After making a lot of moves this offseason, the Boston Red Sox enter 2026 with a considerably different roster than the one that ended 2025.
That's especially true in the starting rotation, where the Red Sox added Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo. It's also true in the starting lineup, which no longer has Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers.
Boston traded for Willson Contreras to help replace them in the middle of the order, but it's fair to wonder if the team has enough power. According to FanGraphs, not a single Red Sox hitter is projected to hit 20 home runs this season.
Jim Bowden Criticizes Red Sox Offense
The lack of pop is a legitimate concern, one that was recently called out by former MLB GM Jim Bowden on "Foul Territory."
"I don't know if there's a way they could trade for a Rafael Dev— maybe they could sign an Alex Breg— oh, sorry, I didn't mean to do that."@JimBowdenGM isn't sold on the Red Sox offense being lethal enough to win in the AL East. pic.twitter.com/vCj3kxvkbT
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 9, 2026
"They're just missing that big bat," Bowden said, citing the departures of Bregman and Devers. "That's what they're missing. They're missing a big bat."
Boston has plenty of good hitters with Contreras, Jarren Duran, Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas and others. However, none of them are elite sluggers. The Red Sox ranked 27th in homers after trading Devers last season and could struggle to hit the ball over the wall this year.
"Is Contreras a cleanup hitter now? With Abreu hitting fifth, is that kind of where they're going?" Bowden continued. "I feel like the bottom third of the lineup is gonna be a challenge, and you're in a really tough division when you got Toronto, the Yankees and the Orioles, all of whom have way better offenses than you do."
"As much as I love their outfield and I do love their pitching, I just don't know if their offense is lethal enough to win. I don't think they've done enough on the offensive side of their team," Bowden added.
After working as an MLB GM for nearly two decades, Bowden knows a thing or two about building lineups. Boston's focusing more on pitching, defense and run prevention this year, but it's fair to wonder if the lineup has enough firepower to compete for a championship.
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