The Boston Red Sox' offense was held back by injuries last season, but simply the fact that they're getting healthy should not stop them from making improvements in free agency.
The Red Sox are set in the outfield and should have some combination of Caleb Durbin, Trevor Story, Curtis Mead, Willson Contreras and Adley Rutschman in the 2-6 spots in the field. The only major change that may happen is if the Red Sox trade for a star shortstop or give the shortstop job to Franklin Arias.
The only real spot to add to the offense is by adding someone who can rotate in the field and the designated hitter spot. Right now, that role belongs to Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida. Many reports suggest that Yoshida won't be back, and USA Today's Bob Nightengale thinks Duran won't be either.
"The Red Sox have talked about trading Duran for two years, but have always had a high asking price," wrote Nightengale. "That price figures to drop after he was the second-worst qualifying hitter in baseball, slashing .207/.266/.361 last year. They don’t want to pay a projected $11 million in salary arbitration for a player who may be a fourth outfielder, at best. He should be as good as gone."
Duran has taken a huge dive since his All-Star season in 2024. He hit a new low this season, and the Red Sox really don't need him. They would probably much rather add a different fourth outfielder who would actually be useful playing every day.
If the Red Sox sign an outfielder, they will want to have the designated hitter spot available for him or Anthony every day. The same logic tracks for if they sign an infielder.