Red Sox expected to be ‘big player’ for Kyle Schwarber

Boston Red Sox

“That is absolutely a team to watch for him.”

Craig Breslow was candid earlier this week when asked about Boston’s top offseason priorities. 

Near the top of the list? Adding some pop to the lineup. 

“I don’t want to get so anchored to this idea that the only way to score runs is home runs,” Breslow said of Boston’s power shortage this past summer, per MassLive’s Chris Smith. “We showed that that isn’t the case. That said, a disproportionate number of runs are scored in the postseason via the home run. And that’s not something that we can ignore. 

“And there is just something about a bat in the middle of the lineup that forces another team to game plan against it that I think has a compounding effect on the rest of the roster.”

Luckily for the Red Sox, there just so happens to be a slugger fresh off a 56-homer season who is hitting the open market in Kyle Schwarber.

And given both Schwarber’s history with the Red Sox in 2021 and his track record as one of the top power bats in baseball, it should come as little surprise that Boston might come calling for the DH this winter.

“Everyone that I’m talking to here believes that the Red Sox are going to be a big player for Schwarber this offseason and that is absolutely a team to watch for him,” FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray reported from the GM Meetings, “though a reunion with the Philadelphia Phillies is very possible.”

Schwarber, 32, does have some limitations due to his age, low contact rate, and limited defensive versatility. But he’d also be a welcome remedy in the heart of Boston’s lineup — given that he averaged 48 home runs and 112 RBI across his last four seasons with the Phillies. 

Breslow did note to Smith that the Red Sox ideally want to have some versatility at the DH spot, which likely would be untenable if Schwarber is signed. Even if Schwarber will likely be as advertised as a 40-homer, 100-RBI threat, he is not a strong defensive option across the field and would likely be utilized as just a DH.

Boston might also want to prioritize more right-handed bats in a lefty-heavy lineup, which could make free-agent targets like Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman more appealing than a lefty like Schwarber. 

But Breslow also noted that the Red Sox will welcome any opportunity this offseason to add a player who can pepper the Green Monster and golf pitches into the bullpen. 

“In a perfect world, I suppose we’d want to balance out the lineup a bit,” Breslow told Smith. “That said, when you can hit the ball out of the park, it doesn’t really matter. I think we have found that lefties who can use the wall, create a good offensive environment. Righties who can pull the ball in the air do the same thing. So there are a number of different ways for us to improve our slug.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.