The Boston Red Sox are continuing to pursue free agents and possible trades, after making a splash at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings by dealing four of the organization’s best prospects for left-handed ace starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, formerly of the Chicago White Sox. One thing that has been no secret is that the Red Sox are in the market for a right handed power bat. Their lineup as it now stands swings overwhelmingly from the left side of the plate, leaving the offense seemingly vulnerable to lefty pitching.
But there is one major righty-swinging free agent who may be on the Red Sox radar that the club has been urged to avoid, according to Bryan Joiner of the Red Sox SB Nation blog, Over The Monster.
Red Sox Parted With Their Only Right Handed Power Bat
In 2024 the Red Sox featured one power-swinging bat from the right side. That was outfielder Tyler O’Neill who belted a team-leading 31 home runs in just 411 at-bats. But the Red Sox for some reason showed no interest in retaining O’Neill, who went on to sign a three-year, $49.5 million free agent contract with Boston’s American League East divisional rival, the Baltimore Orioles.
Otherwise, the Red Sox field a batting order that includes Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, Triston Casas, Wilyer Abreu, and Masataka Yoshida â an impressive group but every single one a left-handed batter. In addition, after dealing top catching prospect Kyle Teel to the White Sox for Crochet, the Red Sox now have a “Big Three” of prospects who could see time with the Major League club in 2025, or even start the season in Boston. Two of those prospects, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, are also left handed hitters.
So the Red Sox need at least one righty to counter the left handed pitchers opponents are certain to throw at them. One of the top righty sluggers still on the free agent market is New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, a former National League home run king. Alonso smashed an eye-opening 53 home runs in 2019, his rookie year with the Mets. He has since posted two 40-plus home run seasons, belting 40 in 2022 and 46 in 2023 before dropping to 34 last season.
Alonso, according to some media reports, has not been drawing interest from the New York Yankees who are usually Boston’s chief rival not only on the field but in the competition for talent in the offseason as well. But other reports contradict that assertion, claiming the Yankees and Alonso have “mutual interest.”
Alonso according to a Bleacher Report prediction, could sign for as much a $182 million over six years. SpoTrac estimates his value at $174 million on a six-year deal.
Traffic Jam at the Corners for Red Sox Bats
But according to Joiner, that shouldn’t matter because the Red Sox need to “pass” on the 30-year-old Tampa native. The reason? The Red Sox already have two power hitters at the corner infield positions: Devers holding down third base and Casas manning first.
“Alonso, as good as he is, is the worst hitter between himself, Devers and Triston Casas,” Joiner wrote. “Thereâs too much hitting talent at the corners to jam them up any further, at least for the likes of Alonso, whoâs ultimately a one-trick pony. Itâs not that complicated.”
Joiner urged the Red Sox to “pass” on Alonso but added, “Good luck out there, Pal.”
Alonso’s career rate of striking out approximately one time for every four times he comes to the plate also factors into the Over The Monster recommendation for the Red Sox to avoid Alonso.
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