There’s no free agent more desirable than outfielder Juan Soto, but that shouldn’t stop the Boston Red Sox from exploring the rest of the open market in search of a major roster addition or two.
Boston’s already gotten started by signing relief pitchers Justin Wilson and Aroldis Chapman to address the team’s bullpen needs — the Red Sox recorded the second-most blown saves (31) among all MLB teams last season. But… there’s still more work to do. Boston led the American League in errors with 115, ranked 16th in on-base percentage (.316) among all teams after the All-Star break and finished 81-81.
Three straight postseason misses warrant some roster face-lifts, and Soto aside, there’s still a handful of names up for grabs capable of making a difference for the Red Sox in 2025.
Here are four options chief baseball officer Craig Breslow should consider:
Alex Bregman
Bregman’s nine-year run with the Houston Astros makes the 30-year-old among the most reliable free agents available on the market. He’s a two-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion and a receipt of the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. Bregman’s days of crushing 40-plus home runs and finishing second in the AL MVP race are in the past, but last proved he’s still a quality everyday lineup member.
He slashed .260/.315/.453 with 26 home runs, 30 doubles and 75 RBIs in 145 games in 2024, playing 142 games at third base.
Anthony Santander
Spending eight years with the Baltimore Orioles has given Santander plenty of exposure to the Red Sox and Fenway Park — 39 career games at Boston’s 112-year-old landmark, to be exact. So if the Red Sox need a boost of power to their lineup, perhaps looking no further than the 29-year-old who crushed a career-high 44 home runs during his first career All-Star campaign, could be the way to go.
Santander also set career highs in RBIs (102) and games played (155), and could serve as a solid backup plan in the event that Tyler O’Neill signs elsewhere.
Teoscar Hernández
Fenway Park was an attractive enough place to call home for Hernández last offseason, but the 32-year-old couldn’t strike a deal before landing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.
Another year, another chance for the Red Sox to bring Hernández to Boston. The 32-year-old, fresh off winning the World Series and Home Run Derby, would be a tremendous addition to the lineup. Hernández batted .272 with a career-high 33 home runs and drove in 99 RBIs, playing in both corners of the outfield.
Maybe a second chance is all both sides need to strike a deal.
Corbin Burnes
We can’t forget about the pitching staff, right?
Boston already missed out on Blake Snell, who joined the Dodgers, but there are still plenty of arms out there to choose from including Burnes. The 30-year-old fit the role of an ace like Cinderella’s glass slipper, going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA across 32 starts, which allowed Burnes to record his fifth career top-10 finish in the Cy Young Award race.
The Red Sox have been linked to Burnes several times throughout the offseason, however, as is the case with Soto, Boston is expected to have its work cut out if the organization wants to land the 2021 National League Cy Young Award recipient himself.
