The Boston Red Sox have been busy adding pitching depth this offseason through trades and signings, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow still hasn’t landed the right-handed bat he’s been in search of since last season’s MLB trade deadline.
That effort hasn’t been delayed and it’s led the Red Sox to consider yet another option.
Boston has considered 33-year-old outfielder Randal Grichuk, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, to help fill that role next season. Grichuk, an 11-year big league veteran, spent last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks before declining his mutual option to test free agency — Grichuk had a $6 million option with Arizona for 2025.
Grichuk’s lone season with the Diamondbacks was a solid 106-game run as he slashed .291/.348/.528 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs. With experience playing each outfield position throughout his career, Grichuk provided Arizona the flexibility to defend the corners in left and right field and hit out of the designated hitter’s spot, while recording a .998 fielding percentage. That defensive versatility, coupled with Grichuk’s 10 consecutive 10-plus homer seasons, could be conducive for a platoon role with Boston.
The Red Sox lost Tyler O’Neill to the Baltimore Orioles in free agency this offseason, removing the team’s leader in home runs (31) along with an everyday option to patrol left field. Grichuk has played 38 games at Fenway Park so the ballpark’s 37-foot Green Monster wouldn’t come as a surprise.
Alex Cora could get creative with shifting around Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Grichuk if signed. It would allow Cora to rest the premier outfield options occasionally and also give the roster a strong resource for pinch-hit situations. Not to mention, Grichuk isn’t projected to land a contract that’ll match the dollar figures of alternative right-handed free-agent bats such as Alex Bregman or Teoscar Hernández — both of which the Red Sox remain in the running to sign as well.
If Boston plans to balance out its predominantly left-handed lineup, Grichuk could very well be the solution before Opening Day.
