Craig Breslow Reveals Red Sox’s Free Agency Plan

The Boston Red Sox have made a few trades this offseason, but they have yet to make a splash in free agency.

The Red Sox have been linked to free agents Bo Bichette, Eugenio Suarez and Pete Alonso this winter. They were also rumored to be in the mix for Kyle Schwarber. There are plenty of great players available in free agency, and Craig Breslow revealed how the Red Sox will approach the open market and the rest of the offseason.

“Our offensive profile, I think, lacks a little bit of thump, and that’s where we’ve set our sights,” Breslow told The Athletic on Monday. “There are other ways to improve the team. But I think we’re just going to exhaust that type of power profile first before we potentially look at alternatives.”

It’s clear the Red Sox’s primary focus is on power hitters. There are still elite pitchers like Framber Valdez available on the open market, but Breslow made it clear that the team will do its due diligence on the position player market first.

Alonso is the best power hitter available on the market now that Kyle Schwarber has reportedly agreed to rejoin the Philadelphia Phillies. Suárez is also an option, but his playing third base could complicate things in an already crowded infield.

Alonso could slot in as a designated hitter or first baseman with Triston Casas recovering from his injury. Besides Alonso and Suárez, the Red Sox could look at the two big Nippon Professional Baseball bats available this winter.

Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto have both been posted and have great power numbers in NPB. However, neither is proven at the big league level like Alonso is.

Alonso is the New York Mets’ all-time home run leader and ranks third in home runs since he made his debut in 2019. He is coming off a stellar season and has reportedly met with the Red Sox already this offseason.

Breslow did not shut down the idea of trading for a power hitter. However, he has noted throughout the offseason that depleting the team’s farm system would not be wise.