Red Sox Finally Admit Where They Went Wrong in Free Agency

Not too hard to figure out...

Nov 7, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Boston Red Six chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks to the media during the MLB General Manager's Meetings at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The saga barely bears repeating for the Boston Red Sox at this point.

Trading away the team's best power bat in Rafael Devers was a real risk for a team that already lacked power. Then, this offseason, third baseman Alex Bregman departed in free agency, and the Red Sox replaced his bat in the lineup with Willson Contreras from a power standpoint, which is probably close to a wash.

On Tuesday, ZiPS preseason projections made the Red Sox the only team in Major League Baseball without a projected 20-homer bat. Given that one of the first objectives Boston set itself after the season was to add more guys who could hit the ball out of the park, it was an ironic moment, even if someone on the roster ends up blowing that projection away.

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Breslow speaks out on lack of thump

Sep 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) draws a walk against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow seemingly capitulated on the team's failed pursuits of big power bats like Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber, and attempted to instill collective faith in the offense anyway.

“Don’t think it’s much of a secret: We pursued opportunities to bring in slug, and when those didn’t play out, we kind of looked at other opportunities,” Breslow said, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. “That said, we’re talking about a large majority of a team coming back that was a top-10 offensive team in baseball, with opportunities for guys to take steps forward.

“So we may have someone who hits over 20 home runs. We may not. Ultimately, we need to win more games.”

Bregman wasn't even particularly well-suited to address that specific need. He hit 18 home runs in 114 games last year -- solid, but by no means game-changing power. He had some big power seasons at an even more homer-friendly park for righties in his Houston days, but didn't top 30 in a season after 2019.

The Red Sox deserve credit for many of the moves they did make. But the fact that it was so obvious that they needed one thing in particular, but didn't make meaningful enough additions to accommodate that need, is a real stain.

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