Will the Boston Red Sox go shopping at the top of the market in free agency this winter?
After the 2026 season, there’s no denying the fact that the Red Sox need a little bit more offense. The most obvious way to boost it would be more power. The Red Sox finished 26th in the league in home runs in 2026 with 163. Naturally, this has led to a lot of buzz already about which players could help the club. Earlier in the week, ESPN’s David Schoenfield shared a column featuring the “best fit” for each top free agent and connected Boston to one of the top bats available, along with the Atlanta Braves. He now joins others, like Ryan Divish of The Seattle Timeswho have connected Boston to the slugger.
“[Randy Arozarena] one of the few good hitters available — but he’s also 32 years old and is limited to left field on defense,” Schoenfield wrote. “Arozarena has reportedly expressed a desire to return to the East Coast. If that’s the case, there are two logical fits in the Braves and Red Sox. Braves left fielders were 27th in OPS while Red Sox left fielders — mostly Jarren Duran, who had a bad offensive season — were 26th.”
A lack of power has been the talk of Boston dating back to last offseason. It’s true that the Red Sox could use more pop in the middle of the order. Arozarena hit 26 home runs in 2026 and would give Boston a boost in that area. Another important area where he would help Boston is on the base paths. He stole 26 bases in 2026, which would have led the Red Sox.
In the World Series, the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays showed you don’t necessarily need to lead the league in homers to have success. The Brewers hit fewer home runs than Boston in the regular season. But both the Brewers and Rays make up for the lack of pop in other ways. The Rays finished tied for second in the league in stolen bases and the Brewers finished fifth, for example. The Brewers also led the league in on-base percentage and Milwaukee and Tampa Bay tied at the top of the standings in team batting average.
Arozarena is a player who would give Boston the best of both worlds. He’d add power, but also speed that Boston is lacking. Arguably, the Red Sox aren’t very far from contending. A full season of Adley Rutschman and Curtis Mead will improve the offense. Plus, if Roman Anthony can stay healthy that would be a game-changer.
If Boston is comfortable handing out a big contract, Arozarena would help. But there would be more work to do afterward, like trading Jarren Duran. He’s not a perfect fit, but he would boost two areas the Red Sox need. If Boston doesn’t go for Arozarena, it will still need to find an offensive identity for 2027. If power isn’t the answer, then Boston needs speed or another high on-base guy. The Red Sox’s pitching is right up there with the Rays and Brewers. Now, the Red Sox need the offense to catch up.
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