The Red Sox had a massive power outage last season, options to upgrade the lineup next season
The Red Sox had a massive power outage last season, options to upgrade the lineup next season
The Red Sox hit 155 home runs last season
The Red Sox had a power outage last season, the club only slugged 155 home runs last season. That number was down from 219 the year before.
Trading Hunter Renfroe and letting Kyle Schwarber walk in free agency didn’t exactly help matters either.
With Xander Bogaerts opting out and J.D. Martinez a free agent, the Red Sox desperately need to find power for their lineup.
“We expected to have more home run power,” Chaim Bloom said after the season. “Obviously, we did some things in the off-season that were particularly to improve our defense where there was some trade-off there with some of the moves we made. Certainly, especially where we play, the park we play in and the division we’re in... in baseball right now, it’s really hard to hit. If you can’t score runs quickly, in bunches, it’s going to be hard to win on some days. It’s definitely something we want to focus on.”
The Red Sox need to find power and this offseason the organization has the money to address their lineup.
One obvious name to address their power woes is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. The new American League home run leader will become a free agent at the end of the postseason.
Judge hit .311 with 62 homers and knocked in 131 RBIs. He will be one of the two finalists for the American League MVP along with Angels Shohei Ohtani. However at 31 years old and a potential seven year deal looming on the horizon, it’s hard to see the Red Sox as a fit.
They’ll be options in free agency, the names aren’t sexy and will likely garner groans from Red Sox fans. Former Yankees outfielder Joey Gallo will be a free agent and there was speculation Bloom could have traded for him at the MLB trade deadline. Glad he didn’t. Gallo has hit below the Mendoza line five of the last six seasons.
Bloom should stay clear of Gallo. Very clear.
Red Sox should stay the course and focus on Xander Bogaerts instead of Carlos Correa
Adam Duvall hit 12 home runs last season for the Braves and could provide depth at all three outfield positions. The 34-year-old outfielder has played first base and could slot in at designated hitter.
Mitch Haniger only played 57 games last season for the Mariners. He missed time due to COVID and an ankle injury. In 2021, Haniger slugged 39 homers and if the California native is healthy, he could be the right field option for manager Alex Cora.
If the Red Sox want to explore the trade route, could Rangers’ Adolis García be an option?
García has two years of control left on his contract and has hit 58 homers over the last two seasons. The 29-year-old could be a fit in right field his power numbers could replace J.D. Martinez.
García knocked in 100 RBIs last season and had an .756 OPS.
It’s unclear as to what the Rangers will do this winter, they spent on Corey Seager and Marcus Seimen last offseason. If García could put together a similar 2022 campaign minus the slump he fell into, the Rangers slugger could be an under-the-radar trade option.
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