The Boston Red Sox reportedly got started on their offseason venture, fresh off missing postseason contention for the third consecutive year, by creating six vacant coaching positions to make room for a handful of newcomers.
Boston parted ways with first base coach Andy Fox, bullpen coach Kevin Walker, assistant hitting coach Luis Ortiz, mental skills coach Rey Fuentes, trainer Ben Chadwick, and bullpen catcher Mani Martinez, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, on Wednesday. While teams across the league battled to keep their Fall Classic hopes alive, the Red Sox began hitting the drawing board. The team led the American League in errors with 115, ranked third in MLB with 1,570 strikeouts and recorded the second-most blown saves in baseball — including the most since the July All-Star break.
Now, with six positions to be filled before the start of Boston’s 2025 campaign, the Red Sox have opened the door to explore a handful of options such as the reunion with former first baseman and 2013 World Series champion Mike Napoli.
Napoli, a once-fan favorite in Boston and well-remembered postseason hero, was among a handful of coaching staff cuts made by the Chicago Cubs following their mediocre 83-79 finish this past season. Napoli joined the Cubs in 2020 under then-manager — and former Red Sox teammate of Napoli’s — David Ross, initially starting as the club’s quality assurance coach before becoming first base coach in 2022. The bearded brother’s bond Ross and Napoli shared likely played a factor in Chicago giving the 2012 All-Star his first coaching gig and could, too, pave the way for a return to Boston.
The Red Sox are no stranger to reuniting with former players. Manager Alex Cora, a member of the 2007 World Series championship team, spent four seasons in Boston as a player and now shares the dugout with ex-teammate and current catching coach Jason Varitek. Craig Breslow, the team’s chief baseball officer, was also a teammate of Napoli’s, played five seasons with the Red Sox and worked three years for Chicago’s front office — while Napoli was employed by the Cubs.
Boston, first and foremost, needs to bolster its roster this offseason to guide the franchise to brighter days. However, bringing Napoli back could pay dividends, especially in offering a guiding hand to youngsters like Triston Casas, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, along with the slew of prospects expected to get promoted in the near future like Kyle Teel, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. And with Opening Day 2025 well over five months away, the Red Sox have plenty of time to consider Napoli — and plenty of others — before making any final calls.