ORLANDO, Fla. — The Red Sox arrived at the Winter Meetings intent on adding a big bat to the middle of their lineup. Their decision-makers will fly back to Boston on Wednesday night having not made any moves of note — while watching top free agent targets Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso go off the board to the Phillies and Orioles, respectively.
The offseason is far from over, but Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow found himself in pivot mode Wednesday after news broke that Alonso, the longtime Mets slugger, had agreed to a five-year, $155 million contract with the division rival Orioles. The Red Sox made an offer that fell short of what Baltimore presented, both in terms of years and value. Breslow, speaking carefully, acknowledged a pursuit of Alonso but declined to get into specifics.
“The profile that I’ve talked about wanting to add is certainly one he would fit,” Breslow said in his suite at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando before flying home. “But these things don’t always line up. We’ve got to make the best decisions we can for the organizations and players have to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. Now, we’ve got to figure out another way to improve our roster.
“He’s a prolific bat that’s going to be in the middle of the order. He’ll be in our division, so we’ll see plenty of him. Got to figure out how to get him out at this point.”
Asked if the Red Sox made a compelling case to sign Alonso, Breslow deflected.
“Ultimately, it wasn’t a case that brought the player,” he said. “That’s the way these things get evaluated and rightfully so.”
Alonso, who has slugged at least 34 homers in each of his six full major league seasons, appeared to be a perfect fit, at least on paper, for a Red Sox club that has an unsettled position at first base and is looking for right-handed pop. Ultimately, though, the Orioles got aggressive enough to seal a deal with him one day after their bid for Schwarber fell short.
With the top two free agent sluggers off the market, the pool of options has been limited for Breslow. The Red Sox remain dedicated to adding offense, either through trade or free agency, in some form.
“I still feel like adding some slug into the lineup is a really good place to start,” Breslow said. “That said, if we set our sights on only one or two options and those fall through, we can’t have no alternatives. We’ve got to figure out a way to round out the roster and improve the offense.”
Two star infielders — Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman — remain available via free agency and are set to sign long-term deals. Both fit the Red Sox, with Bichette potentially shifting to second base alongside Trevor Story and Bregman a clean fit to return to third base, the position he manned admirably in 2025. While it’s unclear how serious the Red Sox are in their pursuit of Bichette, the Bregman fit is a clear one despite other teams remaining in the mix for him. Breslow, taking a step he has avoided at other points this winter, acknowledged that Wednesday.
“We saw what he was able to bring on the field and in the clubhouse last year and he’s still out there,” Breslow said. “He’s still out there and he’s a guy that can fit our roster particularly well.”
Infielders Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco are two free agents who will cost less than Bregman and Bichette and Kazuma Okamoto remains unsigned as well. The trade market, which hasn’t moved much yet this winter, also has possibilities. Arizona’s Ketel Marte remains the star of that group while others, including Houston’s Isaac Paredes, remain on Boston’s radar. Reports out of Texas significantly downplayed the chances of the Rangers moving star shortstop Corey Seager and a source indicated the Red Sox have done little to separate themselves from the pack on St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan, who has interest from more than a handful of teams and isn’t a lock to be dealt.
With Schwarber and Alonso off the market, the Red Sox are open to adding either one or two position players who could fit their lineup in various ways. The first addition will dictate whether or not there’s a second.
“I think a lot of that will depend on who the players are, or who the player is, and what the offensive profile is,” said Breslow when asked if he planned on adding one position player or two. “I think we could use somebody that hits in the middle of the lineup. We’ve also talked a ton about driving in runs with runners in scoring position and less than two outs and cutting down on whiff and getting back to the simple things that score runs. Whether that’s two players, whether that’s one who can do both, I think we’ll have to see how that plays out.”
First base remains a clear area for a potential addition with Triston Casas rehabbing from a torn patellar tendon in his knee.
“I think we’ll remain active in trying to find someone that we think can play first at a really high level for us,” Breslow said. “With that said, Romy (Gonzalez) did it last year and Triston has shown that he can. Not wanting to kind of say, ‘Hey, Triston is going to play first base come Opening Day,’ is as much about just physically making sure that he’s healthy. He’s missed a ton of time. It’s not about our confidence in his baseball ability… I just don’t want to overly pressurize the situation when a guy is coming back from a pretty significant injury.”
Though the market has changed in a significant way over the last two days, the Red Sox’ search for a bat continues.
“We came in looking to address some specific needs that I’ve talked about,” Breslow said. “As we get ready to leave here, those needs still exist. We’ve got to figure out a way to fill all of them.”
