ORLANDO, Fla. — After missing out on slugger Pete Alonso, the Boston Red Sox will now try to get creative in acquiring two bats to bolster their offense, a league source told The Athletic.
A reunion with Alex Bregman figures to be the main objective at this point, but the Red Sox could also target free agent Eugenio Suarez, who clubbed 49 homers in 159 games last season. At the trade deadline, the Red Sox pursued a trade for Suarez, a league source said, with the intent of having him play first base. The Red Sox are also exploring the trade market with interest in Houston’s Isaac Paredes and Arizona’s Ketel Marte.
Twice this week at Winter Meetings, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow left little room for interpretation that the Red Sox need to add power to their lineup. Then they watched two of the top sluggers on the market in Alonso and Kyle Schwarber sign elsewhere on successive days.
Alonso, in a surprise move, agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles, further bolstering an already behemoth of an American League East.
Despite the need for a big bat, Boston’s offer to Alonso was lower in both years and money than the Orioles, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed.
Breslow, in meeting with the media on Wednesday afternoon, wouldn’t get into details on Boston’s pursuit of Alonso.
“The profile that I’ve talked about wanting to add, is certainly one that he would fit, but these things don’t always line up,” he said. “We’ve got to make the best decisions that we can for the organization. And players have to make the best decisions for themselves and their families and now we’ve got to figure out another way to improve our roster.”
That other way could include two bats.
Though Schwarber and Alonso were viewed as the premier bats on the free-agent market, adding two hitters could offer the Red Sox a similar boost in offense with more lineup flexibility.
“I think a lot of that will depend on who the players are, what the offensive profile is,” Breslow said. “I think we could use somebody that hits in the middle of the lineup. We’ve also talked a ton about driving in runs when we have runners in scoring position and less than two out, cutting down on whiff and kind of getting back to doing some of 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.”
Last season, the Red Sox finished 15th in the majors in homers with 186. Trevor Story led the team with 25 homers. Injuries to Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and Triston Casas along with the trade of Rafael Devers suppressed the team’s home run output, but it nevertheless remains an area of need.
Though not known for his power – he hasn’t hit more than 26 homers since 2019 – Bregman remains a target because of his solid overall offense, strong defense and leadership in the clubhouse.
“He’s still out there,” Breslow said when asked about the team’s pursuit of Bregman, “and he’s a guy that could fit our roster particularly well.”
As the Red Sox exit Winter Meetings, their payroll sits at $224 million, for luxury tax purposes, which is $20 million below the $244 million first competitive balance tax threshold. To accomplish what they need, they are likely to spend beyond $244 million. It remains less likely, particularly after watching Schwarber and Alonso sign elsewhere, that the club will spend beyond the second tier of $264 million, which would be an additional $40 million.
Nevertheless, the Red Sox are certainly feeling the pressure with an increasingly competitive division. The Orioles not only added Alonso, but slugger Taylor Ward and reliever Ryan Helsley. The Toronto Blue Jays signed top free-agent starter Dylan Cease and reliever Cody Ponce. The New York Yankees have yet to add much, but are not expected to remain quiet.
As Breslow heads back to Boston, he remains intent on adding to the roster despite a disappointing week.
“We came in committed to doing what we can to improve our roster, the timing didn’t work out such that we were able to do that during these three days here in Orlando,” he said. “But we’re going to head back to Boston and continue to work at putting the best team on the field that we can in 2026.
“We recognize that we’ve got some needs to fill in terms of the position players on a roster right now.”
