The Red Sox have spent all season looking like a team that could use one more right-handed bat, and that need hasn’t gone away just because Boston has ripped off 15 straight wins to match a franchise record.
This club has leaned on elite pitching and elite defense, with the offense coming around more over the last month thanks in large part to Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Caleb Durbin. That’s enough to keep Boston in the race as currently built.
But if the Red Sox add a bat or two, the conversation changes fast - because the pitching is already good enough to support a World Series contender. What the lineup still needs is a little more pop.
That’s why a name like George Springer keeps coming up. On Thursday, MLB.com's Ian Browne did a question-and-answer session with fans and was asked about possible offensive upgrades for Boston. One of the names he brought up was Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays.
"Also, what about at last bringing George Springer to the Red Sox? The former UConn product and Connecticut native has always enjoyed his trips to Fenway Park. Not only that, but he’s proven to be a big-game player in his career," Browne wrote.
Springer has been floated before as a fit for Boston, and the idea makes more sense when you look at the details. He’ll be a free agent after the season, so the Red Sox wouldn’t be taking on a long-term commitment. That matters for a team trying to improve without boxing itself in.
The production is a mixed bag this year, but the track record is still there. Springer was a major piece of Toronto’s run to the World Series last season, hitting .309/.399/.560 with a .959 OPS, 32 homers, 84 RBIs, and 4.8 wins above replacement in the regular season.
This season, he has appeared in 71 games and is hitting .225/.306/.384 with 10 homers and 26 RBIs. Those numbers don’t match what he did a year ago, but the playoff résumé still jumps off the page: 83 postseason games, a .271/.346/.534 line, .880 OPS, 23 homers and 48 RBIs.
He’d also give Boston flexibility. Springer can handle all three outfield spots or serve as a right-handed DH alongside the left-handed Masataka Yoshida. That kind of fit is exactly why the fit has traction.
Springer alone might not be the move that turns the Red Sox into the best team in the American League. But if Boston came away from the deadline with Springer as the right-handed bat, Luis Arráez to help the offense at second base, and a reliever, that would look like a pretty ideal finish to the month.
At the very least, it’s a swing worth taking.
In Other News...
Former Red Sox Catcher Suddenly Lands In A Spot Boston Fans Will Notice
Matt Thaiss is back on the move after his brief stop with Boston ended last week, when the Red Sox released him from a non-roster deal. The veteran catcher, who has spent parts of seven major league seasons and has done most of his work with the Angels, quickly found another organization looking for experienced depth behind the plate.
For Red Sox fans, the name will ring a bell because Thaiss had been in the system not long ago, and his latest landing spot is the sort of transaction that often gets noticed only in passing until injuries or inconsistency force a club to lean on it. Houston is adding him to its Triple-A mix for catching depth, which keeps him on the radar as a familiar face from Bostons recent spring and minor league shuffle. [Read more 🡒]
Kristian Campbell Is Suddenly Forcing A Tough Red Sox Decision
Kristian Campbells season has been uneven enough that Triple-A Worcester started to feel like a reset point, but the recent stretch has changed the conversation. After Boston committed to him with an eight-year, $60 million deal at the start of the 2025 season, Campbell has begun showing the kind of offensive progress the Red Sox were hoping would show up more consistently, hitting .273 with an .805 OPS in the second half and climbing above .300 in July with a 1.006 OPS.
The better contact has come with more impact, too, as Campbell has recently turned in multiple home runs and even a 2-for-3 game with a homer during this surge. For a player the Red Sox still view as part of their long-term picture, that kind of production creates a familiar roster dilemma: keep letting him build momentum in Worcester, or keep the door open for another look in Boston while the bat is finally starting to look like it belongs. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Fans Turned Fenway Into Absolute Chaos Against Toronto
Fenway Park got a little louder and a lot more unhinged during Bostons game against the Toronto Blue Jays, as Red Sox fans joined the tarps off movement and turned the stands into a moving sea of bare chests and waving shirts. The scene stretched across the ballpark, giving the kind of edge-to-edge energy that usually belongs to October, not a regular night when the crowd is simply looking for a way to push its team forward.
The stunt has become a recognizable bit of baseball fan culture after starting in college football and catching on in MLB through St. Louis Cardinals supporters, who eventually got a dedicated high-energy section at Busch Stadium. Bostons version fit the moment at Fenway perfectly, with fans leaning into the chaos and making sure the atmosphere felt less like a routine divisional game and more like a full-on rally. [Read more 🡒]