Uncertainty hung over the ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas during this week's MLB general managers meetings, with a lockout expected once Dec. 1 arrives. Executives and others around the game wrestled with the same questions: what will baseball look like once the lockout begins, what will it look like when it ends, and how do you build a roster amid so much unknown?
For the Boston Red Sox, one small piece of that puzzle involves Kristian Campbell. Tuesday, Nov. 17, is the deadline for clubs to protect players from the Rule 5 draft by adding them to the 40-man roster, and according to a source familiar with the situation, Campbell's spot on that roster could be in jeopardy.
Campbell, once one of the organization's top prospects, did not appear in a major league game in 2026. He signed an eight-year, $60 million extension just eight games into his 2025 rookie season, but after a demotion in late June of that year he never made it back to the majors.
Boston is weighing the possibility of designating him for assignment. Asked about that scenario Tuesday, president of baseball operations Craig Breslow brushed the question aside. "I'm not going to speak to that right now," he said, adding that Campbell remains part of the organization and that the club is invested in doing everything it can to help him perform the way he is capable of.
The financial picture explains the skepticism around the league. Campbell is owed $55 million over the next six seasons, including $13 million in 2031 and $16 million in 2032, and he posted a .256/.383/.380 slash line with eight home runs in 462 plate appearances at Triple-A in 2026. One league executive said at the meetings that his club would have no interest in Campbell and could not envision any team claiming the outfielder given that contract.
If Campbell were designated for assignment and cleared waivers, he would be outrighted to Triple-A Worcester, since he has less than a year of major league service time, and Boston could add him back to the 40-man roster later. The move would bring no financial relief unless another club claimed him, because his contract would still count toward the competitive balance tax payroll even if he stayed in the minors. There is also a human element, as Campbell has acknowledged losing confidence after his struggles at both levels. "He's got a world of potential," Breslow said. "I still feel like he has a really bright big-league career ahead of him."
The Red Sox did make one firm move, signing Jake Bauers to a four-year, $58 million deal Friday. Willson Contreras will continue to anchor first base, with Bauers serving primarily as the designated hitter and filling in for Contreras from time to time. Bauers is coming off a breakout season with Milwaukee in which he hit .266/.389/.484 with an .874 OPS and 26 home runs, and Boston was intrigued by his combination of plate discipline and damage in the strike zone. His ability to lift the ball and use the entire field as a left-handed hitter also gives the club confidence he will produce at Fenway Park.
Bauers' arrival further clouds Jarren Duran's future. The lineup is now heavily left-handed, with Bauers, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, Roman Anthony and Duran in the mix, and one of them likely has to go. Duran, who could earn upwards of $11 million in arbitration next season, appears to be the most likely to be dealt, and multiple sources suggested even before the Bauers signing that both sides might be better off parting ways via trade. Breslow noted the team has rarely had all its outfielders, including Yoshida, healthy at the same time. "These things have largely taken care of themselves, unfortunately," he said.
Elsewhere at the meetings, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young made clear that Texas is not trying to rebuild, even after missing the playoffs in the three years since its first World Series title in 2023, though veterans Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom remain on the trade block as the club tries to shed high salaries and retool. Agent Scott Boras was noncommittal when asked whether the Reds could keep his client Elly De La Cruz, while Cincinnati, fresh off a 2025 postseason berth that ended a five-year drought, has told other teams it is willing to discuss its starting pitching. And right-hander Sonny Gray reconciled with the Red Sox after publicly criticizing his early removal from Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, reaching out shortly after his comments that evening. Gray would be willing to return to Boston, but the league-wide belief is that he ends up closer to his Nashville home, with the pitching-needy Braves viewed as the frontrunner for his services.
