How good will the Red Sox be? A look at the good and bad as the team opens season Thursday

FORT MYERS, Fla. — With low expectations from both the fan base and national pundits, it’s anyone’s guess what will constitute a successful season for the Boston Red Sox, a team not far removed from winning the 2018 World Series championship.

After finishing last in the American League East the past two years, and with little help coming via free agency this offseason, the Red Sox front office sent a clear message about being in a rebuilding mode while its young talent develops.

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Here are some positive — and negative — observations for the Red Sox as they begin the season Thursday night at Seattle:

The Good

Budding young talent

While no fan base wants to hear the term rebuilding, the Red Sox expect to see further improvements from their young core.

First baseman Triston Casas, 24, finished third in last year’s American League Rookie of the Year voting after a strong campaign. Opening Day pitcher Brayan Bello, also 24, is viewed by the organization as a bona fide ace moving forward. Add infielder Vaughn Grissom (injured), 23, and outfielders Ceddanne Rafaela, 23, and Wilyer Abreu, 24, and there appears to be legitimate pieces to build around the next few years.

“A lot of young talent here,” said veteran outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who was acquired via trade from St. Louis in December. “It’s really cool to see Abreu, Rafaela, these young guys. We want to be in a position to win ball games and be as athletic and dynamic as we can be.”

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Having a good mix of veterans and youngsters will give manager Alex Cora flexibility with his lineup on a game-to-game basis. A player like O’Neill, who’s been hampered with injuries in recent years, could get additional rest between starts with Abreu, Rafaela and Jarren Duran each capable of playing all three outfield positions.

“We’re flexible, we’re versatile, we’re athletic,” Cora said. “We’ll use these guys the right way. You can only start three [outfielders], but I think we’re gonna be versatile enough that it’s gonna help the roster on a daily basis.”

Healthy, for the most part

The biggest “addition” for the Red Sox in spring training was having a fully healthy Trevor Story. The veteran shortstop and two-time All-Star has been a major disappointment since he signed a six-year, $140-million contract with Boston in March 2022.

Story missed the bulk of last season while recovering from elbow surgery, and he played 94 games his first season and hit a dismal .238. But since arriving at spring training in February, he has looked good in the field and at the plate. Casas said having Story back at shortstop could take the team’s defense to “great heights.”

O’Neill is another player looking to rebound from injury problems. The two-time Gold Glove Award winner played only 71 games last year with the Cardinals, hitting .231. But he said early in spring his goal is to play 160 games.

“Mentally, I’m definitely ready,” O’Neill said. “When I’m on the field and healthy, things will take care of themselves — the stats, the numbers, the camaraderie with the boys. Everything I can do on the winning side of the ball is gonna fall into place when I stay on the field.”

The one major setback in spring training occurred when starting pitcher and free-agent signee Lucas Giolito suffered a right elbow injury. He subsequently had surgery and is considered unlikely to return this season. Bello, expected to be the team’s No. 2 pitcher, was elevated to Opening Day starter.

Grissom, who was acquired in the Chris Sale trade with Atlanta, suffered a groin strain and is expected back at some point in April. Veteran closer Kenley Jansen had been dealing with a latissimus dorsi strain, followed by a sore back, but he said last week that he should be good to go for the regular season.

The Bad

Starting rotation

After losing Giolito from an already thin rotation, there was a hope — a giant hope — from Red Sox fans the team would sign a major free agent, someone like Jordan Montgomery, to bolster the staff. But to date, that has not happened. And Montgomery signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.

Cora was asked numerous times during spring training about adding a frontline starter and his reply didn’t change much, saying the team was “working hard” to improve the roster and he wasn’t sure what the future would hold.

With seemingly little hope of competing for an A.L. East title this season, it doesn’t make sense for Boston’s front office to add a huge-paycheck pitcher now. After free-agent Michael Lorenzen signed a one-year, $4.5-million deal with the Texas Rangers, it seemed to indicate the Red Sox have no desire to add payroll.

But there is a belief within the clubhouse that the current staff can surprise people in 2024. After Bello, the rotation includes Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck — not exactly household names.

Backup catcher Reese McGuire said last week that he’s been impressed with the team’s staff and mentioned how some of them had learned new pitches during the offseason. First-year pitching coach Andrew Bailey said last month he felt comfortable going into the season with his current rotation.

Boston’s pitchers performed well in spring training, with guys such as Whitlock and Houck getting major praise from Cora. Entering last week’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at JetBlue Park, the Red Sox ranked fourth in MLB, and second among A.L. teams, with an overall 3.82 ERA.

Still, Cora was quick to point out it’s hard to put much stock in spring training statistics, good or bad. Other big-league clubs have produced winning teams in the past with overlooked rotations, but in a tough division like the A.L. East, it seems like a longshot for Boston.

Early schedule

While it should be nice to avoid the chilly Boston weather a tad longer, the Red Sox open the season on a 10-game West Coast road trip — not the easiest way to have early success and build confidence.

After four games at Seattle, the team heads to Oakland for three games and then faces the Los Angeles Angels for another three. Boston’s only day off will be April 4 after leaving Oakland and seven of the 10 games begin at 9:38 p.m. or later in the East .

“Yeah, the West Coast is a long trip for us,” O’Neill said. “It’s interesting with the time change. We’ve been playing all day games in the Eastern time zone, and then we’re gonna go to the Pacific to play a late, late game. But that’s what the season is all about, changing cities, changing time zones, traveling, being with the boys.

“Of course, we want to take every game we can out there,” O’Neill said. “We’d love to come back 10-0, if we can. Seattle is good competition to start the year, so we have to mentally focus and make sure we’re not dragging.”

For O’Neill, the trip to Seattle will be a homecoming of sorts. He grew up north of the border in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, and used to root for the Mariners.

“That’s pretty close to my hometown, so I’m going to have friends and family in town,” he said. “We’re going to have a bunch of people there. It will be good to get that trip out of the way, see everybody, of course. I always enjoy playing in the Northwest.”

Red Sox reliever Josh Winckowski, who felt at “home” during spring training — he lives in Fort Myers and attended nearby Estero High School — said the team is chomping at the bit to start playing real games.

“Definitely ready for the season,” he said. “Some things I enjoy about spring training, and some things I don’t. We’re ready to get to playing ball games. … We should have some good weather out there. Getting the West Coast games out of the way without having games beforehand is kind of nice.”

The Red Sox are scheduled to play their home opener at 2:10 p.m. April 9 against the Orioles.