The Red Sox suffered a tough loss over the weekend when the third star Alex Bregman left the team to sign with the Cubs on a five-year, $175MM deal. That contract came in just $10MM ahead of Boston’s offer in terms of sticker price, but deferred money and the lack of a no-trade clause further reduced the Red Sox’ price tag compared to the Cubs. The loss of Bregman left baseball’s top executive Craig Breslow to look for a pivot, and he got just that yesterday when he signed the southpaw Guard Suarez five-year agreement.
The $130MM deal puts Suarez on the sidelines Garrett Crochet again Sonny Gray as a front-line member of Boston’s rotation for the season, but did nothing to fix the hole left by Bregman’s departure from the field. Yesterday’s deal helped cool the temperature among Boston fans and eased the pressure on Breslow to land a star, but it’s not hard to see why the addition could still be attractive given the number of question marks and the complete lack of impact on the rest of the roster.
Trevor’s story he had a 20/20 season last year but will be 33 this year and just played 100 games in a season for the first time since 2021. Marcelo Mayer again Kristian Campbell He entered last season as the top two player in the game but Mayer has his injury history as there have been indications that the Red Sox would prefer Campbell in the field instead of in the outfield. No one hit for above average in 2025, either. While both are still young enough to make a potential big move, a team with World Series aspirations like the Red Sox would be taking a huge risk if they pinned their hopes on young talent in getting one. Ceddanne Rafaela he has experience at second base, but he is one of the top defensive center fielders in baseball and could be wasted at the keystone.
It would be easy to say that the Red Sox should simply sign one of the best players available in free agency, and there is merit to the argument. The Red Sox are a big market club that just got dumped Rafael Devers‘s salary on the Giants in the summer. RosterResource estimates the club’s payroll at $266MM in terms of luxury tax dollars heading into 2026, a figure that falls $20MM behind the Yankees and $45MM behind the Blue Jays even if you look only at their rivals in the AL East.
On the other hand, Boston’s payroll is already the highest it has ever been in terms of luxury tax dollars. Even the actual cash flow is second for the 2022 team behind-Mookie Betts period. Trade away from someone you love Jordan Hicks or Masataka Yoshida it can help but it also doesn’t have much commercial value right now.
But they don’t have a ton of options left in free agency. Bregman is a Cub too Bo Bichette he reportedly has an agreement with the Mets. Eugenio Suarez he’s still there, but it’s unclear how much the Sox are willing to use him.
Perhaps the trading market is the best bet. The addition of Suarez has also strengthened a rotation with an excess of quality options. Using a small pot like Payton Tolle, Connelly Earlyor Kyle Harrison as part of the package to get a player who plays impact football certainly seems attractive. The team also has a lot of foreign talent at the moment, especially given the fact that both Yoshida and Places to stay in Triston Casas figure to fight for playing time at DH. Casas for the trade or foreign player who likes Jarren Duran it would make sense to clean up that logjam somehow.
The Diamondbacks reportedly took it Ketel Marte off the market but a recent report suggested that perhaps Boston will try to change that situation. Even if it’s not true, there are still plenty of interesting players to be had in trades. Boston could make a third trade with the Cardinals and their newly appointed president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom to bring in a utility man. Brendan Donovan in the bullpen, although he can do little to balance the lefty’s lineup. Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner would be another option, though all indications are that Chicago would need to be frustrated to move their longtime quarterback. It may be easy to remove Matt Shawbut the youngster is not in a better shape than Mayer and Campbell at this time, which may make him not fit for the team.
Perhaps the most attractive trade candidate right now would be the Astros shortstop Isaac Paredeswho was kicked out of third place in Houston by the discovery of Carlos Correa and he doesn’t have a clear path to daily at-bats with his current team given the presence Christian Walker again Jordan Alvarez initially and DH respectively. Paredes is no match for Bregman defensively, but Bregman himself has shown that a player who thrives in the Crawford Boxes in Houston can enjoy similar success hitting/over the Green Monster at Fenway Park. As a hitter with a wRC+ of 124 over the past four years, Paredes would add a viable middle-of-the-order bat to Boston’s infield and create an existing duo that has an upside with a newly minted first baseman. Wilson Contreras.
As perfect as that matchup might seem on paper, however, the Astros have shown their reluctance to move him — despite what looks to be a very crowded outfield mix. Regular playing time for Paredes could be just one injury away from Spring Training, and GM Dana Brown said publicly in November that he has “no interest” in moving the righty-swinging slugger. With dwindling free agent options on the open market, a plethora of suitors for both Donovan and Hoerner the Red Sox will need to compete with, and the reluctance of the Cubs and Astros to part ways with their players, pulling off a trade may be easier said than done at this stage of the offseason.
That leaves us back to the fact that the team may not be regularly adding players to the roster this winter. Mayer and Campbell could enter camp as the favorites at third and second, respectively, although the team remains committed to trying Campbell in the outfield. David Hamilton again Romy Gonzalez he can build a team at the keystone or Rafaela can switch back to the field. If the Red Sox were to go this route, they would definitely add a veteran pitcher as a starter Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Yoan Moncadaor Ramon Urias on the roster to provide some competition for the young in Spring Training and completely improve the depth of what could be an injury-riddled interior mix. While it would be a risky move to rely heavily on internal options, it would give Mayer and Campbell the best chance to carve out everyday roles and could be the team’s only option if they can’t pull off some sort of trade in the ten weeks before Opening Day.
What do MLBTR readers think the Red Sox will look like to complete their infield? Will they turn to a free agent like Suarez, even if it means finding a way to dump salary elsewhere on the roster? Could they instead try to work for someone like Paredes, Hoerner, or Donovan? Or will they rely primarily on their internal options? Have your say in the poll below:
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