The Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays tonight, minutes after wins by the Royals and Tigers. That officially eliminated Boston from playoff contention and turns their attention completely to the offseason. Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow met with the Boston beat before the game. While he didnt go into too many specifics, he offered a few hints about where the Sox could turn in the winter. Breslow pointed to the rotation, bullpen and a desire to balance a lefty-heavy lineup among the areas of focus ( ). That not coincidentally overlaps with the Soxs impending free agents. , , , , and are all headed to the open market. Thats a pair of right-handed bats, one of their top starters, and multiple high-leverage relievers. Asked about ONeill specifically, Breslow said the Sox are definitely interested in having some of those conversations about a new deal ( ). Boston hit on a buy-low acquisition of the slugger from the Cardinals last offseason. ONeill leads the team with 31 home runs and sports a .240/.335/.512 slash acro s 469 plate appearances. He had a trio of brief injured list stints but has been one of the Soxs best hitters when healthy. ONeill has been a particularly key piece of maintaining some amount of lineup balance. He has obliterated lefty pitching at a .313/.429/.750 clip in 156 trips to the plate. Hes Zach Pop Jersey tied with for second in MLB (one behind ) with 16 home runs off southpaws. ONeill is eligible for a qualifying offer. Theres a good chance the 29-year-old left fielder would accept a one-year offer worth more than $21MM. Thatd be a ma sive jump over this years $5.85MM arbitration salary. The Sox may prefer a three- or four-year deal that comes at a more manageable annual rate. ONeills camp will probably look to top the respective $42MM guarantees secured by and last winter. Even if they retain ONeill, thatd leave the Sox with the same lefty-leaning lineup they trotted out this year. Theyll need more contributors via some combination of free agency, trade and internal improvement. is one of the higher-upside righty bats already on the roster. Gri soms first season in Boston was underwhelming, as he battled injuries and struggled for most of the year. ( , for whom the young infielder was traded, pitching his way to the NL Cy Young in Atlanta only adds to the disappointment.) The Sox have split time at second base between Gri som and lefty-hitting with the season winding down. Breslow was noncommittal on whether the 23-year-old will enter next season as the favorite at second base. I think hes absolutely got the potential to do that, the chief baseball officer said of Gri som being an everyday player (via Speier). But ultimately its going to be the play on the field that dictates who our everyday second base is. , wholl also draw attention as a shortstop, and headline the free agent cla s at second base. will probably be the subject of trade speculation yet again. It seems unlikely that the Sox would devote a ton of resources to the position. Thatd impede Gri som and speedster next season. With top shortstop prospect potentially on the radar for a 2025 debut, the keystone could be the long-term home for . The pitching staff is a clearer area for free agent investment. Jansen and Martin have been two of Alex Coras top three leverage arms for the past couple seasons. Rule 5 pick will be back in the late innings. should be healthy and could compete with Slaten for the closing job. The Sox will probably look for multiple additions to solidify the setup corps in front of that duo. A reunion with Martin wouldnt be surprising. A rotation built around , , and hopefully a healthy has promise. has had decent results in his first four MLB starts. Pivetta has absorbed a lot of innings while flashing strikeout stuff over the past few years though. The Sox will need to replace that volume if he walks. , , and headline the free agent rotation cla s. , , and old friend (a suming he declines a $20MM player option with Texas) are among the middle-tier starters whod more closely mirror last winters Giolito pickup. Easton Lucas Jersey