Flavin Media

By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan

It’s that time of year again for the Boston Red Sox, although with a more competitive roster than before. This team has been forming an identity over the course of the season, and the style in which they play offensively in a potential October scenario could go one of two ways.

The lineup features pesky at-bats but could use at least a bat or two to either complete that style or lean further into a power-heavy one through nine. There is also room for improvement defensively due to Mayer’s injury, and the rotation would benefit from a middle-tier arm—someone who fits between Garrett Crochet and Lucas Giolito in the pecking order. There are capable candidates to provide what the Red Sox need, but it’ll be up to management and ownership to deliver.

The batting order for the Red Sox sports a persistent style headlined mostly by Roman Anthony, Alex Bregman, Jarren Duran, and Ceddanne Rafaela. Although the Red Sox believe prospect Kristian Campbell could be the right-handed answer at first base, 1B/DH Yandy Díaz from the Tampa Bay Rays makes too much sense, being the scratch-and-claw hitter that he is.

Otherwise, an all-or-nothing threat like Marcell Ozuna from the Atlanta Braves would help transition the lineup into more of a power threat. It’s all up to what the organization prefers, because either option is doable in theory, but the lineup definitely leans more pesky than mighty. As long as the team avoids acquiring a left-handed solution for an already left-handed friendly lineup, the hitting depth is primed to be boosted.

The Red Sox will have things looking solid in the field once Marcelo Mayer returns and if they find a full-time candidate for first base, but Mayer’s injury doesn’t appear to have a quick return timeline. His injury has caused a domino effect, with Duran playing center field and Rafaela shifting to second base — a setup that’s not exactly ideal.

If center fielder Luis Robert Jr. came at a cheaper cost, one could wonder if that would be a possibility — which would at least move Duran back to playing the corners alongside Anthony. Bottom line: the Red Sox have to make sure Duran is playing in one of the two corners, and ideally, Rafaela moves back to center at some point.

Now, when it comes to pitching, it’s simply about adding someone who fits between Crochet and Giolito. Although Lucas Giolito and Bryan Bello are putting together solid seasons, this rotation needs the talent to stay consistent against the cream of the crop.

This organization clearly doesn’t mind rebuilding a previously talented pitcher, so Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks or Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres makes sense. This one-two punch with Crochet and the addition would set the tone for the rest of the rotation, ideally headlined by a playoff-caliber pitcher in Walker Buehler.

If the Red Sox add more peskiness or power in the form of a right-handed hitter, figure out Mayer’s injury, and add a starter to complement Crochet, they would be in an ideal spot heading into a playoff push. The bullpen can always be complemented by extra depth, as people have come to realize from years past.

There’s youth and there’s veteran hitting on this team that can make them an exciting title candidate, but Breslow has to act now. Now is not the time to fall in love with the farm system again, especially since the very system the team has built over the years is part of the playoff push they’ve been aiming for with this strategy. Once a Red Sox October begins, literally anything can happen.