It’s safe to assume the 2026 season hasn’t gotten off to the start anyone around the Boston Red Sox was hoping for. Fans are disappointed, the players are disappointed, the front office is disappointed, and a chunk of the coaching staff has already been fired.
We’ve seen injuries (most notably Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony), massive underperformances, and fans questioning whether or not the clubhouse, coaching staff, and front office were all aligned.
That all came together to put the Red Sox at a putrid 23-32 record on May 29. Yet, somehow the Sox are just four games out of a Wild Card spot. There’s no reason to give up yet. However, something needs to change. And that something is the offense.
The Red Sox are averaging 3.81 runs per game. They have the second-fewest home runs in the league behind the Milwaukee Brewers (33), with 36. They have the second-fewest runs scored (210), ahead of only the San Francisco Giants. Meanwhile, with runners in scoring position, they’re hitting .236, which is good enough for 19th in the league.
Boston needs a spark on offense. Roman Anthony can be that spark whenever he returns, but adding another punch would be the wise move. How do you get that? The Red Sox have an overabundance of pitching prospects; start there.
The Red Sox need to dip into pitching prospect pool to solve the offense on the trade market
For all of his faults, one thing you can’t really fault Craig Breslow on is how well he’s done building up the arms in the farm system. Now there’s quite a bit of a logjam, though.
The rotation is already stacked. Boston currently has Crochet at the top, with Ranger Suarez locked down for a few years. Connelly Early and Payton Tolle look to factor in for a long time. Then there’s the short-term answer with Sonny Gray.
On the prospect side, Jake Bennett looked solid in his limited opportunities, and Eduardo Rivera has absolutely risen to the occasion. In Double-A, Hayden Mullins is putting up wacky strikeout numbers, Blake Wehunt is finally healthy, and Jedixson Paez and John Holobetz are impressing as well. Then there’s Anthony Eyanson, who is the arm I would consider untouchable.
In High-A, the Red Sox have Kyson Witherspoon, who was the first-round pick in 2025. Marcus Phillips was taken shortly after him. Juan Valera is hurt right now, but was a top 100 prospect before his injury. Do you see where I’m going with this?
I could list more names that are either injured or on the rise currently in High-A, Single-A, or in the FCL/DSL right now. It’s an absolute embarrassment of riches for the Red Sox. So much so that they have talented arms piggybacking instead of actually getting starts because they simply don’t play enough games in a week.
Breslow could get plenty of players on the trade market with these assets. Can he get uncomfortable (again, just keep Eyanson out of talks)?
Isaac Paredes from the Houston Astros could likely be had for a trade package featuring some higher-end prospects that won’t break the bank. If you really want to go crazy, offer the farm for Yordan Alvarez and see if they play ball. Maybe the Los Angeles Angels can be swayed to give up Zach Neto, or the San Francisco Giants will part ways with Rafael Devers (that reunion isn’t happening, but it would be absolutely hilarious).
The Red Sox have had about as disastrous a start to the 2026 season as anyone could imagine. It can somehow still be salvaged, though. Breslow just needs to step up and find some offense. He’s built up the pitching in the system for this exact reason. Now go do something about it.
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