Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox's Craig Breslow Pours Cold Water On Pair Of Potential Reunions

Boston is seeking an impact bat
Scott Neville|
Red Sox's Craig Breslow Pours Cold Water On Pair Of Potential Reunions
Red Sox's Craig Breslow Pours Cold Water On Pair Of Potential Reunions

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox leadership group went into the offseason with bold claims of brighter days ahead and have since completely shifted their tone as they prepare fans for another rebuilding year.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, however, has continued a constant messaging all offseason long regarding the impending returns of two of the team's most productive sluggers in recent memory. 

At this juncture, a reunion with either Justin Turner or J.D. Martinez appears extremely unlikely. 

"We're still actively engaged in conversations around adding pitching and balancing out the lineup a little bit with a right-handed bat, particularly one that has some positional versatility would be helpful," Breslow told WEEI's Rob Bradford on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. 

With that comment and similar quotes from earlier in the offseason, it's unlikely Boston will run it back with either aforementioned impact slugger, especially since Breslow is against the philosophy of having a prototypical everyday designated hitter.

The only way Turner returns is if Breslow drops the outfield preference and sees the former utility player as someone who still can provide enough defensive value.

Turner played 41 games at first base, 10 at second base and seven at third base but is far from a defensive stalwart and will plug up the designated hitter role for the majority of the season if added. 

It's possible that the 38-year-old's semi-platoon with Triston Casas and ability to spot start at third base for Rafael Devers would clear him of this one-dimensional description that Breslow is describing, but I would not bank on it.

Martinez was about as pure of a designated hitter as possible, playing 110 games in that role and just three -- for a total of 12 innings -- in left field for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Instead, hope for Breslow to land outfielder/DH Jorge Soler and expect a reunion with outfielder Adam Duvall. 

More MLB: Red Sox Among Group Of Suitors Targeting Second-Tier Pitching Market

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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