Could the Boston Red Sox land a massive free agent bat this offseason that isn’t named Alex Bregman?
Despite boasting a ton of young talent, Boston is in win-now mode, and the upcoming offseason will be crucial. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will be tasked with not only retaining Bregman (contract talks have been tabled for now) but also adding other championship-caliber players to the roster.
One guy to keep an eye on is three-time All-Star slugger Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies. Schwarber is entering free agency, a development that reportedly has Red Sox manager Alex Cora intrigued.
But does Boston have a real shot at reuniting with Schwarber, who played with the Red Sox in 2021? It’s widely assumed that Philadelphia will do everything in its power to bring Schwarber back, especially after the career year that he’s currently having.
Entering Monday, the 32-year-old Schwarber was slashing .252/ .377/ .580/ .957 with a National League-leading 41 home runs, 95 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
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Schwarber looks great in a Phillies uniform, but interestingly, FanSided’s MLB insider Robert Murray indicated on Saturday that the Red Sox make sense for Schwarber in free agency.
“(Schwarber) has thrived in Philadelphia,” Murray said while appearing on a new episode of the “Fair Territory” podcast, which NESN’s Alanna Rizzo hosted.
“He’s thrived in Boston. He’s thrived almost everywhere that he’s been. … And we’re at the point now where he absolutely belongs in the MVP conversation. Do I expect him to win it? No, but his name should absolutely be mentioned within the top five or even top three candidates for sure.”
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“And it is setting up for what should be one of the most interesting free agencies of this entire offseason,” Murray continued. “Schwarber is going to have a huge market … I would expect Philly to be involved. Boston makes a lot of sense as well.”
Schwarber’s bat would make Boston’s lineup scary, and he can also play some first base, an area of need for the Red Sox.
A return to the Phillies is the most likely outcome for the slugger, but don’t rule out Boston just yet.
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