Red Sox Post Christmas Wish List

Welp, Christmas has come and gone as once again Santa did the impossible. The Boston Red Sox got a very, very early Christmas gift with the trade acquisition of Garrett Crochet. It helped fit the need of getting a legitimate ace and gave the fan base something great to chew on. Two days before Christmas Craig Breslow inked Walker Buehler to a 1-year deal. But nothing BIG has happened and Red Sox fans are salivating for a move that will put this team into the favorites to win the American League.

Christmas might be over, but that doesn’t mean the wish lists go away. There are still plenty of moves to be made. It’s time to re-evaluate our wish lists in hopes that one of them might come true.

Bring Bregman to Boston

Originally, I was quite skeptical of this idea. As a fan, I am very much in the camp of not signing players that could block the organization’s top prospects. The future for the Red Sox is extremely bright and players such as Kristian Campbell are knocking on the door. There is a legitimate chance that Campbell could be the second baseman on Opening Day, but there also is the chance that the Red Sox brass does not rush him and lets him cook down in Worcester. So, that leads us to Bregman.

There is a need and in more ways than one. Bregman is extremely versatile and can play multiple positions. The Red Sox could sure up the hot corner by moving Devers to DH or they could move Bregman to the black hole for Boston which has been second base. Bregman’s defense would be a significant upgrade. Bregman ranked in the 91st percentile in outs above average showing his defensive ability. Over the course of his career at third base, Bregman has 27 defensive runs saved and 22 outs above average. He’s played few innings at second base (32 innings) but with over 900 big league innings at shortstop the belief is that Bregman’s athleticism will allow him to be an effective defender at second base.

Bregman is the right handed bat the Red Sox need in their lineup. Alex Cora said the Red Sox are good with pitching and are looking for a right handed second baseman. That’s a lot of boxes Bregman checks off. Bregman is coming off a year where he slashed .260/.315/.453 and with a .760 OPS. His 118 wRC+ was fifth among third basemen. The Red Sox lineup had a strikeout problem last season. Bregman finished in the 94th percentile in strikeout percentage and 98th in whiff percentage. His walk rate was low, but his ability to put the ball in play is a skillset the Boston lineup could use. It’s easy to picture Bregman peppering the ball off the Green Monster.

An infield of Triston Casas (1B), Bregman (2B), Trevor Story (SS), and Rafael Devers (3B) is quite salivating.

The other right handed bat the Red Sox have been linked to is Teoscar Hernandez, however adding Hernandez would clog up an already crowded outfield. Even if they decide to DH Hernandez, what would the Red Sox do with Masataka Yoshida and his remaining 3 years. Adding Hernandez would create the need to make very tough roster decision. Bregman is the wish, and fills more than one need without having to make those difficult decisions.

Up next, pitching!

Scott or Hoffman; Pick One

The Red Sox have done a good job of adding to their pitching depth. They’ve added Aroldis Chapman, who fits the mold of what the Red Sox are seeking: high velocity that generates swings and misses leading to strikeouts. The back of the bullpen is shaping up nicely, but they need one more key arm. Losing Kenley Jansen is not an easy shoe to fill and set up man Chris Martin is likely pitching elsewhere. Adding one of Tanner Scott or Jeff Hoffman would give the Red Sox one of the best bullpens we’ve seen in recent memory.

Related Article: Tanner Scott Would Fix the Boston Pen

Mandatory Photo Credit: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

We’ve touched on why Scott would be a perfect addition to the bullpen. Scott went from a high ERA pitcher with potential to being a legitimate reliever for the Marlins. His 1.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with Miami was eye opening but it was his stint with the Padres that made me say “Yep, go get that guy”. Scott pitched in high leverage situations and when the stakes were high, his name was called upon and he answered the call. Scott has closed games before, which would give Alex Cora and the Red Sox another option to close.

Now, onto Hoffman.

Jeff Hoffman was dynamite for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was the perfect anchor to the back of their bullpen and would be an awesome anchor to the back of the Red Sox. Hoffman finished the year with 10 saves, which was second most among Phillies relievers. His stuff under the hood is quite impressive and he would be the perfect pitcher for the Bailey pitching lab.

Mandatory Photo Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

The good thing about Hoffman is 2024 was his best year yet. His ERA has consistently shrunk finishing with a 2.17 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP last season. Hoffman’s strikeouts have gone way up (12.1 K/9), which should entice the Red Sox. Hoffman is the prototypical pitcher that Breslow and the front office are looking for. Hoffman is very good at getting players to chase (96th percentile) as well as getting the swing and miss (96th percentile). His strikeout rate of 33.6% was also in the 96th percentile. Also, Hoffman has not struggled with walks as much as Scott has in the past.

Having a dynamite bullpen is something that can take pressure off of the rotation. Adding either one makes the bullpen deeper and stronger and could pay enormous dividends in October. The LA Dodgers set a great model for building a bullpen that can win the World Series. Take a page out of that playbook.

The Walker Buehler signing has the Red Sox slightly about $216M heading into 2025 with a little less than $25M until they hit the first luxury tax threshold. If John Henry actually gives the nod of approval to go beyond the tax, Boston will have another $20M to play with before they hit the second CBT threshold of $261M. There’s no telling if John Henry and the Red Sox will be big buyers moving forward but even if they can land one of the big names listed above it could propel this team into being THE favorite to win the American League.