Definitely an intriguing possibility…
Will the Boston Red Sox be spurred to action in free agency now that one of the biggest dominoes has fallen?
On Tuesday, former Red Sox slugger Kyle Schwarber reportedly re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal. Boston was targeting Schwarber again, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, but it’s hard to imagine they ever had a high probability of prying him loose.
Schwarber was the slugger a lot of teams seemingly coveted most of all, so the market could start to move somewhat quickly now. How does that impact the Red Sox, whose stated desire is to add home run power?
Red Sox have talked to Eugenio Suárez
On Monday, The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported that a new deal with third baseman Alex Bregman was believed to be the top priority for Boston in the wake of the Schwarber news.
However, Boston also may have another third baseman in its sights, possibly as an option at first base, per Speier: Eugenio Suárez, who blasted 49 home runs for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners this year.
“Schwarber stood alongside Pete Alonso (38 homers in 2025) as the players who most directly fit the Red Sox’ sought-after description of a middle-of-the-order hitter who can launch the ball,” wrote Speier. “While Eugenio Suárez — coming off a 49-homer season — also has enormous power, his .298 OBP in 2025 suggests a hitter who more likely slots deeper in a lineup.
“That said, the Red Sox have had conversations with and about Suárez — potentially as a fallback option at third base should Alex Bregman sign elsewhere, or perhaps as a first base complement to Bregman if the third baseman does return to Boston.”
If Suárez turns out to be significantly cheaper and/or easier to sign than Alonso, there is some logic to bringing him to Boston as a primary first baseman. Having him at third, where he has never been a plus defender and is seemingly getting worse by the minute, however, is an iffy proposition.
With Schwarber gone, the Red Sox’s spider web of free agency pursuits has still never been more complex. It seems that Bregman is emerging as Target 1A, but he can’t be the only one, or Boston is running back virtually the same offense they had in the wake of the trade deadline.
