From Day 1 of the offseason, the Boston Red Sox front office's first and foremost priority was a reunion with Alex Bregman. For a multitude of reasons, they were unable to make the reunion a reality. With less than a month until players start reporting to Fort Myers, Boston is now scrambling to find a replacement.
Luckily for the Sox, this offseason has moved incredibly slowly, and there are still good options remaining. In terms of free agents, Bo Bichette has been linked to Boston by some reporters, and others think they may look to Eugenio Suárez. Craig Breslow has also been active in the trade market, and rumors are swirling back up that he could take that route again.
Red Sox Nation doesn't have much faith left in the front office after all the broken promises this winter, and some fans are noticing one player still left in free agency who could entice Breslow for his versatility. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a super-utility infielder, has yet to find a home for 2026 and checks a lot of boxes the Red Sox are looking for. He can play all around the infield with at least average defense and hits from the right side.
Red Sox can't look to Isiah Kiner-Falefa as a solution after missing out on Alex Bregman
Isiah Kiner-Falefa had a hard time in 2025. A .262 xwOBA, 1.4 barrel-rate, and 3.7 BB%…all in the bottom 2% of MLB hitters. OPS of .631, 2 HR, -1 OAA. Only FA value was his K%.
— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) January 11, 2026
This would be the biggest kick in the face to the fanbase, but also the least surprising. The front office would love his ability to slide around the infield, the fact that he ranked in the 91st percentile in whiff rate and 77th in K%, and most importantly, how cheap he would be.
IKF isn't an everyday player, though, and would be a major downgrade in the lineup. He ranked in the 5th percentile or worse in hard-hit rate, barrel rate, average exit velocity, and bat speed in 2025. After Breslow went into the offseason saying the front office wanted to get two big bats — with most fans assuming that meant Bregman and one other — they would walk away with Willson Contreras and the utility man instead.
The only reason the 30-year-old would be an acceptable addition to the roster is if he comes in as a bench bat. Though the Sox aren't in the market for a bench piece, having a player who could back up Story, Mayer, and whoever the everyday third baseman is would be helpful. Kiner-Falefa also provides some speed on the base paths, having at least ten stolen bases every year since 2021.
At this point in his career, a championship contender — which the Sox hope to be — shouldn't be playing IKF every day. His skills perfectly align with a bench role, but Boston could look at him as a cheap stopgap. If Kiner-Falefa is their answer, it won’t just be a roster decision — it’ll be confirmation that the Red Sox lowered the bar the moment they missed on Bregman.