BOSTON (AP) — The last time Dave Dombrowski built a World Series champion Alex Rodriguez Jersey , he had to start dismantling it before the celebratory champagne had a chance to dry.He’s hoping to defend the title for real next year.“It is significantly different than the last time,” he said on Thursday, four days after the Red Sox won their fourth title in 15 years and Dombrowski earned a ring to go with the one he won with the binge-and-purge Florida Marlins of the late 1990s.“This will be the first time in my career that we will be going to spring training as the defending champions,” said Dombrowski, who avoided the term after selling off the stars that won it all in Miami in 1997. “Sometimes when guys become free agents they receive offers they can’t refuse. But we’d like to keep this team together.”After winning the Series in five games on Sunday night, flying back to Boston on Monday and then holding their increasingly routine duck boat parade through the city on Wednesday, the Red Sox are the last team in the majors to start the offseason and think about the 2019 roster.Already, the team has exercised its option on Chris Sale, and David Price decided not to opt out of his deal. Eduardo Nunez also exercised his option to return, forgoing free agency.But key parts of the team that won a franchise-record 108 games and then eliminated the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers in the playoffs can become free agents. Among them: closer Craig Kimbrel, World Series MVP Steve Pearce, and starting pitchers turned relief stars Nathan Eovaldi and Joe Kelly.Also on the list are infielders Ian Kinsler and Brandon Phillips, and pitcher Drew Pomeranz.Manager Alex Cora also said he would like to give it another try with the same players Mariano Rivera Jersey , but he knows that’s not possible. The last team to repeat as World Series champions was the New York Yankees from 1998-2000, and the Red Sox haven’t done it since 1915-16, which is also the last time they won back-to-back AL pennants.“Wherever the offseason takes us, we’re going to be fine,” Cora said. “I can’t wait for the offseason to be over, get to February and start practicing what we are going to do next year. Obviously, that’s the goal: to repeat.”But first, there are free agents to sign or re-sign, and some of the returning players need to bounce back from injuries.Dombrowski said Sale does not need surgery for the left shoulder inflammation that forced the team to scratch him from two postseason starts. “We anticipate him to come to spring training and be 100 percent,” said Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations.Also hoping to take advantage of the offseason is second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who missed almost the entire season — and all of the playoffs — with a knee injury. The 2008 AL MVP came off the disabled list in May and lasted just three games before heading back to the DL.Pedroia was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list on Thursday. Cora said he promised Pedroia, a teammate from the 2007 championship team and the longest-tenured player on the roster, that if he’s ready he can bat leadoff on opening day.“That’s the goal http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-babe-ruth-jersey ,” Cora said.Also Thursday, the Red Sox reinstated infielder Marco Hernandez and right-handers Austin Maddox and Carson Smith from the 60-day DL; Smith refused an outright assignment to the minors and elected to become a free agent.Infielder Tony Renda and right-hander Justin Haley were also sent outright to the minors. As the American League Championship Series shifts to Texas, no ground has been gained by the Houston Astros or Boston Red Sox.The defending World Series champion went into Fenway Park and took Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, but the Red Sox responded with a Game 2 victory to level the series.Not only do both teams have the same number of victories heading into Minute Maid Park, they possess the same batting average of .188. Both pitching staffs conceded 12 hits in the first two games, and four doubles were hit by both lineups.One of the few differences between the two winningest teams in the AL this season is home runs, as Houston has four in the series compared to none by the Red Sox, and earned runs, as the Astros have conceded four fewer than the Red Sox.ALCS ScheduleTuesday, October 16Game 3:Boston at Houston (5:05 p.m., TBS)Wednesday, October 17Game 4:Boston at Houston (8:39 p.m., TBS)Thursday, October 18Game 5:Boston at Houston (8:09 p.m. Lou Gehrig Jersey , TBS)Saturday, October 20Game 6*:Houston at Boston (5:09 p.m., TBS)Sunday, October 21Game 7*:Houston at Boston (7:39 p.m., TBS)*-if necessaryPredictionsBregman Continues To Reach Base, Does So With His BatAlex Bregman was a constant fixture on the basepaths at Fenway, but he didn't reach base because he put the ball in play.In thisALCS, Bregman walked on six occasions, which is already a new high for him in a postseason series.The third baseman should increase his productivity at Minute Maid, where he has a .279 batting average and .369 on-base percentage in his career.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesThe No. 3 hitter is a candidate to break out and lead the Houston lineup because of the success he's achieved in October during his two-year postseason career.In three of the four completed series he's been a part of, Bregman has hit two home runs, including a pair in the AL Division Series victory over the Cleveland Indians.Bregman should also have the opportunity to drive in runs for the rest of the series, as leadoff man George Springer is in the middle of an 11-game postseason hitting streak.If Bregman produces a few clutch hits on home soil, the Astros should be able to take at least two of the next three games there.Boston Benefits From Confident BullpenOutside of Brandon Workman's rough Game 1 http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-dimaggio-jersey , the Red Sox bullpen has performed well in the ALCS.The six relievers besides Workman who took the mound at Fenway gave up two earned runs on three hits.In Game 2, the trio of Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Rick Porcello allowed one baserunner, while Craig Kimbrel shook off a Jose Altuve RBI single to close out the victory.Tim Bradbury/Getty ImagesIf Nathan Eovaldi and Porcello are able to reach the sixth inning in their respective starts in Games 3 and 4, the Red Sox should be able to get to Kimbrel with ease behind a combination of setup men.The best news the Red Sox could have entering Game 3 is all of their relievers are fresh, which means we could see manager Alex Cora throw more trust behind a pitcher or two to get more than three outs.Finding the hot hand in front of Kimbrel is crucial to closing games out on the road, and depending on how Game 3 goes, the Red Sox might call on David Price to pitch an inning or two out of the bullpen.Cora has applied the same strategy with Porcello throughout the postseason, and if Boston runs into a spot of bother in Game 3 or 4, Price could be the ideal option to bridge the gap between the starters and the bullpen regulars.As the bullpen's confidence grows in Houston, the Red Sox will rely on the relievers to finish off at least one win in order to bring the series back to Fenway Park. 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