The Boston Red Sox are currently prioritizing their race to the 2025 postseason, but their focus will soon shift to offseason needs.
The Red Sox are quite a young team and they don't have many players expected to leave in free agency. But Boston could trade any number of its position players or prospects for elite pitching or a power bat, and needs could open up anywhere. After trading Rafael Devers in June, a home run hitter could be high on the Sox's offseason list.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report's Opening Day lineup prediction for the Red Sox contains a surprise welcomed by Boston fans — Kyle Schwarber in the designated hitter spot.
Schwarber had a short stint as a member of the Red Sox during the second half of the 2021 season, when they last made the playoffs. The slugger was a perfect fit in Boston, his playing style and personality immediately resonated with Sox fans. It also didn't hurt that he logged a .291/.435/.522 with a .957 OPS in the 41 regular season games he played there. Schwarber continued his dominance into the postseason, with six hits, six runs and two RBI between the Wild Card game and ALDS.
Bleacher Report predicts Red Sox will land Kyle Schwarber in free agency during 2025-26 offseason
KYLE SCHWARBER REACHES 50 HOME RUNS! pic.twitter.com/8YRpNyJ59n
— MLB (@MLB) September 10, 2025
Many Red Sox fans were devastated that the team didn't re-sign Schwarber for the 2022 season and beyond, and it's easy to see why. Since 2021, he's earned three All-Star nominations, a Silver Slugger award and MVP votes in three different seasons. Schwarber has slowed no signs of slowing down offensively as his career continues. He's slashing .241/.368/.562 with a .929 OPS through 146 games this season, he leads the National League with 50 homers and leads MLB with 123 strikeouts.
Some things would have to change on the Sox's roster before they would add Schwarber, though. Despite plans to play Masataka Yoshida in the outfield this year, he's appeared in left field just four times out of the 41 games he's played this year. It's been difficult or the Red Sox to find a trade suitor for Yoshida, and it will only get harder this winter due to his injury history and minimal playing time this season.
Reuter's prediction also contains an unfortunate condition that Alex Bregman will opt out of his contract, and Boston will pay Schwarber with what was formerly his contract money. The best possible offseason outcome would be for the Sox to retain Bregman and sign Schwarber, as they could be a deadly offensive duo at Fenway Park, and John Henry and Fenway Sports Group have more than enough money to make such an offseason dream happen.