In the 38 days since the calendar turned to 2025, the Red Sox have made exactly one 40-man roster addition, acquiring catcher Blake Sabol in a minor trade with the Giants on Jan. 15. After a busy start to the offseason that saw the Red Sox land five pitchers (Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Aroldis Chapman, Patrick Sandoval and Justin Wilson) before Christmas, the inactivity has been noticeable.

Boston’s weeks-long silence, however, doesn’t mean the club considers its winter work to be over. Appearing on MassLive’s Fenway Rundown podcast Friday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow reiterated that adding a high-level right-handed bat remains a major focus for the Red Sox with spring training set to begin early next week in southwest Florida.

“We’re still very much engaged in trying to bring in a right-handed hitter, obviously one that we think can be a difference-maker,” Breslow said on the podcast. “We haven’t been able to line up (on that) yet, but the offseason is still underway. I think it’s fair to say that in some respects, maybe the roster is a bit incomplete. But we’re going to continue to work really hard to try to round it out.

“The focus has continued to be on building a roster that can compete for for the division and for the postseason in 2025,” he said, “and make sure that we’re balancing that with a look toward the longer term. I think the difference (in January) is that we obviously haven’t been able to get transactions across the line. But in terms of the day-to day-work and engagement and conversations, it hasn’t really been a whole lot different outside of that most important last step.”

Considering it’s February, it’s no surprise that almost all of the available top right-handed bats have come off the market in recent weeks. Still, two former All-Stars remain. Longtime Astro Alex Bregman remains a free agent and the Cardinals remain intent on trading Nolan Arenado in an effort to shed payroll. The Red Sox are engaged in both pursuits.

Breslow didn’t get into specifics on either player but ruled out little when it came to where a theoretical addition would play. Bregman would likely slot in at second base while Arenado could take over at third base with Rafael Devers potentially shifting to designated hitter.

“We’re open minded,” Breslow said. “We’ve talked about versatility, we’ve talked about opportunities to improve infield defense. We do feel like we have a very strong outfield defense but I think we’ll be open-minded. Ultimately, some of this — or a significant portion of this — is going to be driven by balancing the lineup and the damage that can be done in the right side of the batter’s box.”

Adding either Bregman (asking for a deal of at least five years in the $30 million per year range) or Arenado (due $64 million over the next three years) would require the type of financial commitment Breslow has not yet made in two offseasons running the Red Sox. That Boston has not spent big this winter is a source of criticism that Breslow understands, though he noted the full story might not be told yet.

“I understand the criticism. But at the same time, my job is to put the most competitive team on the field that I possibly can,” he said. “I think that we are taking the meaningful steps toward doing that. Some come at the cost of dollars. Some come at the cost of really talented young players that we needed to trade away. Ultimately, I think the barometer for our success is going to be where we finish in the standings. That is absolutely the way that it should be.

“Whether or not there’s an appetite or the resources are available for the right player, the answer is yes. I have to balance the kind of urgency and immediacy that Sam (Kennedy) spoke about with the responsibility to build a competitive team that’s capable of accomplishing what we’d like to accomplish in 2025, but also beyond.”

Breslow said he feels equal parts satisfied and frustrated with the way the offseason has played out so far considering the Red Sox have significantly bolstered their pitching staff while failing to accomplish anything notable on the offensive side of things.

“There’s probably a little bit of both in reality in that we were able to make some significant transactions and bring in guys,” Breslow said. “We don’t have control over the timing of the offseason and if that Crochet trade had come together two weeks ago, then there could be a different feeling right now. But I would absolutely balance that with frustration for there being players that we’ve pursued or conversations in trades that we felt like were getting some momentum, but ultimately didn’t work out. Unfortunately, that’s the reality of an offseason.

In addition to adding a right-handed bat, Breslow said the Red Sox are still on the lookout for bullpen arms. Free agents David Robertson and Kyle Finnegan remain unsigned while others (like San Diego’s Robert Suárez and St. Louis’ Ryan Helsley) are rumored to be available via trade.

“We’re still actively engaged in conversations around enhancing the bullpen,” Breslow said. “I think we have a number of guys who have accomplished quite a bit in relief roles … Our hope is that over time, we can field the bullpen from homegrown pitchers. But right now, we’re not quite there yet. If the opportunity exists to to bring in someone who enhances that back end, particularly someone who can provide leverage innings, we’re definitely gonna be open to that pursuit.”

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