It’s been a transformative offseason for the Boston Red Sox.

The first splash came back in December, when the Red Sox acquired star lefty pitcher Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. Then, at long last, the Red Sox made the highly-anticipated second splash on Wednesday, reportedly signing star infielder Alex Bregman.

Bregman’s three-year, $120 million deal only guarantees he’ll be in Boston for one year, since he has the choice to test the free-agent market again by opting out. But his arrival signals that the Red Sox are once again ready to compete for a World Series, something they haven’t come close to doing in the last three years.

In the wake of the Bregman signing, Crochet was understandably enthused about the move his new front office had made.

“Couldn’t be more fired up,” Crochet said Thursday to the media in attendance at Red Sox spring training. “That the front office has the same goal that we as the players have, to make the playoffs and make it deep.”

“I think you look at the intangibles, and he carries them all,” Crochet said. “I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about him, just about him being an absolute baseball rat. It’s a guy who loves the game, who works hard and obviously his pedigree speaks for itself. He’s won a couple of World Series, and the Gold Glove last year shows he’s still at the top of the game.”

Crochet also said that although he had never met Bregman before, he texted the star infielder once the news broke to welcome him to Boston.

The 25-year-old Crochet is also a prime extension candidate, something he and the Red Sox have both acknowledged is being discussed. That the Red Sox spent nine figures on a free agent for the first time since 2022 is a good sign that they’ll be willing to pay Crochet what he’s worth.

Boston is locked and loaded. There’s now an enthusiasm about this team that hasn’t been present in spring training for quite some time. It’s now on Crochet, Bregman, and the rest of the team to go out and channel that enthusiasm into victories.