If Nathan Eovaldi had accepted the $19.65 million qualifying offer that was extended to him last week, the Red Sox would have had a proven leader and postseason performer back in the fold for next season.

They also would have had a bit more clarity for the rotation in 2023.

While the Sox still could bring back Eovaldi, who rejected his qualifying offer on Tuesday, on a multi-year deal, the rotation has more questions than answers at this point.

Can Chris Sale at last stay healthy, and if so, how many innings will he be asked to provide after having such a light workload over the past three seasons?

Ditto for James Paxton, the veteran lefty who exercised his $4 million player option last week.

Will Nick Pivetta be more consistent? While Pivetta’s durability has been an asset for Boston the last two years, his inconsistency has been perplexing. Pivetta struggled mightily in the division in 2022 and that will have to change for the righty be as valuable as the club needs him to be.

How good can Garrett Whitlock be as a starter? At last week’s GM Meetings, general manager Brian O’Halloran told reporters that Whitlock has been informed that the expectation will be for him to start in 2023. While Whitlock has dominated as a reliever in the first two years of his career, the ramp on him as a starter -- nine starts last season -- hasn’t been long enough to truly know what he is capable of in that role.

How quickly will Brayan Bello make the leap? Just about everyone was impressed by Bello’s arsenal after he got his first taste in the Majors. He finished strong, but his overall numbers (2-8, 4.71 ERA in 13 appearances) make it unclear if he’s ready to hit the ground running. Depending on what chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom does this offseason, there’s a chance Bello starts the season in Triple-A so he can get more seasoning.

Could the Sox sign Japanese ace Kodai Senga? Perhaps the Red Sox will make a big splash in international waters. Senga is a free agent and is making the rounds in the United States visiting with teams. Players from Daisuke Matsuzaka to Koji Uehara to Hideki Okajima and others have always expressed that Boston is a comfortable market for Japanese players, both personally and professionally. 

“Super talented, athletic, power stuff,” Bloom said of Senga at the GM Meetings. “Just a really impressive arm.”

One of the philanthropic events to circle every year in Boston is the Pedro Martinez Foundation Gala. Last Friday evening represented the sixth annual event held by Pedro Martinez and his wife Carolina, who is the president of the Pedro Martinez Foundation. The event was held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Padres superstar Juan Soto was among the attendees, which also included Martinez’s long-time batterymate and current Red Sox coach Jason Varitek.

Comedian Alex Edelman was in the house, roasting some of the stars on hand.

Pedro and Carolina addressed the audience and expressed gratitude for everyone’s generosity and belief in the foundation, the goal of which is to meet the education, medical and emotional needs of children in order to help them break the cycle of poverty in their families and communities.

Nov. 18, 1997: On one of the most significant days in Red Sox history, Boston traded for a pitcher who would emerge as arguably the best the club has ever had in Martinez.

Though the Hall of Famer was coming off the first of his three career Cy Young Award with the Expos, Montreal needed to cut payroll that offseason. Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette swooped in by trading for Martinez for the second time in his career. The acquisition cost? Prospects Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr.

It became an even better trade when the Sox swiftly reached agreement on a six-year, $75 million contract with Martinez that included a $17.5 million option for the 2004 season. Martinez was brilliant throughout his time in Boston, going 117-37 over those seven seasons and helping the Red Sox to a World Series title in ’04. Pavano went on to pitch 302 games in his career, going 108-107 with a 4.39 ERA. Armas had a record of 53-65 with a 4.65 ERA in 185 career appearances.

Who has the best fielding percentage for a third baseman in Red Sox history?

A. Wade Boggs
B. Mike Lowell
C. Frank Malzone
D. Rico Petrocelli

Due to ongoing concerns about COVID-19 in 2021 and MLB’s lockout a year ago, the Red Sox haven’t held Winter Weekend since 2020. That will change in ‘23, as the popular fan-fest event is back on.

Winter Weekend will be at MGM Springfield and the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., on Jan. 20-21, 2023. There will be a Town Hall Meeting with Red Sox leaders, a chance to get autographs and photos with Red Sox players past and present and roundtable discussions on a variety of baseball topics. There will also be a full baseball festival for fans of all ages.

Hall of Famers including David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Dennis Eckersley, Jim Rice, and Wade Boggs are confirmed to be in attendance.  

Weekend passes for Winter Weekend are on sale now at redsox.com/winterweekend.

Nov. 17

Darnell McDonald (44 years old)
A non-roster invitee to Spring Training, McDonald made his presence felt in a memorable debut on April 20, 2010. Just hours after getting called up from Triple-A, the right-handed-hitting McDonald hit a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth inning against the Rangers and then launched a walk-off single off the Green Monster in left-center in the bottom of the ninth.

Nov. 18

David Ortiz (47 years old)
What more can you say about Big Papi? He is the best clutch hitter in Red Sox history and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Tom Gordon (55 years old)
“Flash” came to the Red Sox as a starter in 1996 and was moved to the bullpen two years later. In that ’98 season, Gordon notched 46 saves, still a team record for Boston. He pitched four of his 21 MLB seasons for the Red Sox.

B. Lowell

He had a fielding percentage of .972 at third base in five seasons for the Red Sox, making just 40 errors.

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