Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this discussion, let's all take a moment to heartily laugh at the New York Yankees' lack of movement this winter.
They've re-signed Paul Blackburn and Amed Rosario to one-year deals, took Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 Draft, and handed a non-roster invite to spring training to Paul DeJong. Oh, and they financially handicapped themselves by offering the qualifying offer to Trent Grisham after his breakout season.
For a "World Series contender," that's a laughable transaction log, even if the Boston Red Sox's failure to sign a major-league free agent of their own makes this a throwing-stones-in-a-glass-house argument. But, hey, at least they have Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Johan Oviedo!
Nevertheless, it's clear the Sox still have more to accomplish this offseason. A second or third baseman (Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette?) would nicely round out the infield, another high-leverage bullpen arm would help bridge the gap to Aroldis Chapman, and the rotation could probably use a legitimate No. 2 starter to pair with Garrett Crochet.
It may be time to get moving on making one or all of those moves happen. In a vastly improved AL East, the Red Sox can hardly afford to continue falling behind, especially now that the Yankees have been mentioned as a serious suitor for the Miami Marlins' Edward Cabrera.
Red Sox must keep pace with rest of AL East in loaded arms race
Besides Cabrera and Cody Bellinger — whom the Yankees have reportedly made multiple offers to — the Bronx Bombers have been noted as one of the five finalists for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.
The Red Sox are also on that list, alongisde the Mets, Braves, and Dodgers. That's a who's who of the biggest-market teams in the sport, and if Boston fails to land Peralta, it's hard to imagine from where or how they'll get their co-ace for Crochet this winter.
Plus, it's not even just the Yankees that we have to worry about. The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles are perhaps the two most-improved teams in the sport this offseason, with the Jays signing Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers, and Kazuma Okamoto and the O's acquiring Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, and Shane Baz.
Given that the Rays always find a way to factor into the AL East discussion somehow, the division figures to be a gauntlet in 2026. As solid as their trio of trade additions are, it's simply not good enough for the Red Sox to emerge from this offseason as the third or fourth-most-improved team in the East.
It would only take one more blockbuster trade or a single big free-agent signing for the Red Sox to enter Opening Day as the favorites in baseball's best division. Now's the time to make it happen.