While the Boston Red Sox were able to withstand their September offensive woes enough to clinch a spot in the postseason, their deficiencies were on full display in the Wild Card Series loss to the New York Yankees.
Their punchless attack managed just six runs, five extra-base hits, and a single home run in the three games, culminating in an embarrassing Game 3 shutout against rookie Cam Schlittler. The absence of Roman Anthony, who was lost for the season in early September, loomed large, but the offensive struggles go far beyond one player.
The Red Sox managed to remain a top-10 lineup in terms of runs scored, but hit only the ninth-most home runs in the American League while recording the fifth-most strikeouts. With Rafael Devers traded, Anthony injured, and Alex Bregman in a second-half slump, no hitter struck fear into the opposition, and the Red Sox's bats posed little resistance to the Yankees' best arms.
Even if Bregman returns and Anthony is healthy, the Red Sox need more thump in their lineup, something that the usually stealthy Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow even alluded to in his end-of-season press conference.
“I think it would be fair to look at some of those other (postseason) teams and say that they hit the ball out of the park a little bit more than we do,” Breslow said, per Boston Herald's Gabrielle Starr. “And while scoring runs is – this is kind of a zero-sum game, right, and it doesn’t really matter how you score – but in the postseason, a lot of runs come via the home run, because the pitching is so dominant. So I think that’s a consideration.”
With this is mind, here are three free-agent options that can add more power to the Red Sox's attack this winter:
1. Kyle Schwarber, DH
It’s hard to find a better fit for your power deficiency than a guy who has nearly 47 home runs in the last four seasons. Since signing with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022, Schwarber has become one of the most dangerous hitters in all of baseball, combining world-class power with an elite eye and helping the Phillies reach the postseason in each season. Among the many appeals of Schwarber is that he actually posted a higher slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers than right-handers in 2025, a stark contrast from the left-handed hitters currently on the Red Sox roster.
Signing Schwarber would also give the Red Sox a chance to right one of their biggest missteps of the decade. The Red Sox traded for Schwarber at the 2021 trade deadline and watched him play a major part in their run to the American League Championship Series, posting a .957 OPS during the regular season and homering three times in October. Despite this, the Red Sox chose to let the then 29-year-old walk in free agency, partially because they had confidence in Triston Casas to take over the position.
While Casas has had his moments, injuries have prevented him from coming close to replicating Schwarber’s production, and he surely hasn’t proven enough to prevent the Red Sox from a reunion with the former fan favorite.
If there is one drawback to Schwarber, it’s that he struck out at least 197 times in each of his four seasons in Philadelphia, and would only add to the Red Sox's whiff problems. Still, it’s no surprise that MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported that the Red Sox would reportedly ‘love’ a reunion, and with the Phillies' future in turmoil, you should expect the Red Sox to make a real run at the slugger.
2. Pete Alonso, 1B
If the Red Sox are put off by Schwarber’s strikeout tendency, Pete Alonso represents an intriguing alternative. His 2025 strikeout rate of 22.8% was nearly four-and-a-half points lower than Schwarber while his 25.6% whiff rate was seven-and-a-half points lower. And while he can’t quite match Schwarber's prodigious power, his hard hit percentage, barrel percentage, and average exit velocity were each in the top five percentiles of all MLB hitters.
With how volatile the last few years of Red Sox baseball have been, the stability of Alonso would be a welcome addition. He has played at least 152 games in the last six full-length seasons. He has hit at least 34 home runs and driven in at least 88 runs in every non-COVID season and posted an OPS+ between 122 and 147 each year. He is the kind of player you can just pencil into the lineup and not think twice about, which is exactly what this Red Sox team needs.
The issue with Alonso isn’t so much what kind of player he is now but what he may be in the future. The New York Post's Mike Puma reported that Alonso is seeking a seven-year deal, and you only need to look at Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols to see the dangers of giving a slow-footed right-handed first baseman a contract well into their 30s. Because he is one of the worst baserunners and defenders in baseball, Alonso needs to be an elite hitter to have any value, and maintaining this level of production into the later stages of his career will be a challenge.
The Red Sox will surely show interest, but considering the disparity between what Alonso is seeking and what his actual value is, this could be a slow-developing market, and a reunion with the Mets still seems like the most likely option.
3. Kazuma Okamoto, IF/OF
Compared to the proven commodities of Alonso and Schwarber, Kazuma Okamoto represents something of a wild card. The NPB star doesn’t have nearly the same level of power as the aforementioned sluggers, likely projecting for 20-25 home runs rather than 50, but he is a far more complete player. He has played first base, third base, and left field in Japan and is coming off a 2025 season in which he walked nearly as often as he struck out.
For a Red Sox team that has prioritized improving its defense, Okamoto represents not just a massive upgrade over Triston Casas but a possible alternative if they miss out on Bregman as well.
The hit rate on NPB stars has been a mixed bag, but there are reasons to believe that Okamoto can adjust. His aforementioned approach at the plate will play at any level, and he hit for much more power in Japan than Masataka Yoshida, whose MLB value has been capped by his inability to consistently drive the ball. Another important note (h/t @yakyucosmo) is that he has hit .298 against fastballs over 93 mph, providing hope that he can adjust quickly to MLB pitching.
In Okamoto, the Red Sox may not get a ready-made cleanup hitter, but they would be adding a complete and versatile bat to their order. He will also cost far less than Schwarber and Alonso (The Athletic’s Jim Bowden projects he will sign for four years and $90 million), which will allow the Red Sox to invest heavily in other areas.
At the end of the day, the Red Sox have several paths they can traverse, leaving time to tell which will speak to them the most this winter.