The Most Important Offseason Decision Facing Red Sox After Playoff Elimination

The Boston Red Sox did a lot of good things in 2026, despite the fact that the season ended with a wild-card series loss against the New York Yankees. In the short term, all that will be talked about is the series loss, but this team has the makings of a 2027 contender, if Boston plays its cards right this offseason.

On paper, the Red Sox are better heading into the 2027 season than they were heading into the 2026 season. A full season of Adley Rutschman will be a game-changer. Curtis Mead is under team control and will bring some much-needed pop to the order. The rotation is loaded and is just going to get better. Plus, of course, No. 1 prospect Franklin Arias could be in the mix very early in 2027. There's a lot to like about Boston. But its biggest decision this offseason is going to be how they add more power to the lineup.

For the second straight offseason, this is the most pressing topic for the team. Boston finished 26th in the league in home runs in the regular season with 163 long balls in 162 games played. In the end, Boston didn't have enough offense down the stretch. It didn't help that Willson Contreras missed most of September. It didn't help that Roman Anthony missed more than three months and then exited the playoff series early. It didn't help that Ceddanne Rafaela was clearly not at 100 percent in the playoffs. Injuries obviously hurt the offense, but this club didn't have enough power heading into the campaign and still doesn't. But how do you fix that?

Boston Needs Power

Dec 9, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks with the media at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Contreras is going to be at first base and Caleb Durbin is going to be somewhere in the infield. The other two spots are a bit up in the air. Do you stick with Trevor Story again and hope he stays healthy? Where will Mead play? What about Arias? Who will be the designated hitter? Story has another season on his deal at $25 million. For Boston, it's going to have to decide how to utilize these pieces.

If the Red Sox enter the 2027 season with Anthony in left field, Rafaela in center field and Wilyer Abreu in right field, that's great. Contreras will be at first base and Durbin likely at third base. Rutschman will be behind the plate. Shortstop, second base and designated hitter would be up in the air in this scenario. If you stay internal, you could put Arias at shortstop, Mead at second base and Story at DH. Or, Story at shortstop, Arias at second base and Mead at DH.

In that scenario, the bet is that a full season of Mead and Arias would give Boston enough pop. The free agent class isn't going to be strong this winter. Seiya Suzuki is going to be one of the best players available. He hit 26 homers and drove in 86 runs this season and could slot in as a DH option. But he's also 32 years old already. Randy Arozarena is a star.

He hit 26 home runs and drove in 79 runs with the Seattle Mariners. He arguably would be the best option available. If the Red Sox were to land someone like him, then they could shift Anthony to DH or maybe even Arozarena. There really aren't many other options.

For Boston, it needs to find a way to get more home runs out of this lineup. That's going to be what determines whether Boston contends next year, or not.

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