Among the Boston Red Sox’s biggest goals this offseason is to add right-handed power to the lineup. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been forthright in describing that need for the club.
“I think the right-handed power hitter that can pop 30 (homers) and change a game with one swing is definitely a pretty desirable asset here,” he said at the end of the season.
At the GM meetings last week, Breslow continued to describe a more aggressive offseason plan than in years past and agent Scott Boras validated those implications by noting to reporters Boston’s pursuit of “high-level players” and their plan to be “very active in the free-agent market.”
We’ve already taken a detailed look at which free-agent starters the Red Sox could and should pursue. Here, we’ll break down the group of right-handed hitters available in free agency.
As we did with the starters, we’ll break the hitters into three categories: impact, middle-of-the-order bats; mid-tier complementary additions to the lineup; and risk-reward hitters who have flaws but have enough upside to level up the offense.
To offer an idea of what kind of deal each hitter might land, we used contract projections from The Athletic’s Tim Britton, as well as from MLB Trade Rumors.
We also noted which hitters here have qualifying offers attached to them. Every hitter listed is expected to reject the QO, but in doing so, if the Red Sox signed one of them, they would forfeit their second-highest draft pick in 2025, as well as $500,000 in international bonus pool money.
Impact tier
Teoscar Hernández, OF
Age: 32
2024 stats: .272 average, .840 OPS, 33 homers, 137 OPS+, 154 games
Contract projections:
QO attached
TA: Three years, $69 million
MLBTR: Three years, $60 million
Last winter, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and I reported on the Red Sox’s interest in Hernández hitting a barrier when they couldn’t make room in their outfield or payroll. Hernández wanted a three-year deal at the time and the Red Sox’s two-year offer fell short, so he signed for one year with the Dodgers in hopes of getting a longer deal this winter. Now that he’s back on the market, the Red Sox may try again.
Though Hernández has said he’d like to return to L.A., he’s also expressed a fondness for hitting at Fenway Park, where he’s hit 14 homers, the most at any road park in his career. He recently reiterated that notion to WEEI.com: “Everything about that field is good,” Hernandez said of Fenway. “And I don’t think it’s only me. I’m not the player who is saying that about Fenway. The atmosphere over there is really good. The fans love the team. They go to the ballpark. And they support the team.”
Hernández, who was given a QO by the Dodgers, just turned 32 in October but has hit at least 25 homers in each of the past four seasons, including a career-high 33 in 2024. He has long been a thorn in Boston’s side going back to his days with Toronto and Houston, and the bat would undoubtedly help strengthen their lineup.
One caveat is his 28.8 percent strikeout rate. Another is that he’s an outfielder, so to add him to the outfield mix, the Red Sox would likely have to subtract one of their current outfielders, perhaps in a trade for pitching. Hernández has played all three outfield positions but is largely a corner outfielder at this point. He does have 110 career games in center but isn’t a starting option there. The Red Sox would be adding Hernández for his bat, not his defense, but he did post a minus-9 Outs Above Average last season. Still, the offense he provides is hard to ignore.
Anthony Santander, OF
Age: 30
2024 stats: .235 average, .814 OPS, 44 homers, 134 OPS+, 155 games
Contract projections:
QO attached
TA: Five years, $105 million
MLBTR: Four years, $80 million
Santander, a switch-hitter, has spent his entire big-league career in Baltimore, and like Hernández has been a thorn in Boston’s side. This past season Santander, who just turned 30 in October, hit a career-high 44 homers. Like Hernández, Santander also has a career-high in road homers at Fenway with 10. He posted a 19.4 percent strikeout rate, solid for a power hitter, and over the past three years has hit 108 homers along with a 20.5 percent strikeout rate.
While Santander is an average to below-average corner outfielder with a QO attached like Hernández, he’s younger (read: likely more expensive) but would certainly add thump to the Red Sox’s lineup if they can move some existing outfield pieces.
Alex Bregman, INF
Age: 30 (turns 31 in March)
2024 stats: .260 average, .768 OPS, 26 homes, 118 OPS+, 145 games
Contract projections:
QO attached
TA: Seven years, $189 million
MLBTR: Seven years, $182 million
Bregman is hitting free agency for the first time after nine years in Houston, but is coming off a year where he put up the lowest OPS of his career at .768 and the lowest walk rate of his career at 6.9 percent after being in the double-digits annually. He did, however, maintain his low strikeout rate of 13.6 percent, nearly matching his career 13.4 percent mark.
Despite a less-than-stellar year, Bregman and Boras, his agent, will still likely be seeking a contract close to $200 million. The Astros have been vocal about wanting to re-sign Bregman. Interestingly, Boras noted this week that teams have checked in about Bregman’s willingness to move to second base and that Bregman is indeed open to it. Bregman won a Gold Glove at third base this year for the first time and while there would be a transition to second, he has good defensive instincts that could help shore up the infield. On the flip side, if the Red Sox are considering prospect Kristian Campbell at second base, Campbell’s main avenue to the majors would shift to the outfield, which is already a crowded space.
Despite a frosty relationship with manager Alex Cora following the sign-stealing scandal, Bregman and Cora have repaired their relationship recently. Bregman could fill a hole at second and then easily move to third in the future when Rafael Devers eventually shifts to designated hitter. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal floated the idea of a Bregman fit in Boston in September. Bregman doesn’t seem like a perfect fit and the Red Sox likely would prefer a shorter-term deal with one of the other sluggers mentioned above, but they’re keeping all their options open and he appears in the mix.
Pete Alonso, 1B
Age: 29 (30 in December)
2024 stats: .240 average, .788 OPS, 34 homers, 123 OPS+, 162 games
Contract projections:
QO attached
TA: Five years, $140 million
MLBTR: Five years, $125 million
Alonso’s 34 homers were the fewest he’d hit since the shortened 2020 season but still would rank more than any player on the 2024 Red Sox — Tyler O’Neill led the club with 31. As one of the game’s best power hitters, Alonso (226) trails only Aaron Judge (232) in home runs hit since he debuted in 2019. He displayed his game-changing power with a few mammoth shots in the postseason for the Mets and finished October with an OPS close to 1.000.
Alonso played in every game for the Mets last season and has been a durable player throughout his career, never playing in fewer than 152 games in a full season. But his OPS dipped into the .700s for the first time in his career this past year while his strikeout rate climbed a tad to 24.4 percent (league average was 22.2 percent), his highest mark since 2020. Though Alonso has immense power and has been consistent in producing that power since debuting in 2019, he’s limited to first base and is not a great defender. In adding him, the Red Sox would either have to platoon him at first with Triston Casas, which doesn’t seem like a fit Alonso would like, or trade Casas, and in turn lose power from their lineup.
Complementary tier
Christian Walker, 1B
Age: 33 (34 in March)
2024 stats: .251 average, .803 OPS, 26 homers, 121 OPS+, 130 games
Contract projections:
QO attached
TA: Two years, $44 million
MLBTR: Three years, $60 million
Walker is probably more of an impact player than complementary and has been one of the more underrated power hitters in the game with an .800 OPS or better in three straight seasons, as well as back-to-back 30-homer seasons in 2022-23. He likely would have hit 30 or more this past season, but an oblique strain limited him to 130 games and he still managed to hit 26 homers in that span. Walker struck out more this past year (24.1 percent) than he has since 2019 but still kept a solid 10 percent walk rate. He is one of baseball’s best defensive first basemen with 14 OAA this past year.
Arizona gave him a qualifying offer and as with the other first basemen on this list, signing Walker would force the Red Sox to move Casas. Given Walker’s defense, he’d likely take over at first, rather than platoon with Casas. The only other spot on the roster for Casas would be to DH. The Red Sox may try to move Masataka Yoshida this offseason but his contract and recent shoulder surgery complicate any deal.
Willy Adames, INF
Age: 29
2024 stats: .251 average, .794 OPS, 32 homers, 118 OPS+, 161 games
Contract projections:
QO attached
TA: Six years, $150 million
MLBTR: Six years, $160 million
Adames, who turned 29 in September, is also probably more of an impact bat than a complementary piece to the lineup, but we’ll keep him here for now. He’s spent nearly his entire career at shortstop (with 10 games at second), but The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Katie Woo recently reported that, like Bregman, he’s willing to shift to second base in free agency.
Adames is coming off a season with career-highs in doubles (33) and homers (32). He also stole 21 bases, by far a career-high. Adames is an average defender and regressed this season at shortstop but still would seemingly help strengthen Boston’s infield defense by moving to second. Like Bregman, his addition would create a bit of a roadblock for Campbell, though. Adames could, however, shift to shortstop after Trevor Story’s deal is up at the end of 2027. Though Story played second when he first arrived in Boston, the team is committed to him as their shortstop for 2025. Adames is coming off his lowest strikeout rate (25.1 percent) of his career and also drew the most walks of his career this past season. While not a perfect fit, would be a good bet to solidify the lineup and defense.
Risk/reward tier
Tyler O’Neill, OF
Age: 29
2024 stats: .241 average, .847 OPS, 31 homers, 132 OPS+, 113 games
Contract projections:
QO attached
TA: Three years, $45 million
MLBTR: Three years, $42 million
We’re putting O’Neill in this category because while he had a breakout season last year, there is a risk his 2024 campaign was an outlier. O’Neill’s swing fit Fenway well, but he was also very streaky with a 33 percent strikeout rate and long stretches of being unproductive at the plate. Last season was just the second time in seven seasons he’d played in more than 100 games. Nevertheless, O’Neill, who turns 30 in June, really changes the offense when he’s clicking. He hit 31 homers in 113 games.
His defense was average to, at times, below average. It’s not the most common occurrence for a player who wasn’t extended a qualifying offer to sign a longer deal in free agency with the same club, but we’re still going to add O’Neill here because he fits a need and both sides expressed a desire for a reunion at the end of the season. If O’Neill signs with the Red Sox, they would not lose their draft pick or international money.
Jurickson Profar, OF
Age: 31 (32 in February)
2024 stats: .280 average, .839 OPS, 24 homers, 134 OPS+, 158 games
Contract projections:
TA: Three years, $48 million
MLBTR: Three years, $45 million
A switch-hitter who offers versatility for the lineup, Profar is the only player on this list who doesn’t have a qualifying offer attached. Throughout his 11-year career, he’s had up-and-down seasons, but he is coming off his best year to date. His 24 homers, 158 hits and 134 OPS+ all mark career-highs. He also boasted one of the lowest strikeout rates in the league at 15.1 percent and coupled that with a strong 11.4 percent walk rate while putting up strong exit-velocity numbers.
While Profar played infield earlier in his career, his poor defense and throwing issues forced him to left field the past several years so finding a spot for him in the outfield mix would require some maneuvering. He isn’t a great outfielder either with minus-6 OAA last year, but his upside at the plate could help bolster the offense.
(Top photo of Hernández: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
