Two-Time All-Star Called Red Sox 'Fallback' Option

The Boston Red Sox need some more power in the middle of the order...

Jul 22, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hat and glove laying in the dugout at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The free agent market has been slow recently across Major League Baseball, but things started to pick up steam again on Thursday.

The Houston Astros and Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai reportedly agreed to terms on a three-year deal on Thursday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Hopefully, this is a move that can be a catalyst to get the market moving. When it comes to the Boston Red Sox, the biggest need for the organization is at least one slugger. If you have been following along with the organization this winter, you've likely heard this over and over.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Alex Bregman is still available. The three-time All-Star arguably is the top fit for the organization. Beyond Bregman, Bo Bichette has been a player linked to the Red Sox throughout the offseason so far. MLB.com's Jared Greenspan and Theo DeRosa floated another intriguing "fallback" option: Eugenio Suárez.

The Red Sox should consider this slugger

"That said, it seems like Boston could still use another impact bat, particularly after trading Rafael Devers to the Giants in June. Among the top remaining free-agent hitters, shortstop Bo Bichette and outfielders Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger aren’t the most natural fits for the Red Sox, but re-signing third baseman Alex Bregman would be an obvious move. If Bregman signs elsewhere, slugger Eugenio Suárez could be a fallback option."

The 34-year-old is coming off an All-Star campaign in which he hit 49 home runs and drove in 118 runs in 159 games played.

Suárez isn't a big-name option like Bregman or Bichette. But if you ignore the name and just look at the numbers, it's not hard to see why he would be a good fit. In 2025, he hit 49 homers and drove in 118 runs in 159 games. Bregman had 18 homers and 62 RBIs in 114 games played. Bichette had 18 homers and 94 RBIs in 139 games played. Now, this is a simplistic view of the market. Age, price, position, and plenty of other factors are in play in the offseason.

He shouldn't be the top choice by any means, but if Bregman or Bichette go elsewhere, Boston could do a lot worse than the two-time All-Star.

More MLB: Red Sox Running Out Of Time To Pursue Ketel Marte