Liam MacKenzie
The MLB season has come to a close as game 7 of the World Series concluded on the first day of November where the Los Angeles Dodgers were back on top of Major League Baseball as they took down the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings. The game also happened to break a record viewership wise as a total of around 26 million people tuned in for the fall classic. This game became the most watched World Series game since game 7 of the World Series in 2017 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros. Now with the World Series over, the league heads into the offseason and one team that will be having a lot of questions that need to be figured out is the Boston Red Sox as it is a very important offseason just like every other one in past years. In an interview with MassLive’s Sean McAdam, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow stated that “We are definitely closer (to our goal) when you think about the season we just had… But we’re also not where we want to go yet and adding the wins that take you from 89 to 90 to 91 to 92 are really hard… All that said, this isn’t the time to pat ourselves on the back. We have work to do… I’m obviously not going to get into specifics about budgets, but this ownership group has consistently provided the resources to invest in a winning team.” By the way that he talked about the plan for the offseason, this indicates that the Red Sox offseason should be expected to be active along with having measurements in order to keep control of the payroll and budgets.
To start things off, there is the uncertainty about what to do with this Alex Bregman situation as he has decided to opt out the rest of his two years and $80 million dollars from his three year $120 million contract that he signed this year back in February. This opens up the question of who the Red Sox will look to get for a big time batter as they potentially lose a big time all around player on offense and defense in a guy like Bregman who gave Red Sox fans hope of making it to the postseason. Another question which many organizations in the league answer is about the pitching unit as the Red Sox are seeing starting pitcher Lucas Giolito test the free agency market where he declined the player side of a mutual option which would mean both sides would have to of wanted a reunion to opt into the 2026 season as that would not be the case. Other guys include Trevor Story, Rob Refsnyder, Steven Matz and a few others. One other thing to mention is about Jarren Duran as he is not expected to be a free agent until 2028, but has a 2026 club option of $8 million that is expected to pick up. To get to the point though, the Red Sox may also happen to still try and trade him as this is something that is not new because the team previously made an attempt to try and trade him away before the deadline in July which did not end up happening as he would stay in Boston a bit longer.
For anyone who does not know, the free agency signings will not be getting underway until the 5 day silence period has passed, which is a good time for teams to try and re-sign free agents to their original team. This gives a team like Boston some time to have a chance and not say goodbye to a free agent like Bregman who is looking for a longer length of time but a less amount of money as this is the reason for him opting out of his previous contract. If Bregman were to go to another team, this opens up one of the biggest needs for the Red Sox as they are in need of a guy with power in his bat who happens to be a righty so that the Red Sox can create more balance in their lineup, provide themselves a tactical advantage and be able to handle left handed pitchers pretty well. The Red Sox also need help at the pitcher position with Giolito testing the market as they need to help a rotation with the likes of a Cy Young contender in Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and a young promising starter like Connelly Early. There is are also questions about the bullpen where a closer could be a question with the likes of Aroldis Chapman heading for retirement soon as they need someone to take over his role along with the bullpen in general where more depth needs to be added. The right side of the infield with second and first base needs to be figured out as the Sox are unsure about second base depending on how Kristian Campbell will turn out to be after trying to get back on track where he was sent down to the minors and having to find a true first baseman where the injury of Tristan Casas created a void at the position. Another position is third base which is a surprise because with Bregman leaving, the team needs to fill in the position in which they have a guy in Marcelo Meyer to do that, but could also use a depth piece just so Meyer can get some rest during certain games. Finally, there is the Designated Hitter position as the Red Sox traded away their superstar in Rafael Devers to the Giants which left a bit of a void at the position which will be talked about for who will be the starter and who is needed for depth at that role.
There are big time free agent names that should definitely be on the radar for the Red Sox as they build their roster for the 2026 season. To start things off, there is the debate of whether the Red Sox should either focus on targeting Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber who had played first base with the Red Sox in the 2021 season and is coming off a historic season with the Phillies where he had a total of 56 homers and became the hero of the all star game in extra innings. Another option would be Mets 1st baseman Pete Alonso who is coming off his best season with a batting average of .272 which is a career high, he also posted 126 rbis along with 41 doubles which is another career high, and he had 38 homers to add onto his statistical success in the 2025 season. When looking at both players, one thing that needs to be added on is that Schwarber posted a .240 average but was able to post 132 rbis which is more than what Alonso had but the Batting AVG for Schwarber is lower than Alonso. Now for Boston, it is financially possible that both players can be acquired, but only time can tell as to how Red Sox owner John Henry and Craig Breslow will handle the situation. Another position where the Red Sox will target is the starting pitcher position where guys like Dylan Cease from the Padres, Framber Valdez from the Houston Astros, and Ranger Suarez from the Philadelphia Phillies just to name a few. There are also guys on the trade market who could make teams get that big splash which includes a guy like Tarik Skubal whose contract is set to expire after the 2026 season and if Detroit can’t be able to sign him to a long-term deal, there is a chance that they trade him away. With the bullpen needing help though, especially with the closer depth being a question as to who will take over after Aroldis Chapman’s retirement, there are guys like Edwin Diaz from the New York Mets as he opted out of his remaining two years and $38 million on his contract. Other key free agents include DH Marcell Ozuna from the Atlanta Braves, 2nd Baseman Gleyber Torres from the Detroit Tigers, 2nd Baseman Luis Arraez from the San Diego Padres and Bo Bichette from the Toronto just to mention a few.
The offseason is a moment in Major League Baseball where questions need to be answered and emotions are running at an all time high for the 30 ball clubs along with the fans. This of course includes the organization of the Boston Red Sox and the hope is that they can be able to construct a roster that will help them achieve the ultimate goal of winning the World Series in 2026. The questions that need to be answered will be big ones, but it all starts with the front office who has the task of constructing a team that will put them in a successful position.
