The Red Sox on Sunday night learned they needed to pivot in their offseason plan, but the road to offensive improvement might be a bumpy one for Boston.
Craig Breslow and company didn't sign their top target in MLB free agency. Juan Soto reportedly agreed to a record-breaking deal with the New York Mets, which left the Red Sox and other clubs on the prowl for offensive firepower.
The new most coveted bat might be Teoscar Hernández, who Boston also went after last season. While Hernández has been open about his admiration for the Red Sox and his love for playing at Fenway Park, he's far from a lock to land on Jersey Street.
"Red Sox have yet to step up Teoscar efforts meaningfully," MassLive's Chris Cotillo posted to X on Sunday night. "Soto to Mets doesn't help them with that pursuit either because Dodgers and Yankees believed to be in big."
Hernández reportedly prefers to stay in Los Angeles, where he was an All-Star last season and won the 2024 World Series. But after reportedly making a mammoth offer to Soto and still coming up short, the Bronx Bombers very well could make the veteran slugger an offer he can't refuse.
All told, the game-changing bat the Red Sox desperately need to add this offseason might be tough to come by.