Picture Alex Bregman playing third base for the Boston Red Sox next season. Wait, what about Rafael Devers? Move him to first. What about Triston Casas? Trade him for a starting pitcher of comparable ability and service, maybe one from the Seattle Mariners.
Sounds like a lot. But as currently constituted, the Red Sox’s position-player group is too young and too left-handed. And it will get even younger and more left-handed if the team in 2025 starts incorporating three top prospects — outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer and catcher Kyle Teel.
A roster with too many good young left-handed hitters is, admittedly, a first-world baseball problem. But playing at Fenway Park, where the Green Monster hovers over left field, the Red Sox need a greater right-handed presence, a complement for Devers similar to what Manny Ramirez was for David Ortiz.
The Red Sox’s last World Series championship club in 2018 featured right-handed might — Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez. The 2013 World Series champions had Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes as a part-time contributor and a number of switch hitters.
The 2024 Sox lack right-handed thump aside from Tyler O’Neill, who leads the team with 30 home runs but is heading for free agency. The return of Trevor Story helps, but Ceddanne Rafaela, Connor Wong and Rob Refsnyder are not middle-of-the-order types. Take away O’Neill, and Red Sox right-handed hitters have hit only 48 home runs this season, or three fewer than Aaron Judge.
Enter Bregman. Or Willy Adames, a shortstop who could move to third base. Both are scheduled to hit the open market this offseason. Story will play next season at 32, on the older side for a shortstop. He could move to second once Mayer is ready, unless another top prospect, the right-handed hitting Kristian Campbell, claims the position first. Which at this point seems likely; Mayer’s season ended with a lumbar strain and he has yet to play at Triple A.
Again, a surplus of quality players is a good problem to have. But the Red Sox are in a position not unlike where the Baltimore Orioles were 12 months ago. Sitting on so many young position players, they cannot fit them all onto a 26-man roster.
The Orioles last winter sent infielder Joey Ortiz and left-hander DL Hall to the Milwaukee Brewers for right-handed ace Corbin Burnes. At the deadline, they expended more of their surplus in a questionable deal for lefty Trevor Rogers, trading infielder Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers to the Miami Marlins.
The Red Sox, after spending years rebuilding their system, are rightly protective of their young talent. Their ownership, based on its recent spending history, probably would prefer a roster of minimum-salary players. But consider how their 2025 roster would look if at some point it included all of the Big Four — Campbell, Mayer, Teel and Anthony, who this week was named the No. 1 prospect in the sport by Baseball America.
| Position | Player(s) | |
|---|---|---|
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C
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Kyle Teel (LHH)
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1B
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2B
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SS
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3B
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DH
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Masataka Yoshida (LHH)
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CF
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LF
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RF
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Wilyer Abreu (LHH)
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That’s a whole lot of LHHs. And a whole lot of inexperience.
Yoshida is an obvious trade candidate, but good luck getting anything for him when he is owed $18 million in each of the next three seasons. Casas showed tremendous promise last season, hitting 24 home runs with an .856 OPS and finishing third for AL Rookie of the Year. He missed almost four months this season with a strained left rib cage, yet at 24 his future remains bright. The Red Sox won’t want to trade him.
But how else would they fit Bregman or Adames into their equation?
First baseman Pete Alonso is another free-agent option, but his addition would tether Devers to third, further compromising an already shaky defense. Outfielder Anthony Santander, whose 41 homers tie him for eighth all-time by a switch hitter, is another desirable option. But the Sox outfield already is overcrowded and features better defenders.
Bregman, who will play next season at 31, seemingly makes the most sense. He currently is dealing with elbow inflammation, but after a slow first two months is back to his normal production. He is an alpha dog who plays with an edge, a more talented version of Pedroia. And he has appeared in 97 postseason games, ninth all-time.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora knows Bregman from their days together with the Houston Astros. So, for that matter, does Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, whose club also could be interested in Bregman. The New York Yankees might enter the mix if they strike out on Juan Soto and want to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second. The Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks are among the other clubs that could be in the mix.
Adames, who is roughly a year and a half younger than Bregman but less accomplished, represents a viable alternative if the Los Angeles Dodgers don’t grab him first. He is streaky offensively, but his 13 three-run homers this season tie Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. for the most of that kind in a single season. His 30 homers overall are one shy of his career high.
How this all will play out is anyone’s guess. The supply of free agents who fit the Red Sox’s specific needs is limited. The open market is unpredictable. But after a season in which the Sox showed intriguing progress, more dramatic steps are necessary. Position changes. Signings. Trades. No team can win at Fenway Park being this left-handed. And no team can win with all kids.
— The Athletic’s Chad Jennings and Jen McCaffrey contributed to this story.
(Top photo of Alex Bregman: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
