Why Red Sox Missed On Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber

The perception around the Boston Red Sox has quickly shifted this offseason.

Before the winter meetings, the Red Sox had significant momentum. Boston’s trades for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo have both been looked upon favorably. But the vibe has shifted. Boston openly talked about adding big bats and then proceeded to miss out on two of the best in Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber.

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On Wednesday, ESPN's Buster Olney and Jeff Passan spoke about the team on the "Baseball Tonight With Buster Olney" and talked about the team has shifted in free agency.

"I look at them the same way that I do the Mets. That is, 'Hey, it's December 17th.' The top five free agents on Kiley McDaniel's projections are still available right now. It's not like we're in a situation where there is a paucity of talent out there. Between the free agent market and the trade market, there are still impact players that the Red Sox can go and get. But every free agent signing where someone doesn't go to Boston is another guy off that list. Another opportunity that was either passed, or frankly missed. I think they missed on Pete Alonso.

The Red Sox need to get aggressive

"I think they missed on Kyle Schwarber. They were not willing to go to the place that other teams were. We've seen the Red Sox in recent years try to operate rationally. Operating rationally, generally speaking, will not get you free agents. It is an irrational market. Sometimes you need to get a little irrational. Sometimes you need to get a little loose. It always goes back to how much do you want to win? This is more of an ownership thing, frankly, than anything. How much do you want to win?

In the aftermath of Alonso opting to join the Baltimore Orioles, Tim Healey of the Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox's offer to Alonso was for "fewer years and significantly less money" than what Baltimore offered.

Alonso is a guy that was talked about glowingly for weeks because of the fact that he was a perfect fit for Boston. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow pointed to the need for a big bat throughout the winter meetings. He, and the team in general, have been very open about their desire to improve the middle of the order, and yet the idea of money continues to be brought up for the organization. Alonso fit what Boston needs, but is off the market.

The Red Sox are the third most valuable team in Major League Baseball, just behind the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, per Forbes. As of the summer, the Yankees were valued at $8.2 billion, the Dodgers at $6.8 billion, and the Red Sox at $4.8 billion. In comparison, the Orioles that just went to a place Boston didn't for Alonso, came in at No. 18 at $1.9 billion on Forbes' list.

There's no reason for money to be the issue in discussions for Boston. If a player doesn't want to come to Boston, that's one thing. Money shouldn't be the issue for this club, especially after trading Rafael Devers.

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