The Red Sox are in dire need of a fear-inducing bat in their lineup.
Even with some help for Garrett Crochet still on Boston’s mind, it may be the No. 1 target for Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow this offseason. And now it appears that the Red Sox have their top two targets in mind.
Speaking on the MLB Network on Monday, MLB insider Jon Morosi by all means said that it’s keeping Alex Bregman around on a new deal or signing Pete Alonso at the top of the Boston wishlist this offseason.
“I look at this as being a two-track possibility for the Boston Red Sox: Either they bring back Bregman or they make an all-out pursuit for Pete Alonso,” Morosi said. “I like their chances to get one or the other.”
Morosi even suggested that the Red Sox are “the strongest contender of anyone to take Pete Alonso away from the New York Mets.”
In action for 114 games this season, Bregman posted a .273 average with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs, along with an .821 OPS for the Red Sox. But it was a tale of two halves for Bregman, as the veteran struggled mightily upon his return from a significant quad injury, with a .250 average, .386 slugging percentage, and .727 OPS with just seven homers and 27 RBIs in 61 second-half games. Prior to the injury, Bregman hit .298 with a .546 slugging percentage and .927 OPS, and had 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in just 53 games.
Alonso, meanwhile, appeared in all 162 games for the Mets this past season and put together another stellar season, with a .272 average along with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs. Alonso also posted an .871 OPS, led the NL in doubles (41), won another Silver Slugger, and finished 11th in MVP voting.
Both players fit the profile of what Breslow spoke about wanting the Red Sox to add, especially after trading Rafael Devers last June, earlier this offseason.
“There is just something about a bat in the middle of the lineup that forces another team to game plan against it that has a compounding effect on the rest of the roster,” Breslow recently said during the MLB’s general manager meetings. “So we didn’t slug nearly as much as I think we can, or we will, and we’ll pursue opportunities to improve that.”
And, naturally, both players are clients of superagent Scott Boras. Speaking with the media last week, Boras made a bunch of weird coffee chain-centric comments about Bregman and the Red Sox. It didn’t get any less weird when talking about Alonso, either, with Boras leaning in on ‘P’ words. (I, for one, think it’s very cool and very normal that this weirdo basically runs baseball.)
The market has more than just Bregman and Alonso, of course, with former Red Sox slugger Kyle Schwarber also among those available on the market. And as first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo last week, there are apparently some in Boston’s ‘inner circle’ who prefer Alonso over Schwarber.
According to Morosi, Boston’s interest in signing Bregman or Alonso would be the first (or even second) step of an offseason that’d also include them parlaying some of their other pieces into some bonafide pitching help.
The Red Sox have obviously been linked to the Twins’ Joe Ryan for what feels like a full year now, while Morosi included Miami starters Sandy Alcantara and Edward Carbera as potential fits for the Red Sox via trade.