The Boston Red Sox have already been handed a clear offseason priority for 2026-27: they need more consistent power. That issue showed up again this year, even with Willson Contreras in the mix. Contreras, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu all topped 20 homers, but Boston still finished with 23 fewer home runs than it had the year before.
That’s why Randy Arozarena is such an intriguing name for the Red Sox, and also why his market could turn messy fast.
Arozarena is coming off a strong season with the Seattle Mariners, but according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Seattle is not expected to hand over the kind of money it would take to keep him. He’s also reportedly leaning toward playing on the East Coast, which immediately puts Boston in the conversation. It also puts the Red Sox in the same lane as a crowded group of heavyweight suitors.
Divish expects Arozarena to draw interest from Boston, the New York Yankees and Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs. In other words, every major market in the East - plus Chicago - is circling.
That matters because Boston has already seen how these bidding wars can play out. Over the last two seasons, the Red Sox have pushed harder in free agency, but they haven’t exactly come out on top against their biggest competition. They lost out on Alex Bregman when the Cubs stepped in with a stronger offer, and they also passed on Pete Alonso before he landed with a division rival.
Now the market could get even tighter. The Yankees, Cubs and Phillies are all coming off early playoff exits and are expected to be aggressive.
The Yankees and Phillies, in particular, have older rosters and a shrinking window, while the Mets are trying to recover from a disastrous 2026 season. Boston, meanwhile, has its own urgency, especially with Contreras, Garrett Crochet, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Caleb Durbin and others not locked in forever.
Arozarena would give the Red Sox exactly what they’re missing. In his latest season in Seattle, he hit .281/.381/.484 with 34 doubles, two triples, 26 home runs and an American League-high 113 runs. It’s also fair to expect even better production away from T-Mobile Park, which has been tough on hitters.
Fenway Park, by contrast, has already treated him well. In 32 games there, Arozarena has posted a .278/.351/.481 line with 12 doubles and five home runs.
None of that makes him cheap, and it certainly doesn’t make the chase simple. But if Boston wants to fix its biggest offensive flaw, Arozarena checks a lot of boxes: steady production, real pop and a fit at a position the Red Sox can move around to make room.
In Other News...
Red Sox Linked To Electric Infield Star Boston Fans Will Want
The Red Sox are being tied to one of the most electric young infielders in baseball, with reports saying Boston has shown interest in a trade for Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Any conversation around a player like that immediately changes the temperature of an offseason discussion, because De La Cruz is the kind of talent who can alter the look of a lineup and the feel of an infield almost overnight.
For Boston, the fit is obvious enough to keep the rumor alive. The question is whether Cincinnati would seriously move a player with his upside, and whether the Reds might even entertain that kind of decision before the 2028 season as contract and arbitration issues begin to loom. Until then, the Red Sox are left watching a storyline that carries real intrigue for a club always looking to add impact talent up the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Power Answer May Come Down To One Risky Bet
Triston Casas has already shown why the Red Sox keep circling back to him as a possible power source, and the appeal is easy to understand. When he has been healthy, his left-handed bat has looked like the kind Boston can build around, especially if the club wants a more direct answer in the middle of the order without having to chase it elsewhere.
The problem, as always, is whether the body cooperates long enough for that plan to matter. Boston may be willing to explore a designated hitter role for Casas if he gets all the way back, but the uncertainty around his recovery keeps that idea in the realm of possibility rather than certainty for now. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Have A Real Franklin Arias Dilemma This Offseason
Boston is trying to sort through an infield puzzle that could shape the way it handles Franklin Arias this offseason, and the fit is not a simple one. Trevor Story is still part of the conversation in the middle infield, while Curtis Meads role may also need to be defined before the roster settles into place for next season.
Arias is the name that makes the decision more interesting because his development matters as much as the major league alignment. He is turning 21 soon, and the Red Sox have reason to be careful with how they introduce him, since the best path for his growth appears to be one that lets him play every day in the field rather than bouncing around in a limited role. [Read more 🡒]