{"id":115616,"date":"2026-03-13T17:58:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T21:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=115616"},"modified":"2026-03-13T17:58:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T21:58:08","slug":"three-biggest-questions-red-sox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/03\/13\/three-biggest-questions-red-sox\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Biggest Questions for the Red Sox Going Into 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Red Sox had a successful season in 2025, making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. This didn\u2019t last long however, as going into the Wild Card series, they suffered multiple major injuries and lost to their rival in the New York Yankees. Despite making the playoffs, there were some clear issues to fix with this team. Going into the offseason, Craig Breslow had a lot of work to do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The key point was pitching upgrades. Some would say he overachieved there with <\/span>Ranger Suarez<\/span><\/a> signing and trading for <\/span>Sonny Gray<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Johan Oviedo<\/span><\/a>. There was also acquiring right-handed bats to even out this leftie-heavy lineup. This was also accomplished with the acquisitions of guys like <\/span>Willson Contreras<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Caleb Durbin<\/span><\/a>. Recently, a big need was more experience in <\/span>left handed bullpen pitchers<\/span><\/a>. With the <\/span>recent signing<\/span><\/a> of veteran pitcher <\/span>Danny Coulombe<\/span><\/a>, that is at least filled for the short-term success. But there are still some major needs to be filled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Three Biggest Needs For The Red Sox Going Into 2026<\/b><\/h2>\n

1. Backup Catcher<\/b><\/h3>\n

This isn\u2019t seen as a major need, as there\u2019s plenty of options, but it\u2019s still a valid question. It\u2019s been determined since last season that barring injury, <\/span>Carlos Narvaez<\/span><\/a> is the starter. But what about the back up? Due to performance reasons from last year, it\u2019s fair enough to open up a real conversation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Probable: <\/b>Connor Wong\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n

Being the remaining piece from the <\/span>Mookie Betts<\/span><\/a> trade in 2020, the Red Sox have made Wong a staple in the organization. Even with Narvaez, he still started at least once every rotation cycle, mainly serving as <\/span>Brayan Bello<\/span><\/a>\u2019s guy. Despite being an above-average hitter in 2024, he had arguably his worst offensive season of his career in 2025. Batting .190, Wong did not get an extra base hit <\/span>until late July<\/span><\/a> against his former team in the Los Angeles Dodgers. His first multi hit game didn\u2019t come till July 30th. To say he struggled offensively would be an understatement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensively, he\u2019s never <\/span>really <\/span><\/i>been great. He\u2019s had seasons that are relatively better than others, but with a career DRS of -4, it\u2019s hard to claim what\u2019s good when being a below average catcher. In 2024, he had a -14 DRS, <\/span>second worst among all catchers that year<\/span><\/a>. He was just outside the <\/span>top 25 in framing runs<\/span><\/a>, but he had 0 catcher framing runs compared to Narvaez\u2019s 5. He might be the backup, but it\u2019s worth having a discussion of whether he should be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Backup: <\/b>Matt Thaiss\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n

Thaiss is a journeyman that\u2019s split time with several teams, including the Chicago White Sox\u00a0 and Tampa Bay Rays last year. He\u2019s also had trouble with his batting average. But unlike Wong, Thaiss has had a great eye, and a great walk rate. With a 15.3% last season and a 13.1% career BB%. The 15.3 crushes Wong and Narvaez\u2019s walk rates by almost seven percent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensively, while he didn\u2019t have as many games to qualify, He did have five <\/span>\u00a0framing runs<\/span><\/a>, tying him with Narvaez. His blocking is just outside the top ten with five blocks above average (Narvaez is ninth with six.).\u00a0 But his pop time is about average at two seconds flat. If Boston really wants him, they need to make a decision fast. Thaiss has an <\/span>upward mobility clause <\/span><\/a>that allows him to sign with another team if not on the 40 man roster by March 21st. The decision must be made soon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Underrated: <\/b>Mickey Gasper<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n

The former Red Sox rejoined in February, being claimed off waivers. In his first stint with Boston, he did not do well, going 0-16 with four\u00a0 walks and being hit by a pitch once. He was later traded to the Minnesota Twins, where he only did slightly better hitting wise, but he had ten walks. While he may not be good for a full time backup, with his ability to draw walks, he might be worth a spot on the 40 man or just outside. Gasper killed it in Worcester when he was last with them, batting .402 with eight homers in 40 games. The decrease in hitting is what makes choosing him as a backup wary, but he\u2019s having a great Spring Training and just<\/span> got called to team Italy<\/span><\/a> for the WBC. If he can continue even 60% of this success, he\u2019d be a good backup option.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

2. Power Hitter\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

The obvious major need going into this offseason that wasn\u2019t addressed immediately was the need for a power hitter. After controversially letting go of <\/span>Rafael Devers<\/span><\/a> midseason last year, the Red Sox got rid of their yearly 30 homer-100 RBI threat. So the big question loomed: where does the production come from now?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Probable: <\/b>In House Production<\/span><\/h4>\n

Despite names like <\/span>Kyle Schwarber<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Pete Alonso<\/span><\/a> being on the free agent market, the Red Sox stuck with what they had and didn\u2019t acquire any big name power guys. And honestly, there\u2019s a case to be made that it might be a good decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before mentioning this, this is by no means a declaration that Boston will get anywhere close to the most home runs in a season. This is just showing that big contracts don\u2019t need to be handed out to find production. The<\/span> 2019 Minnesota Twins<\/span><\/a> are tied for the most home runs by a team in a single season with 307. Here are the hitters they signed\/traded for that offseason, along with their contract valuation and home run total:<\/span><\/p>\n