A night game at Fenway Park in Boston, in an undated file photo; it is not from the 2026 season. Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Fenway Park game.jpg”).
The Red Sox power bats question is the clearest theme of Boston’s early offseason. The team hit 163 home runs in 2026, which ranked 26th in the majors, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has said publicly that the offense has to be built better for Fenway Park. How he does that is still unknown.
This piece collects what Breslow, manager Chad Tracy and outside reporters have said since the season ended with a Wild Card sweep by the Yankees. For the season’s ending, see our Red Sox offseason overview and the Wild Card Game 1 report. Our Red Sox team page and the Boston Sports hub have the roster and schedule.
The Numbers Behind the Problem
MLB.com reported that the Red Sox hit 163 homers in 2026, 26th in baseball, down from 186 in 2025, which ranked 15th. Its writer noted that Boston had one of the best pitching staffs this year while the offense lagged, apart from a hot summer stretch.
Willson Contreras hit a career-high 27 home runs, MLB.com said, but it called his addition a net-neutral gain after Alex Bregman left in free agency for the Cubs.
What Breslow Said
At the end-of-season news conference at Fenway Park, Breslow told reporters, “Our offense was inconsistent. We got on base at a decent clip, but we didn’t really slug. We didn’t hit a ton of home runs. I’m not sure that we took advantage of the unique venue that we play in,” according to the Boston Globe.
He also said, per the Globe, “How do we particularly improve our offense against elite pitching?” and that the team has to think about “roster construction and making sure that we have a resilient offense.” The Globe’s analysis was that right-handed, pull-side power that can handle velocity offers the biggest potential upgrade; that is the paper’s view, not a team plan.
Tracy, Contreras and the Analytics Debate
Breslow and Tracy met with Contreras for more than two hours on Sunday, Oct. 4, the Globe reported. The paper said Contreras had heavily implied the week before that the organization leans too much on data and analytics. Breslow said many details would stay private but called the conversation constructive.
Tracy rejected the idea that in-game decisions are scripted. “The decisions are mine,” he said, per the Globe. “It was my call. It’s my decision. It went south.” CBS Sports reported on Sept. 22 that Boston dropped the interim tag from Tracy, giving him a three-year deal through 2030, and picked up Breslow’s 2029 and 2030 options.
Other Offseason Questions
MLB.com’s list of questions also includes Roman Anthony’s health and Garrett Crochet’s return to form. Breslow said Anthony, 22, won’t need surgery. On Crochet, Breslow said, “He’ll go into the offseason fully healthy.”
Boston.com’s Conor Ryan named three priorities: add a power bat, declutter the roster, and find another proven starter. He wrote that the rotation could include Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett, and he named Michael King and Joe Ryan as possible free-agent arms. Those names are the writer’s suggestions, not reported targets.
What We Don’t Know
The Red Sox haven’t said which hitters they’re pursuing, what the payroll budget is, or whether they’ll try to trade for power rather than sign it. Free agency and trade talks are months away from producing answers. We’ll follow the market as it develops.
Sources
- MLB.com: Questions facing the Red Sox this offseason
- Boston Globe: Will the Red Sox upgrade their home run power this offseason?
- Boston Globe: Breslow and Tracy defend in-game moves
- CBS Sports: Red Sox remove interim tag from Chad Tracy
- Boston.com: 3 priorities for the Red Sox entering the 2026 offseason