The Red Sox' All-Stars are a reminder of what might be

Remember last year's All-Star Game? That was the one where the Red Sox boasted one representative, Kenley Jansen, whose most memorable mark on the festivities was schmoozing with free agent-to-be Shohei Ohtani.

The year before wasn't much better, with the uncertain futures for All-Stars Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez taking center stage at Dodger Stadium.

This year the message is much different. It represents one of hope.

Tanner Houck. Jarren Duran. Rafael Devers.

The search for the Red Sox' next foundation has been top of mind since the departure of the last foundation. Did this team have the pieces in place that would allow for fans to put away their "Betts" jerseys, or was this simply a bunch of complementary parts?

Even heading into this past spring training, the narrative regarding the future focused more on players in Double-A (Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel and Roman Anthony) than what the Red Sox possessed in the here and now.

Well, it turns out that the Red Sox haven't had to hope and pray their next wave of stars would somehow emerge in 2025 or '26. They have seemingly found at least a good chunk of their core, as the presence of this trio in Texas suggests.

Things can turn. We have seen that before. But where these three have landed - factoring in the route each took to find their way - suggests this won't be a one-and-done All-Star experience for the combination of Houck, Duran and Devers.

And there is more good news when it comes to using the All-Star festivities as the jumping off point for optimism.

Houck isn't a free agent until after the 2027 season, with Duran hitting the open market until after 2028. Devers? His free agent season offseason isn't until following the 2033 campaign. So, in other words, the media availability All-Star Media Day won't be focused on contract talks for the Red Sox' represenatives.

And then there is the idea that the group can legitimately be built on in the next few years, even without the emergence of Mayer, Teel and Anthony. Ceddanne Rafaela is quickly evolving into a special player, and Triston Casas was certainly on the road to All-Star consideration before his injury. Add Connor Wong - and maybe, down the road, Wilyer Abreu - into the conversation, and this is certainly a different conversation than we anticipated a year ago.