Boston Red Sox
“What would he do to Roman Anthony? … What would he do for the middle of that lineup? Take all the pressure off.”
Craig Breslow and the Red Sox have plenty of work to do this offseason.
And while two of the most pressing tasks for Boston’s top brass is to re-sign Alex Bregman and add a No. 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox need to flex their fiscal muscles a bit this summer when it comes to adding more pop into their lineup.
And even if the Red Sox either balk at Bregman’s asking price or lose out on a bidding war on the veteran third baseman, former MLB GM and The Athletic staff writer Jim Bowden believes Boston should still have the means to add two bats in free agency — headlined by Toronto’s Bo Bichette and the Mets’ Pete Alonso.
While Bichette has primarily played shortstop during his career with the Blue Jays, his lackluster defensive metrics could prompt a shift to either second or third base with his next team, which could make him a viable target for a team that could use a right-handed slugger like Boston.
“If I were them, and this is not coming from them. This is just me. I would want Bo Bichette to play third base,” Bowden said on “Foul Territory” on Monday. “That’s my first goal. I love the bat. I love the hitter. I like the kid. I like him at third base or second base. You can put him at second and Marcelo Meyer at third base with [Trevor] Sory at shortstop.”
Bichette is coming off a strong 2025 season with a Blue Jays team that made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. The 27-year-old infielder batted .311 with 18 home runs, 44 doubles, and 94 RBI over 139 games.
Beyond the potential domino effect of Bregman’s free-agency decision, the Red Sox also need to address a pressing need at first base.
Given the uncertainty regarding Triston Casas’ health after another lost season due to injury, Bowden believes that the Red Sox should target Alonso — who has averaged 42 home runs and 114 RBI across his seven-year MLB career with the Mets.
“In terms of first base — I think Pete Alonso would be phenomenal there,” Bowden said. “I know he doesn’t fit what they want, because they want to improve defense, run prevention is very important to Craig Breslow. But imagine Alonso — because he plays every day, 162 games each of the last two years … averages 35 home runs a year.
“Great clubhouse guy. Can handle the big market. Can you imagine how many dents he put in the Green Monster? They probably have to replace the Green Monster by the end of the year.”
Beyond the added impact of having two additional power bats in the lineup, Bowden stressed that Breslow and the Red Sox need to find ways to add protection in the batting order for Roman Anthony — who will have plenty of expectations placed on his shoulders after a breakout rookie campaign in 2025.
“And what would he do to Roman Anthony? What would he do for [Wilyer] Abreu? What would he do for the middle of that lineup? Take all the pressure off,” Bowden said of Alonso. “I think it would be a great fit for them. I know they don’t love [Alonso] defensively, but look, even when he ends up being a DH in three or four years, you’re gonna have the DH spot open. So I think that makes a lot of sense.
“And if not, you bring Bregman back. So whether it’s Bichette, Alsonso or Bregman, I love any one of those three choices for them, but they’re gonna get that number two starter. That’s the one thing I’m totally convinced of.”
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