While there won’t be a Town Hall event as part of Winter Weekend like last year, several of the club’s top decision-makers are still set to face Red Sox Nation on Friday night.

According to NESN’s Tom Caron, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and CEO Sam Kennedy will join Jonathan Papelbon and himself on stage as part of The Cinco Ocho Show, Friday evening’s headline event at Winter Weekend in Springfield.

“Honesty and transparency are key steps in rebuilding the damaged relationship with fans,” Caron said in an X/Twitter post Tuesday night. “We’ll be asking where this franchise goes from here.”

Honesty & transparency are key steps in rebuilding the damaged relationship with fans.

Breslow & Sam Kennedy will join @TheRealJPap58 & me on The Cinco Ocho Show Friday night at Winter Weekend in Springfield. We’ll be asking where this franchise goes from here#RedSox https://t.co/Yg7KFzHjoX

— Tom Caron (blue checkmark redacted) (@TomCaron) January 16, 2024

The announcement came following several articles were published in which the Red Sox all but acknowledged that this isn’t going to be the bountiful offseason the club had promised. First, Breslow told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that acquiring starting pitching this winter has proven difficult and that, big picture, the fastest way back to championship contention will require their current crop of top prospects to become impact players in the majors.

Then, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner spoke to MassLive’s Sean McAdam and walked back his much maligned declaration that the Red Sox would be going “full throttle” this winter, saying the remark was “not the most artful comment.”

Werner also confirmed he plans to attend Winter Weekend in Springfield this weekend, but McAdam reported principal owner John Henry won’t because of a “scheduling issue.”

The Red Sox opted not to hold another Town Hall event this year after club leaders were loudly booed by fans during last year’s event. The club instead put together The Cinco Ocho Show, which the Red Sox described as a late-night talk show-style segment and which Papelbon told the Herald came together “just recently.”

Column: Red Sox credibility down to zero with Winter Weekend changes

Given the way this offseason has played out it’s likely club leaders will face another hostile reception. Though there likely isn’t much Breslow or Kennedy could say that will mollify fans, the fact they are willing to get on stage to explain themselves is a positive development.