6 options for Red Sox after missing out on Schwarber, Alonso

When news broke on Wednesday that the Orioles had landed slugging first baseman Pete Alonso on a five-year, $155 million deal, the Red Sox missed out on a second major free-agent power hitter in as many days -- Kyle Schwarber agreed to a five-year, $150 million pact to stay with the Phillies on Tuesday.

With this offseason’s two biggest power threats off the free-agent market, where does Boston turn now? It’s clear that after reaching the postseason for the first time since 2021, the Red Sox need to make some moves to bolster the roster in an American League East division that is getting better by the day (and it was already pretty good to begin with).

One specific area of need? A power-hitting infielder, preferably one who hits right-handed.

Here’s a look at six notable infielders Boston is showing interest in after the Winter Meetings in Orlando wrapped up on Wednesday, and the case for signing each:

Alex Bregman, 3B

When the Red Sox signed Bregman to a three-year contract prior to last season -- he elected to utilize his opt-out clause to become a free agent this year -- he was coming off a solid ninth season with the Astros in which he posted a .768 OPS with 26 home runs. But it was a far cry from his heyday of 2018-19, a span over which he produced a .970 OPS with 72 homers.

While we might not see that version of Bregman again, he did have a strong 2025 campaign with the Red Sox despite being limited to 114 games by injury. He slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 homers and earned his third career All-Star selection.

Bregman’s ability to square up the ball (37.5% squared-up rate in 2025, 97th percentile among qualified batters) and his keen eye at the plate -- he finished in the 88th percentile or better in chase rate (19.8%, 95th), whiff rate (15%, 92nd) and strikeout rate (14.1%, 88th) -- led to success at the plate. And he continued to be solid in the field, with +3 outs above average (83rd percentile among third basemen).

Beyond his abilities on the field, the two main elements that suggest re-signing Bregman would be a wise move are continuity and veteran leadership. He also has a wealth of postseason experience, appearing in the playoffs in each of the past nine years -- notably, Houston missed the postseason for the first time in nine years after losing Bregman and Boston qualified for the first time in four years.

Now that Alonso is off the board, the chances seem to have increased that there will be a Bregman reunion in Boston.

Bo Bichette, SS/2B

Bo knows something about Boston -- his parents first met just behind the Green Monster at Fenway Park and he once hit a homer that rolled to the very location of that meeting. Should the Red Sox create an even more full-circle moment by signing the free-agent middle infielder?

There’s a strong case to be made for Bichette, who proved last season that he is still one of the elite pure hitters in the game despite a down year in 2024. Bichette had his worst season in the Majors that year and was hurt for much of it. But in ’25, he produced a .311/.357/.483 slash line, and his 181 hits were second in the Majors even though he missed most of September with a knee injury.

Boston has Trevor Story at shortstop, but with Bichette demonstrating the ability to play second base in the World Series and Story having played there in the past, the combination could certainly work up the middle. Neither has graded out particularly well defensively at shortstop -- also Bichette’s natural position.

Bichette doesn’t chase much at the plate, though he doesn’t walk a ton, either. He hits the ball hard, with a career hard-hit rate of 46.9% (48.8% last season). And as he showed in the World Series, he isn’t afraid of the spotlight -- see his homer off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series.

Eugenio Suárez, 3B

Suárez definitely had a good showing in his contract walk year during the regular season and then in the postseason, when he hit three homers for the Mariners -- including a memorable go-ahead grand slam in AL Championship Series Game 5.

The slugger smashed a career-high-tying 49 home runs for the D-backs and Mariners during the regular season and he would fill Boston's vacancy at third base, though he would be a downgrade defensively from Bregman.

There’s a lot of swing-and-miss with Suárez, which suppresses his batting average. But there’s no denying the slug -- his 14.3% barrel rate last season ranked in the 89th percentile, according to Statcast.

The Green Monster would be an inviting target for Suárez -- in 2025, he ranked third in the Majors with 16.3% of his batted balls being fly balls to the pull side (minimum 300 batted balls).

Ketel Marte, 2B

The prospect of Marte as a trade candidate is a tantalizing one, with the slugging second baseman emerging as one of the best hitters in the game in recent years. Although he was limited by injury last season, he still slugged 28 homers with an .893 OPS, and in 2024, he finished third in National League MVP voting.

There’s a ton of red on Marte’s Baseball Savant page, and that’s a good thing. He finished last season among the top 10% of qualified batters in expected batting average (.291. 96th percentile), expected slugging percentage (.524, 94th) and expected weighted on-base percentage (.390, 97th).

Defensively, Marte is an above-average second baseman. There is a bit of a question mark when it comes to his durability, though -- he has only reached the 150-game mark in a season twice (2018 and ’23).

Kazuma Okamoto, 1B/3B
Okamoto is an intriguing candidate. He can play both corner infield spots, which are currently positions of uncertainty for Boston with Bregman on the free-agent market and Triston Casas not having locked down first base.

Although he’d be making his Major League debut in 2026, Okamoto is fairly seasoned as a pro ballplayer, having played 11 seasons for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yomiuri Giants. He showed significant power in Japan, with six consecutive 30-plus-homer seasons from 2018-23, and 248 homers for his career.

There’s always the inherent risk that a player’s talent won’t translate from NPB to MLB, but with more success stories coming from Japan, that risk is lessening by the year. That being said, most of that success -- Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki notwithstanding -- has been on the mound as opposed to at the plate.

Jorge Polanco, 2B

While he’s played quite a bit of shortstop during his Major League career, Polanco has primarily played second when he’s been in the field the past few years. Last season, he served as the designated hitter for most of the season in order to keep his legs fresh as he has been dealing with knee issues the past couple of seasons.

Polanco got off to a slow start in his Mariners tenure, posting a .651 OPS for Seattle in 2024. But last season, he had a bounce-back campaign, finishing with an .821 OPS and 26 home runs, his highest homer output since he hit a career-high 33 for the Twins in 2021. He lowered his strikeout rate tremendously (15.6% last season after 29.4% in ’24) and had the highest hard-hit rate of his career (45.8%).

Polanco has been a below-average defender at second base -- in recent years that might be owing in part to his knee problems. So he likely will continue to be a DH for a good portion of the season, and the underlying durability issue could be cause for pause for a club considering him.