Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are in desperate need of proven power in the heart of their lineup.
Craig Breslow and the Red Sox’ top brass have their work cut out for them this winter.
With the threat of an extended lockout looming over MLB, Boston may be up against the clock in November to take care of business before the current CBA expires on Dec. 1.
The first order of business? Adding some pop to Boston’s lineup.
“Our offense was inconsistent. We got on base at a decent clip, but we didn’t really slug, didn’t hit a ton of home runs, and I’m not sure that we took advantage of the unique venue that we play in,” Breslow said Monday. “So naturally, we’re going to spend some time thinking about how we can improve our offense, particularly how we build a roster that can thrive at Fenway Park.”
“There are a lot of reasons to believe the existing offense should be better in 2027,” Boston’s chief baseball officer added. “But we’re also going to do everything we can to improve beyond that.
In the Yankees’ two-game sweep against Boston, the Red Sox were outscored 18-2, and outhit 26-7.
Dating back to last season’s Wild Card Series against New York, Boston went a whopping 26.2 innings without scoring a run.
The Red Sox closed out the 2026 season 23rd in baseball in runs scored (689) and 26th in home runs (163).
So how does Boston bolster its lineup over the winter (or potentially the spring)?
Here are a few names to know:
Seiya Suzuki
If Boston is looking for more pop at the plate, Suzuki could be an appealing target in a largely underwhelming free-agent class this winter.
The 32-year-old Suzuki may not be a long-term fixture in Boston’s lineup, but he’d address an immediate need for proven power from the right side of the plate.
After slugging 32 home runs and driving in 103 runs in 2025, he was once again a productive force in the heart of Chicago’s lineup this past year — slashing .270/.368/.473 with 26 home runs and 86 RBI over 143 games.
A full season spent at Fenway Park could get Suzuki past that 30-homer threshold once again, especially as a right-handed pull hitter. He also batted .296 with a .500 slugging percentage against fastballs last season — which would help a Boston lineup that labored all season against high velocity.
Suzuki would likely slot in as a DH with Boston, but he was also a strong outfielder this past year with Chicago — ranking in the 90th percentile in range and 93rd percentile in arm value as the Cubs’ right fielder.
If Boston wants to spell Roman Anthony at times and give him some reps at DH, a player like Suzuki could more than hold his own in the outfield.
If Boston wants to get creative, adding a strong defensive right fielder like Suzuki could also make Boston’s current RF, Wilyer Abreu, potentially expendable as part of a larger blockbuster deal.
Randy Arozarena
Signing an outfielder like Randy Arozarena could complicate matters for the Red Sox when it comes to either slotting Roman Anthony to DH or making Wilyer Abreu expendable.
But if Boston is willing to make those sizable outfield adjustments — or choose to make Arozarena its full-time DH — it could make sense as a dynamic bat with impressive postseason credentials.
The 31-year-old Arozarena is coming off a strong 2026 campaign with the Mariners — slashing .281/.381/.484 with 34 doubles, 26 home runs, 79 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
He’s also developed a penchant for delivering in the postseason, which could help a Red Sox team whose offense has dried up in back-to-back brief playoff series in the Bronx.
In 45 career playoff games with the Rays and Mariners, Arozarena is slashing .292/.380/.565 with 12 home runs and 19 RBI.
“(The Mariners are) going to lose their best offensive player. Randy Arozarena’s gonna be a free agent. I think we all know Randy would probably prefer to stay on the east coast,” Seattle Times’ Mariners beat writer Ryan Divish said on “Foul Territory” last month. “I’m guessing Boston is ready to cut a huge check for him.”
Brandon Lowe
Brandon Lowe might be a more unorthodox fit as a left-handed slugger at second base — especially with Boston seemingly intent on making Curtis Mead their regular 2B going into the 2027 season.
But if Boston targets Lowe as a potential DH — or even a platoon option at 2B alongside Mead — there’s a lot to like about the type of damage the veteran could do at Fenway Park.
Lowe, 32, is coming off a strong 2026 season in Pittsburgh where he slugged 35 home runs and drove in 96 runs over 150 games.
He’s not exactly an on-base machine, but he’d be an immediate remedy to Boston’s power outage in the middle of its lineup.
The most appealing reason for signing Lowe? Even though he’s a left-handed hitter, he has absolutely demolished pitching at Fenway Park over the years.
In 24 career games at Fenway , Lowe is batting .373 with an absurd 1.138 OPS — hitting six doubles, six home runs, and driving in 17 runs over that extended sample size.
Elly De La Cruz
It remains to be seen if the Red Sox have the prospect capital still in place to swing for the fences on a blockbuster deal — especially after draining their pipeline of pitching talent to acquire Adley Rutschman this summer.
But if Boston is willing to move top prospect Franklin Arias — along with potentially an impact big-leaguer on a cost-controlled deal like Wilyer Abreu — could the Red Sox make a legitimate bid for a star shortstop just entering his prime like De La Cruz?
The Red Sox reportedly made a push for De La Cruz before MLB’s trade deadline in August, but couldn’t agree to a framework of a deal.
But with the Reds likely balking at De La Cruz’s impending pay raises through arbitration — and especially once he hits free agency after the 2029 season — Cincy might be willing to play ball this offseason, especially if Boston is willing to offer up a blue-chip talent like Arias.
Even at a steep cost, the Red Sox would secure much more assured production with De La Cruz — who turns 25 in January.
Last season, he slashed .283/.365/.515 with the Reds — hitting 30 doubles, five triples and 30 home runs while driving in 79 runs and stealing 30 bases.
According to Baseball Savant, De La Cruz ranked in the 100th percentile in average exit velocity at 94.7 miles per hour — while ranking in the 91st percentile in both fielding range and arm strength at shortstop.
Acquiring De La Cruz would almost certainly deplete Boston’s farm system — and likely thin its big-league roster. But it would also give the Red Sox a proven franchise shortstop who hasn’t reached his ceiling yet.
Hunter Goodman
Much like De La Cruz, it will cost the Red Sox a lot to pry Goodman out of Colorado — especially after the 26-year-old catcher hit 41 home runs this past season.
Boston already has a catcher in place in Adley Rutschman, although Goodman’s poor defensive metrics suggest he’d likely be at his best at DH.
After the Red Sox made a major miscalculation by failing to retain a proven slugger like Kyle Schwarber years ago, trading for a player with Goodman’s pop could be a long-awaited boost — with Goodman capable of swatting 40-plus homers year in and year out, especially as a right-handed hitter at Fenway.
But will Boston have the stomach to meet Colorado’s steep asking price? Dealing away a prized prospect like Arias in a deal for a franchise shortstop like De La Cruz at least addresses that long-term need on the depth chart.
But dealing a potential everyday shortstop in Arias for a DH like Goodman might scare away a Red Sox team that may not want to trot out Trevor Story at shortstop once again in 2027.
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