The Boston Red Sox's 2024 home run leader, Tyler O'Neill, signed with the division rival Baltimore Orioles during the former team's race to sign Juan Soto in early December. After nearly two months on the free agent market looking for fits, Boston still hasn't replaced O'Neill's bat in its lineup.
The Red Sox have courted longtime Astros third baseman Alex Bregman seemingly as long as their pursuit of Soto ended. There has been little to no progress toward a deal between the two sides, and Bregman's market has reopened to the Astros and Cubs with just three weeks before spring training.
The Red Sox have been playing a waiting game with the third baseman and his representation to get him to lower his asking price and time demands on a potential contract. So far, it hasn't worked and potentially had the opposite effect. If Boston seeks a righty bat it could sign to a short-term contract, it should've looked to Jurickson Profar.
Profar signed with the Atlanta Braves on a three-year, $42 million deal after the best year of his 11-year career. The outfielder is a switch hitter, but he had better success from the right-handed batter's box than the left in 2024.
If the Red Sox wanted a righty bat on a short-term contract, they should've signed Jurickson Profar
Jurickson Profar has been suggested as a potential Red Sox pivot, but to this point, no smoke there, per source.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 23, 2025
Chris Cotillo of MassLive tweeted on Jan. 22 that Profar could have been a potential pivot option for the Sox. Cotillo didn't mention who they'd be pivoting from, but the comments mostly assume it references Boston's stalling efforts to sign Bregman.
However, shortly after Profar signed with the Braves, Cotillo also shared that the Red Sox never showed real interest in signing him. His .280/.380/.459 and .839 OPS would've gone a long way toward replacing the team's lost offense after O'Neill's departure.
It has to be said: based on their promises from the 2024 end-of-season press conference, signing Profar alone wouldn't be enough to help the Red Sox meet their goals. Boston's front office asserted it would end its streak of mediocrity and said it strives to be a 90-95 win team. Profar doesn't have the same track record of success at the plate or history of leadership that Bregman does, but since the Red Sox's refusal to spend an appropriate amount of money seems primed to spoil yet another offseason, they should've signed anyone when they had the chance. Now that Profar is off the board and Bregman's market has expanded, the Sox's odds of signing a righty bat seem slimmer by the day.