The Red Sox need a power bat this offseason, and they need to get this one right.
Boston finished 26th in baseball last season with 163 home runs, a total that simply doesn’t fit the standard this franchise has set for itself. Last winter, the front office leaned into pitching and defense.
Those areas improved, but the lineup paid for it. Now the offense needs a real jolt, not just another name with theoretical pop.
That’s the backdrop for the search: the Sox need a consistent, reliable home run threat, not just a player who flashes 30-homer upside in theory. Injuries and inconsistency have kept too many of those types from becoming what they’re supposed to be. This offseason, Boston has to fix that.
The dream name is Yordan Alvarez.
Is a trade from the Houston Astros likely? Probably not.
But the possibility is more alive now than it has been before. Even with Alvarez likely winning the American League MVP this season, trade buzz started to pick up around the deadline.
Nothing ever got substantial, but as the old saying goes, where there’s smoke, there’s fire (sometimes).
Houston’s situation is part of what makes this even worth mentioning. The Astros reached the playoffs, but they became the first team to ever do it without a winning record.
That puts them in a strange spot: trying to contend while also looking like a team that may need to reset. Moving Alvarez would be a massive step toward that kind of rebuild, but it could also help shape their future for years.
For Boston, Alvarez would be the kind of bat the franchise has long been known for at DH. Think David Ortiz.
Think J.D. Martinez.
The Red Sox spent years with a full-time designated hitter who was one of the best hitters in the sport, and they haven’t really had that since Martinez left. Alvarez would change that immediately.
Put him in a lineup with Willson Contreras, Adley Rutschman and Roman Anthony, and opposing pitchers would feel it. Still, this is probably a pipe dream.
A more realistic name is Jake Bauers.
The 2026 Brewers first baseman put together a breakout year and helped power Milwaukee’s offense all the way to the World Series. He’s a free agent now, and because this was a one-year surge rather than a long track record of production, he probably won’t cost like a proven slugger.
Bauers would fit the Red Sox in a few ways. He could let Contreras spend more time at DH, or the two could share the corner spot and keep Contreras fresher.
Bauers hit 26 home runs and drove in 86 runs this season, and he also drew 94 walks. The underlying numbers back it up, too: he ranked in the 93rd percentile in xwOBA and the 98th percentile in walk percentage.
That’s the kind of profile Boston should be chasing.
The name Boston should be careful with is Brandon Lowe.
After being dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates last offseason, Lowe turned in a career year at the plate and on defense. He finished with 65 extra-base hits, 35 home runs, 96 RBIs and a 5.4 bWAR. His defense also made a dramatic leap, going from the fifth percentile in Fielding Run Value in 2025 to the 96th percentile in 2026.
That kind of season will make plenty of teams take notice, but the Red Sox should resist the temptation. Lowe’s breakout looks far less sustainable than Bauers’ season.
His actual batting average, slugging percentage and wOBA all came in above his expected numbers, which points to some good fortune at the plate. Even with the improved walk rate, he was still in the 10th percentile or worse in chase percentage and whiff percentage.
And historically, he hasn’t been a reliable defender either. On top of that, this was the first time since 2021 that he played more than 134 games.
It’s easy to see why Lowe would pop on a board. He has power, he’s played some outfield, and the versatility would help.
But this season felt more like a spike than a true change. The Red Sox don’t need a pile of strikeouts with not enough walks to balance them out, and they can’t afford to gamble on his health.
He shouldn’t be part of Boston’s plan this offseason.
In Other News...
Red Sox Power Problem Could Force A Painful Offseason Decision
Bostons lack of pop was one of the defining issues of the 2026 season, with the Red Sox finishing near the bottom of the league in home runs and runs scored. That kind of offensive shortage has a way of reshaping an offseason, and it is already pushing the front office toward a familiar but uncomfortable idea: if the lineup needs a true middle-of-the-order force, the answer may have to come from outside the organization.
Craig Breslow does not have an easy path to get there. The clubs supply of young pitching prospects has thinned after recent trades, which limits the kinds of packages Boston can put together, and the most attractive chips left are Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela. Moving either one would be a serious call, especially for a player who can realistically bring 35 to 40 homers a year, because that sort of power is hard to find and even harder to pry loose. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Could Solve Two Offseason Needs With One Bold Trade
The Red Sox are still shopping for a right-handed starter and a power bat this offseason, and that has put a familiar name into the center of the conversation. Jarren Duran has been floated as a possible trade chip, and one of the more intriguing fits would send him to Texas, where the Rangers suddenly have a need for outfield help after Evan Carters hip surgery and are also working under payroll pressure.
Nathan Eovaldi is the kind of arm Boston could use to check one box in a hurry, while Duran would give the Rangers a ready-made answer in the outfield. It is the sort of one-move solution that makes sense on paper for both clubs, but for now it remains only a possibility as the Red Sox weigh how aggressively they want to attack two offseason needs at once. [Read more 🡒]
Wilyer Abreu's Rise Leaves Red Sox Facing A Costly Offseason Call
Wilyer Abreus breakout season has given the Red Sox exactly the kind of problem every front office says it wants. After winning his third straight Gold Glove in right field and leading all players in defensive runs saved and outs above average, he also put himself in position for a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award after the best offensive year of his career. For a player who has grown into one of Bostons most valuable regulars on both sides of the ball, the rise has been as steady as it has been sudden.
Now the challenge shifts from appreciation to accounting. Abreu is arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, and the combination of elite defense and a stronger bat figures to push his price tag up fast. That leaves the Red Sox weighing a player whose value keeps climbing against the reality that his improved profile could also make him more expensive to keep, and more attractive if the club starts listening on trade possibilities. [Read more 🡒]