The Red Sox needed a right-handed bat. That much was clear. But even before the club signed Alex Bregman it wasn’t obvious how that player might fit into the equation.
Now that Bregman is on board, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge, yet there are still questions to be answered.
While the two-time All-Star should slot into the top of the order and substantially improve the lineup’s depth and balance, there are still a number of defensive alignments the Red Sox could go with to fit all the pieces together. The most straightforward approach would be to install Bregman as the starting second baseman and keep everyone else in their current roles, but if the Red Sox wanted there are a number of other possibilities, all with their own pros and cons.
Do the Red Sox want to maximize their defense? How about their long-term upside? Here are five possible alignments and why the club might opt for that route.
Status quo
Connor Wong C, Triston Casas 1B, Alex Bregman 2B, Trevor Story SS, Rafael Devers 3B, Jarren Duran LF, Ceddanne Rafaela CF, Wilyer Abreu RF, Masataka Yoshida DH
If we assume everyone sticks with their current positions, Bregman slots in as the new starting second baseman, there aren’t any late trades and none of the top prospects make the Opening Day roster, this is most likely what we’ll end up with.
Offensively this lineup would represent a massive improvement from 2024. You have four right-handed hitters and five lefties, providing a level of balance last year’s club didn’t possess, and Story and Bregman should both be capable of producing at the top of the order.
Those two should also help lift the club’s dismal infield defense. Last year the Red Sox used 11 different players at second base and six at shortstop, which Alex Cora said made it difficult for anyone to get into any kind of rhythm. Presumably, Story and Bregman would both play every day, giving the Red Sox a reliable double-play tandem that should produce better results even with Devers still at third base.
Status quo, prospect makes team
Wong C, Casas 1B, Bregman 2B, Story SS, Devers 3B, Roman Anthony or Kristian Campbell LF, Duran CF, Abreu RF, Yoshida DH
What if one of Boston’s top prospects earns a place on the Opening Day roster? The Red Sox can probably accommodate one of them without having to shake things up too much elsewhere.
In this case the most sensible move would be to shift Rafaela into a super utility bench role, install the prospect at left field and bump Duran over to center. Anthony would be a natural fit in this spot, and Campbell has outfield experience and presumably could make the adjustment even if he’d be a better fit long-term at second base.
Though there is another way to fit the pieces together while keeping Campbell in the infield.
Yoshida to outfield
Wong C, Casas 1B, Campbell 2B, Story SS, Bregman 3B, Yoshida LF, Duran CF, Abreu RF, Devers DH
Cora has said on a couple of occasions this winter that he’d like to get Yoshida back into the outfield equation, and that his balky shoulder was a big reason why he exclusively DH’d in 2024. If Yoshida is able to make a full recovery from his offseason shoulder surgery, it might be possible to install him in left field and free the DH spot to shake up the infield.
With Yoshida in left, Duran would bump to center and Rafaela would move to the super utility role off the bench. Devers could then take over as the DH, Bregman could slot in at third base, and the three incumbent contenders for second base could resume their competition for the starting job. For simplicity sake we’ll project Campbell as the winner, but it’s totally within the realm of possibility that Vaughn Grissom or David Hamilton could seize the opportunity as well.
Yoshida benched or traded
Wong C, Casas 1B, Campbell 2B, Story SS, Bregman 3B, Duran LF, Rafaela CF, Abreu RF, Devers DH
So far we’ve presumed the Red Sox roster remains unchanged, but what if that doesn’t wind up being the case? If the Red Sox were to make any additional moves between now and Opening Day, the most sensible would be to try and trade Yoshida, who just isn’t a fit for the roster at this point.
If we were to remove Yoshida from the equation, or even just stick him on the bench, the Red Sox could keep their outfield alignment unchanged while maximizing their infield’s defensive ceiling. That means Rafaela remaining in center field, Bregman taking over at third and one of the young guys settling in at second.
This would without a doubt be Boston’s best possible defensive alignment.
Another way the Red Sox could do this while keeping Yoshida in the fold would be to implement a platoon with him and Rafaela. In that case the left-handed Yoshida would start in left field against right-handed starters, with Rafaela available as a late-inning pinch hitter and defensive replacement. The right-handed hitting Rafaela could start in center against lefties with Duran playing left, and perhaps Rob Refsnyder could also platoon with Abreu in right field as well.
Having someone making $18 million per year as a platoon bat wouldn’t be ideal, and frankly Yoshida has shown he can be an impactful big league hitter when healthy. Maybe there’s a scenario where a team is willing to take on his bat (and his contract) for pennies on the dollar? The money is a sunk cost either way, and whether it happens now or in the future, the club will eventually need to free up space for the young kids coming up.
Two prospects make team
Wong C, Casas 1B, Campbell 2B, Story SS, Bregman 3B, Anthony LF, Duran CF, Abreu RF, Devers DH
This would only be possible if Yoshida (or someone else) is moved by Opening Day, but if Anthony and Campbell both put together dominant showings in camp, it’s possible the Red Sox could opt to pencil both into the starting lineup on day one.
In this scenario the Red Sox would combine several of the approaches listed above, with Anthony taking over in left, Duran in center and Rafaela moving to the bench in the outfield. Then you’d have a similar infield shakeup where Bregman plays third, Campbell second and Devers takes over as the DH.
This would give Boston its highest ceiling, and even if Anthony or Campbell don’t make the Opening Day roster they’ll probably force themselves into the conversation before long anyway. There’s also the matter of Marcelo Mayer, who will likely start the season at Triple-A but who could easily become a factor by mid-season. How would he fit in?
That’s a question for another day, but for now the Red Sox have no shortage of options. No matter how things play out they should be equipped to compete with the best in the American League.
Projected batting order
Duran LF, Bregman 2B, Devers 3B, Casas 1B, Story SS, Yoshida DH, Abreu RF, Wong C, Rafaela CF
So enough about defensive alignments. How will the Red Sox lineup look when all is said and done?
Assuming the “status quo” template, the Red Sox should enter 2025 with one of the best lineups in the American League. Duran has established himself as one of the best leadoff hitters in the game, and any combination of Bregman, Devers, Casas and Story behind him would be a nightmare for opposing teams to navigate.
Better yet, having Yoshida and Abreu towards the bottom of the order would give the lineup a level of depth it’s lacked in recent years. Wong would probably be among the best No. 8 hitters in the game, and Rafaela is an ideal No. 9 hitter, because he is capable of going on a heater and his elite defense more than makes up for his low on-base percentage.
If Anthony or Campbell makes the team they’ll probably start at the bottom of the order as well.
Beyond his production at the top of the lineup, the depth and balance Bregman will provide could be his most important contribution to the Red Sox offensively. Take him out of the equation and the Red Sox would’ve had four right-handed options: Story, Wong, Rafaela and Campbell/Grissom. Story would’ve batted somewhere at the top of the lineup, but after him the Red Sox probably would have had to bat Wong fifth or sixth just to break up all the lefties.
And what if Story got hurt again? At that point the Red Sox would probably have to count on both Campbell and Grissom as anchors of the lineup, which wouldn’t have been a fair position to put them in. Now the Red Sox have a proven performer who can slot right into the heart of the lineup, and just by virtue of being here Bregman will also allow everyone else behind him to settle into more appropriate roles.
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