Could the Boston Red Sox look north of the border to add more depth and power to their lineup for the 2017 Major League Baseball season?
Jon Heyman, now of FanRag Sports, reported Thursday that Toronto Blue Jays sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista both “envision” the Red Sox as a potential landing spot in free agency. Encarnacion and Bautista figure to be two of the best players available on the open market this winter, especially for teams in search of power.
Heyman was a guest on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand” on Friday to dive deeper into his report.
“Barring a change of mind by (David) Ortiz, (the Red Sox) will probably get a big hitter somewhere and (Encarnacion and Bautista) are the two most logical candidates,” Heyman said.
Ortiz retiring would create a hole in Boston’s lineup, even though the Red Sox have received production from just about every spot in the order this season and could be the first team to score 900-plus runs since the 2009 New York Yankees.
Encarnacion and Bautista each bat right-handed, making them ideal hitters for Fenway Park and its Green Monster.
Thumbnail photo via Jonathan Dyer/USA TODAY Sports Images
