FORT MYERS, Fla. – Kutter Crawford spent most of his offseason in Fort Myers, with a notable exception.

He paid one of his fellow Red Sox pitchers a visit, making the trip from southern Florida to Chris Martin’s home in north Texas. Along with former teammate Ryan Brasier, Crawford and Martin enjoyed a long weekend.

“He’s got a ranch out there, so I wanted to go out there and check it out and see what he’s got going on,” Crawford told the Herald on Wednesday. “Saw an old teammate, Ryan Brasier, and played some golf. We just kind of had a long weekend outdoors, siting around a campfire and shooting the (expletive).”

Crawford will be 28 on April 1, and is entering his fourth year in the Majors. He’s from Florida, and has spent his entire professional career in the Red Sox organization; they selected him in the 16th round of the ‘17 draft. Martin, a Texas native, is almost exactly ten years his senior, and entering his ninth season; the Red Sox are his seventh team. Crawford

And yet, the two have forged a bond.

“Last year obviously was his first year on the team, and I’m still kind of a new face, being a young guy. He was somebody that I was able to connect with,” explained Crawford. “We’ve got very similar interests and I think we have similar perspective on a lot of things.

“I think he’s a good guy to talk to. He’s older, he’s been around, he’s had ups and downs. I try to pick his brain, try to see how he thinks about things. He’s a good guy to lean on and have in your corner.”

Martin has spent his entire career in the bullpen, pitching to an impressive 3.36 career ERA over 324 outings (302 ⅓ innings) in the regular season In his first year in Boston, the veteran right-hander posted a 1.05 ERA – a personal best for a 162-game campaign – across 55 appearances, including 12 games finished and three saves.

Crawford’s role has been more fluid. He made his Major League debut in ‘21 with a single start, and to date, he’s pitched in 53 games, including 36 starts and eight games finished. Martin’s guidance has helped him navigate the unexpectedness of being used every which way.

“I don’t try to get too caught up in the role-type stuff situation. Whenever boss-man (Alex Cora) says he needs me to pitch, I’m gonna pitch,” Crawford said. “And no matter whether you’re starting or you’re closing the game, you got to come in and throw strikes, so that’s a big focus whether you’re starting or relieving, that I think helped me. Even though the roles might have been different month to month, me just focusing on trying to throw strikes, and competing being the number-one thing, helped me be able to bounce back between those roles.”

Among the topics of conversation was their new pitching coach, Andrew Bailey, who also happens to be Martin’s former teammate from the 2015 Yankees. “That’s kind of crazy to think about,” said Crawford. Martin said it makes him feel “old.”

“He’s awesome,” Martin said of Bailey. “Kutter came down and he visited me, and he talked about how much he liked him. (Bailey is) kind of new-age, and he’s analytical. That’s kind of where this game’s going, and it can benefit, having someone that understands it.”

After taking the job in November, Bailey began getting to know his new arms over Zoom, the phone, and in person. “He’s come down and checked in on us,” Crawford said. “Me and (Garrett) Whitlock and Winck (Josh Winckowski), we were able to get a little extra work and just pick his brain and see his viewpoints on a lot of things. It’s been really great so far, he’s got a good energy. He’s a younger guy, but he’s got a good energy, he’s full of life. It’s been great so far.”

Alex Cora described Crawford’s ‘23 performance as outstanding, but he’s also called on him, and the other young arms – Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, Josh Winckowski, Brayan Bello – to take steps forward.

“Obviously, we signed a couple guys in this offseason, but not a crazy offseason for us,” Crawford said. “There’s definitely still time, but you’re gonna have to reply on your younger core guys, and that core is myself, and Whit, Winck, Houck, and Bello.”

“For this team to be good, you need your younger guys to take that step forward. (Cora) kind of saying that, yeah, it definitely motivates us to go out there, and we know he’s relying on us and we don’t want to let him down.”

The players in the Red Sox clubhouse know what everyone’s saying about them: a stunningly underwhelming offseason, a roster totally out of its depth in the perennially fierce AL East, another last-place projection. That motivates them, too; the negative buzz is simultaneously being tuned out and used as fuel.

“Absolutely,” Crawford said when asked if the negative perception drives him. “I don’t think any guy in here, in this clubhouse, wants to lose. We play this game to compete and try to beat the opposition in the other dugout.

“So yeah, we’re going to go out there and play to win every single game we can. And yeah, if the world thinks that we’re already out of it, even better. It’s going to make it even sweeter in the end if we do something special.”

Reminded of David Ortiz saying at spring training last year that he likes when people view the Red Sox as underdogs, Crawford smiled. “I love it, too.”