It's well documented that the Boston Red Sox are in the hunt for a righty bat with some pop this offseason.
Last year's Red Sox lineup was stacked with lefties, and that problem won't go away anytime soon. Boston regularly used a lineup that featured five to six lefty hitters last year, and Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer will only add to the number of southpaws on the roster.
Teoscar Hernández and Alex Bregman remain the Red Sox's principal righty targets, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. They've been "prominently discussed" as the team's most ideal right-handed options with home run power, but Speier also shared a potential backup target that has not resonated with Red Sox Nation.
Randal Grichuk has also been mentioned in Boston's front office as an option to boost the team's right-handedness. He's firmly a fallback option, but Red Sox fans are not pleased with the news, mostly because there should be no backup plans.
Red Sox targeting Randal Grichuk as backup righty option if they lose out on Teoscar Hernández or Alex Bregman
It's been years since the Red Sox closed a deal for a coveted free agent with a competitive market. Boston is tens of millions of dollars below any kind of luxury tax penalty for the 2025 season, and it could absolutely afford both Bregman and Hernández if it wanted them. Hernández is only seeking a three-year contract in the $22-24 million per year range, and the Red Sox can meet those demands and even more if necessary.
Grichuk should be nothing more than a last resort for the Sox, but he'd be a solid option if it came down to it. He had a career year over 106 games with the 2023 National League champion Diamondbacks last season, during which he slashed .291/.348/.528 with a .875 OPS.
If Randal Grichuk is the best right-handed bat you add, that’s a problem.
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) December 20, 2024
If he’s another lefty masher you add (151 wRC+), with the expectation of protecting Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell, there’s some logic. Especially with Masataka Yoshida on the roster and how they… pic.twitter.com/9dmHzDiJba
Grichuk doesn't have much home run power, but he tore up lefty pitching to the tune of a staggering .319/.386/.528 slash line and .914 OPS in 184 plate appearances. As good as he was against southpaws, Grichuk's profile is quite similar to that of Rob Refsnyder, who is already on the team and also had a career year last season.
Boston has no excuse to be signing backup plans at this stage in the team's rebuild. Ownership had enough money to offer $700 million to Juan Soto, but it hasn't spent on a major free agent since the offer was made. Settling for Grichuk would be unacceptable given Hernández's asking price and the front office's promises to spend from early in the offseason.