After a season of streaky offense and missing enough power to thrive in the postseason, the Boston Red Sox are expected to pursue a consistent power bat this offseason.
Boston has been linked to Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber to resolve their slugging woes. Multiple reports and quotes from chief baseball officer Craig Breslow have suggested that the Red Sox are finally ready to spend big enough to compete with the teams that made longer playoff runs. It's definitely time for them to take the leap — their top prospects have reached the major leagues, and the Blue Jays and Yankees, division rivals, have consecutively reached the World Series.
Boston's years of limited spending still have some fans and reporters hesitant to believe they'll make such massive moves as signing Alonso or Schwarber, especially if it hopes to reunite with Alex Bregman. Media and other attendees of the annual GM meetings see that the Red Sox's contending window is wide open, and they've speculated that they could sign two big bats. Christopher Smith of MassLive asked Breslow if he has two bats in mind, and his answer has Sox fans optimistic.
“We could,” Breslow said. “I think we’re going to be open to every conceivable path to improving the team. Specifically what that looks like or who the names are that fill those roles, I think we’ll see how the offseason plays out.”
Red Sox could sign two big bats this offseason, and one should be Alex Bregman
Breslow didn't explicitly say that the Sox would chase two big bats in free agency (his statement actually doesn't promise anything), but any path to improving the team requires two bats. The Red Sox are without a true third baseman after they traded Rafael Devers, and Bregman is the best one available on the free agent market. It makes sense that Bregman would be one of the two bats Boston brings in this winter.
The Red Sox expected Bregman to provide more power in the lineup because he's so well suited to Fenway Park, but his first year was hampered by a quad injury that kept him on the bench for six weeks and at less than 100% health for some time afterward. A full season of Roman Anthony will help mitigate some of the power outage, but either Alonso or Schwarber would turn the offense up to 11.
Boston reportedly likes both sluggers, but Alonso rumors have picked up steam in recent days. The soon-to-be 31-year-old would fill a position of need at first base, he's right-handed and would bring balance to the left-hand dominated batting order, he's incredibly durable, and he's among the best home run hitters in the league.
Schwarber is still an attractive option to bring power to the Sox's lineup, though. The veteran has played in Boston before to great fanfare and he's only improved with age. Schwarber slugged a National League-leading 56 home runs in 2025, a career-high for the 32-year-old.
It's hard to envision the Red Sox signing two high-profile free agents, then making a trade for the No. 2 starter Breslow said he wants, but now is undeniably the time for them to take big swings. Boston had Bregman last season when its offense struggled, but his leadership skills were key in the clubhouse, especially for its top prospects. The Red Sox will need to bring Bregman back and sign another slugger to be a better team than they were last year.