FORT MYERS, Fla. — As members of the Red Sox funnel into Fort Myers for the start of spring training, the roster still feels incomplete.
The Red Sox aren’t alone in such a state. It’s been an interminable offseason free agency cycle, with four particularly prominent players — reigning National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell, postseason star Jordan Montgomery, third baseman Matt Chapman, and outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger — remaining unsigned as of Tuesday afternoon. Outfielders Adam Duvall and Tommy Pham, DH J.D. Martinez, starters Michael Lorenzen and Brandon Woodruff, and others also remain on the market.
With all of those free agents, and teams still discussing trades, there is an ongoing game of roster musical chairs. Spring training may have started, but the offseason isn’t over.
Still, the Sox had an offseason wish list that featured considerable upgrades to their pitching stockpile, and they haven’t fulfilled it. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, in reviewing his moves, acknowledged that the current shape of the club isn’t the one he envisioned. He also made clear that the Sox remain open to change even with spring training underway.
“I think we can appreciate that things haven’t come together in a way that I had anticipated,” said Breslow, who noted that he hadn’t been able to do as much to bolster the pitching inventory as he’d hoped. “I think what we have in front of us is an opportunity to continue to look for ways to improve the long- and short-term outlook of the team.”
What form might such moves take?
The most obvious curiosity is whether the market for Snell or Montgomery — both of whom were expected to command long-term, nine-figure deals at the start of the winter — might collapse, and if it does, whether the Sox would jump into the mix.
“It doesn’t make a ton of sense to speak about specific players … We’re going to remain engaged. There are some really talented players still available in the free agent market,” said Breslow. “If the situation presents itself and there’s an opportunity to further that vision [to improve the team in the short and long term], I don’t think it would make sense to turn away from any opportunity to accomplish that. But it’s also really difficult to predict whether or not those will come together.”
Of those two, Montgomery would be a likelier target than Snell, given that he’d likely cost less and the Sox wouldn’t have to give up a draft pick to sign Montgomery (who was ineligible for a one-year qualifying offer from the Rangers after being acquired in mid-2023). The Sox would have to part with a second-rounder to add Snell, who received and rejected a one-year qualifying offer from the Padres.
The Red Sox, according to sources, have kept tabs on Montgomery’s market. But if it does collapse in a way that makes him available on a shorter-term deal, there’s an industry belief that he’d be more likely to head to a team with a better chance to win in 2024 than the Red Sox. So, not impossible, but highly unlikely.
The Sox remain open to adding complementary players. While they replaced lefthanded hitter Alex Verdugo with a righthanded bat in Tyler O’Neill, the club still could add some righthanded thump after Justin Turner signed with the Blue Jays and with Duvall still a free agent.
“That’s something we talked about, but it hasn’t happened,” manager Alex Cora said. “We’ve still got a few weeks before Opening Day.”
Duvall remains a possible target as a righthanded outfield/DH option. (He’s also played some first base).Though the Giants’ signing of slugger Jorge Soler to a three-year deal represented a potential catalyst to other signings, one source suggested Duvall wasn’t close to a deal as of Tuesday afternoon.
According to sources, the Sox have remained in discussions with teams about the possibility of dealing closer Kenley Jansen, their lone All-Star in 2023. Breslow was noncommittal about the 36-year-old’s future.
“Where we stand is he’s on this team, he is an All-Star-caliber closer who’s had an incredible career, and we’re happy for that,” said Breslow. “We have talented players on our team that are potentially of interest to others. But as of right now we’re excited about what he brings, what the back end of our bullpen brings, and the depth that we have down there.”
In all likelihood, the Sox would be looking to deal Jansen for prospects and some relief from the $16 million he’s owed this year. The better the prospect, the less relief the Sox would seek — as demonstrated by the Chris Sale-for-Vaughn Grissom deal this winter, where the Sox gave the Braves $17 million to cover the pitcher’s salary.
It’s possible the Sox would get more value for Jansen if they held on to him at the trade deadline. That said, if he gets injured or struggles in the first half, it’s also possible his value would become virtually nonexistent, explaining why the Sox are exploring his market.
The Sox also have been getting calls about some of their young outfielders, including Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, along with infielder David Hamilton. Sources confirmed that the Padres have been among several teams calling about Duran.
The Sox haven’t ruled out a deal for any of those players — or, for that matter, virtually anyone else on their roster — but likely would only consider dealing a young, controllable player if he brought back a starting pitcher who would be part of the team’s developing core. To date, there hasn’t been a match.
Of course, the matchless-ness of the offseason has been a months-long theme.
“These people [in the front office] are working hard, trying to trade for people, sign people, you name it, they’ve done it,” said Cora. “It’s not lack of work. It just hasn’t happened.”
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.