Boston Red Sox
“‘Look, we’re willing to take on money. We’re willing to pay a lot of money.'”
Craig Breslow and the Red Sox could be in the market for a right-handed bat. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
June 3, 2026 | 6:33 PM
2 minutes to read
The Red Sox’ offensive woes have been well-documented to this point.
Entering Wednesday’s home game against the Orioles, Boston ranks just 27th overall in runs scored (233) and 29th in home runs (44).
The Red Sox have also failed to capitalize on playing at Fenway Park — one of MLB’s best hitters’ ballparks — this year. Beyond their unsightly 9-20 record at home, Boston has scored two runs or fewer in 15 of their 29 games at Fenway this season.
And with Boston continuing to flounder at the bottom of the AL East, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow might be pondering a more drastic move — well ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.
From @Buster_ESPN on the Red Sox being desperate to add a right-handed bat, via @JustBB_Media:
“What I’ve heard today is… they are aggressively looking for a right-handed hitter and signaling to the industry, look we’re willing to take on money” pic.twitter.com/NLl3YgmwAh
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) June 3, 2026
“What I’ve heard today is, it’s not just that they are looking for a right-handed hitter, they are aggressively looking for a right-handed hitter and signaling to the industry, ‘Look, we’re willing to take on money. We’re willing to pay a lot of money,’” ESPN’s Buster Olney said on “Just Baseball Media” on Wednesday. “Which, of course, raises the question, why didn’t you just pay Alex Bregman and pay the extra money?
“But the way this is being interpreted in other organizations is: Man, there’s some desperation setting in there in Boston because of this ugly start, how poorly they’re playing at home, winning a third of their games, struggling offensively and understanding they have an imbalance in their lineup.”
Even though MLB’s hot stove is still at least a month away from heating up, Olney noted that Breslow helped jumpstart the market last year by dealing away Rafael Devers in June 2025.
“What the Red Sox are saying is we really want to get a right-handed hitter, and we’re willing to pay big dollars for them,” Olney added. “And remember last year, Craig Breslow was able to pull off that Devers trade relatively early in the season. Maybe he can do something, and it might be a case where the Red Sox are willing to take on a bad contract in order to get a good right-handed hitter.”
After either whiffing on several free-agent targets like Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, and Eugenio Suárez — or simply letting Bregman walk in free agency — the Red Sox are now paying the price for failing to add another impact bat in their lineup alongside Willson Contreras.
If Boston is realistically looking at taking on a bad contract — and willing to give up assets in the process — in order to add some potential pop to the lineup, there are several potential options out there.
- Giants SS Willy Adames (7-year, $182 million contract signed in Dec. 2024)
- Giants 3B Matt Chapman (6-year, $151 million contract signed in Sept. 2024)
- Mets 3B Bo Bichette (3-year, $126 million contract signed in Jan. 2026)
- Padres OF/INF Fernando Tatis Jr. (14-year, $340 million contract signed in Feb. 2021)
Most of those trades present plenty of risk beyond the fiscal commitment that the Red Sox would have to take on, with several of those targets either mired in down years or potentially declining at this stage of their respective careers.
But with few options available for the Red Sox at this juncture of the season, Breslow and Co. might get desperate in hopes that a new addition could give this club a boost at Fenway moving forward.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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