The Boston Red Sox's offseason is days from its end as spring training looms, and they still haven't signed or traded for a right-handed bat to account for the offense they lost this winter.
Boston's roster looks largely the same as last year's, potentially with a few top prospects sprinkled in if they break camp with the big league team. The Sox's biggest loss of the offseason is Tyler O'Neill, who re-signed with the Orioles during his former team's pursuit of Juan Soto. Boston hasn't made up for the 31 right-handed home runs he brought in 2024, and it's running out of time to do it.
Alex Bregman has long been the Red Sox's top right-handed option on the free agent market, and his elite infield defense only adds to the appeal. He's not a perfect fit for the 2025 squad, as Boston's infield is already quite packed with more infield prospects on the way, but he would instantly bring leadership and credibility to a clubhouse of mostly young players.
Most Sox fans understand this, and local and national media have criticized their front office's unwillingness to spend money to improve the team. The men in charge in Boston remain conflicted about the need for a right-handed bat on the team, but they shouldn't be. Rob Bradford of WEEI explained why on the Jan. 27 episode of the "Play Tessie" podcast.
"I feel pretty confident, for a lot of reasons, that Alex Bregman is a really good fit and part of that, one of the boxes of the 10 boxes he checks, is business," Bradford said. "It's getting kids and families and fans a huge step forward in terms of investing their fandom — their fandom and belief — back in the Boston Red Sox. Because, right now, it doesn't feel that way."
“One of the ten boxes [Bregman] checks… is business! It’s getting kids and families and fans a huge step forwards towards investing their fandom and belief back in the Boston Red Sox.”
— Play Tessie (@PlayTessie) January 27, 2025
- @bradfo on one of the reasons Alex Bregman would fit so well with the Red Sox pic.twitter.com/2a3ApQ9lKE
The Red Sox made their biggest offseason move in years when they traded four top prospects to the White Sox in exchange for Garrett Crochet, their new ace, in December. The team has undoubtedly improved since the acquisition, but it hasn't supplemented the move with additional offense in any way.
Boston had a top-10 offense in almost every metric last season, but that included O'Neill's 31 homers. The team lost a valuable righty to balance their lineup with an excess of lefties, and the front office has stated on multiple occasions that supplementing with another right-handed bat is a top priority. Its actions, however, do not reflect its promises, as has been the case for many offseasons running.
Boston radio personality suggests signing Alex Bregman is a good 'business' decision for the Red Sox
Red Sox Nation's disgruntled feelings toward the front office have been reflected in lower attendance at Fenway Park and events like Truck Day, and generally less enthusiasm for the team in the city, as noted by Bradford. That trend appears likely to continue because the Red Sox — who attested on multiple occasions that they needed to "get uncomfortable" to sign free agents and would go over the luxury tax to do it — haven't met their own expectations yet again.
Signing Bregman, or any number of the righty free agents they missed out on, would indeed be a wise decision for the Red Sox to increase fan interest and get people back into their ballpark. But, most importantly, it would improve their baseball team, which has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons.
The Red Sox can't guarantee Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony will thrive immediately upon their promotions or even any time soon after. Jackson Holliday, one of the top prospects in baseball last season, struggled immensely when he first arrived in the big leagues. He collected just two hits and struck out 18 times in his first 10 games with the Orioles before they shipped him back to Triple-A. He finished the year slashing .189/.255/.311 with 69 strikeouts in 60 games.
But Bregman is a proven winner and multiple-time All-Star and World Series champion with years of experience who could help Boston instantly and give fans an instant boost in confidence for the club. The Red Sox's continued insistence on trying to win every deal and willingness to commit to the unknown rather than proven major leaguers could be their downfall in yet another season, and fans will be correct to be upset.