The GM Meetings in Las Vegas this week have been a wealth of information heading into the hot stove season for major league baseball.

One team in particular has done A LOT of talking - the Boston Red Sox.

Will any of this noise amount to major moves being made by a team that is, probably, one or two big pieces away from being a true World Series contender in 2026?

That remains to be seen.

But if you believe what MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported on Friday morning, we could be looking at a roster built for October come Opening Day next year.

Here’s what McAdam wrote on Friday, via my buddy Gordo from the “Play Tessie” podcast (because I’m not paying for a MassLive subscription, that’s where I draw the line):

“The Red Sox fully expect to spend past the first CBT threshold of $244M (how much over remains TBD), and understand that they have to spend more aggressively to improve their chances of a deep playoff run, sources tell @Sean_McAdam.”

Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) on X The Red Sox fully expect to spend past the first CBT threshold of $244M (how much over remains TBD), and understand that they have to spend more aggressively to improve their chances of a deep playoff run, sources tell @Sean_McAdam.

…easier said than done, guys!

The last couple offseasons, we’ve heard the front office using phrases like “full throttle” to describe what their approach would be to the hot stove season.

Heading into 2024, it ended up just being lip service.

But heading into 2025, you can make the case that they meant what they said, trading for Cy Young finalist Garrett Crochet and signing Silver Slugger finalist Alex Bregman. Granted, Bregman’s deal was essentially a one-year deal given the way the opt-outs were set up (which he exercised), and Crochet was someone who coming into Boston was on a very team-friendly deal. Add in a reported flirtation with eventual Mets MVP finalist Juan Soto, and you could make a split argument for “full throttle” activity.

The key difference between what the Red Sox did leading into 2025 and what McAdam says they’re willing to do now is spend past the Competitive Balance Tax - CBT for short, and probably best known by the average baseball fan as the luxury tax.

Had they actually finished the job on Soto last winter, we’d be talking about a completely different baseball team heading into 2026. They’d already be above the CBT, and we’d all be saying, “Wow, Fenway Sports Group really meant it this time around.”

They have a chance to get there in the coming weeks.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has shown, at times, a willingness to take some swings. He, along with the support of FSG, need to strike while Henry is supposedly hot.

Go re-sign Bregman.

Go scoop up “Kyle from Waltham” or Pete Alonso (or both?).

Trade for Hunter Greene.

It’s going to take a high-priced combination of moves for that “spend more aggressively” reporting to feel like true actionable stuff and not just another round of lip service.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.