After another quick playoff exit against the New York Yankees, the Red Sox are staring at a roster that clearly needs work. Chad Tracy’s managing, including the way he handled his starters and some of his bullpen decisions, drew criticism, but the bigger issue was how badly Boston was beaten overall. An 18-2 margin across two games put the roster problems in plain view.
Bleacher Report recently laid out an offseason blueprint for Boston, and the outfield plan is the part that stands out most. The idea starts with adding Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena, a right-handed bat who would give the Red Sox the kind of power they need.
Arozarena is described as a perennial 20-20 player, and he just turned in a career year, hitting .281/.381/.484 with 26 homers and 26 steals. He’d fit the lineup well and help Willson Contreras in the lefty-mashing department.
Getting Arozarena into the mix would mean creating room in the outfield, and Bleacher Report’s answer is a trade of Jarren Duran to the San Diego Padres for Jeremiah Estrada. In this version of the roster shuffle, Boston would be moving on from a depressed asset while adding a reliever with a 34.2% career strikeout rate from the right side. Estrada could help stabilize the middle and late innings, though the fit comes with some risk: he was on the IL three times in 2026 with right elbow tendinitis, right knee inflammation, and a right shoulder impingement.
Even with that move, the outfield picture still isn’t fully cleaned up. Zachary D.
Rymer’s plan leaves a bench group that still includes Masataka Yoshida, and that’s where the problem lingers. A backup DH doesn’t offer much value, especially when he doesn’t provide much power and has dealt with injuries.
Even if Boston has to absorb Yoshida’s $18 million salary, the case is to move on.
The need for another outfielder also comes back into focus once Duran is removed from the mix. That would leave Boston without a clear backup for Ceddanne Rafaela in center, and while Arozarena is not the kind of defensive liability Yoshida is, he’s also not a standout glove and would get plenty of time at DH.
To round out the group, a cheaper free-agent add like Tyrone Taylor makes sense. Between the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, Taylor hit .279/.325/.502 with 11 homers in part-time work. He brings another right-handed bat with some pop and can defend at least at an average level or better across all three outfield spots.
The point of the plan is straightforward: Boston needs more production against left-handed pitching and less redundancy in the outfield. If the Red Sox follow this path, they’d address both issues and put themselves in a much better spot for 2027.
In Other News...
Red Sox Offseason Depth Faces One Big Test After Likely Departures
The Red Sox are heading into the offseason with a familiar kind of roster question, one that starts with the players they may be losing before it gets to who can fill the gaps. Patrick Sandoval, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Sonny Gray are all in line to test free agency, and Boston already has some internal answers to lean on, including Anthony Seigler as a possible replacement for Kiner-Falefa and a handful of left-handed arms that could help cover for Sandoval.
Sonny Gray is the one situation that may carry the most long-term weight for Bostons depth chart. His mutual option for 2027 is unlikely to be picked up, which adds another layer to a right-handed pitching picture the Red Sox will have to sort out carefully. Even with some stopgap options in-house, the real test this winter may be whether the organization can keep its pitching depth balanced without leaning too heavily on short-term fixes. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Face A Defining Winter With Adley Rutschman
The Red Sox are heading into a winter that could say plenty about how they see the next phase of the roster, with Sonny Grays mutual option likely to be declined and attention turning to a much bigger piece of business behind the plate. Adley Rutschman, acquired in a trade during the 2026 season, has fit well in Boston and has already given the club the kind of defensive stability teams usually spend years searching for at catcher.
Rutschman is under team control for one more season before reaching free agency, which makes this the kind of offseason that can shape the direction of the lineup for years, not months. If Boston wants to keep him beyond 2027, the safest path is to start extension talks now, because a catcher with his profile and value does not tend to linger on the market once the clock starts ticking. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Just Locked In A Big Bullpen Question For 2027
Aroldis Chapmans season ended the way the Red Sox needed it to, with the left-hander healthy enough to get through his end-of-season physical and keep his status intact for the future. Chapman had already done the work on the field to get the vesting language in motion, reaching the innings threshold and returning from a late-season lat issue in time to appear in the Wild Card Series.
The bigger takeaway for Boston is that the bullpen picture for 2027 just got a lot clearer. Chapmans option is now fully guaranteed, giving the Red Sox a major late-inning arm under contract as they look ahead, with his salary locked in at a minimum of $13 million and room for additional bonus money tied to reliever award voting. [Read more 🡒]