muted offseason.
“That’s a fair question,” Breslow said of whether or not the team is willing to spend what it takes to win a championship. “As I’ve gotten to know this organization better through the conversations I’ve had with ownership, they absolutely are still supportive of assembling a World Series team as quickly as we possibly can.”
Landing Duvall seems like it could help the Red Sox in 2024, but it might not be a major sign that they are looking to win now.
Adam Duvall Provides Needed Power for a Quiet Red Sox Lineup
In 320 at-bats for the Red Sox last season, Duvall slashed .247/.303/.351, underperforming league averages but marking an improvement from recent seasons. He began 2023 on a hot streak, but suffered a wrist injury in early April and returned in June to see his numbers drop.
But he was relatively productive for a team that came in last in the AL East after going 78-84 on the season. Duvall had the fourth-most homers and fifth-most RBI, despite getting just the eighth-most at-bats among his teammates.
In part, the Red Sox could be leaning toward resigning Duvall because of the lack of other options in his price range — he will probably only command a one-year contract. And it seems they are only competing with the Los Angeles Angels over his services, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
A reunion with Duvall might not be the kind of splashy addition fans are hoping for, but a 2024 lineup likely to struggle at the plate could benefit from his presence.
Can the Red Sox Win in 2024?
Despite being tied to impactful free agents like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Red Sox have not made significant changes that are likely to help them gain ground in their division. They did sign veteran starter Lucas Giolito who is hoping to “re-bolster” in 2024 and could still add players with more impact than Duvall before the season starts. But if not, 2024 looks to be more of a rebuilding season.
“…I think the reality is that it’s going to require a step forward from the young position players,” Breslow told Abraham. “It’s going to require the build-out of a talent pipeline of arms that we can acquire, we draft and we can develop internally. And it’s going to require aggressive player development in the minor leagues…”
To that end, the Red Sox do have some enticing young talent that might surprise fans with big-league breakouts in 2024.
19-year-old outfielder Roman Anthony, 21-year-old shortstop Marcelo Mayer and 22-year-old catcher Kyle Teel all have a chance to jumpstart the Red Sox future in 2024.