If the Boston Red Sox can add more offense this winter, there's a real chance that we could be talking about this club as a World Series contender as soon as the 2027 season.

The rotation is still in an elite place, even without Sonny Gray. The bullpen has the vast majority of its major pieces still in place. The offense already should be better in 2027 than it was in 2026 thanks to full seasons of Adley Rutschman, Curtis Mead and potentially even top prospect Franklin Arias. But Boston needs a bit more. The most obvious need for the Red Sox is power. But if the Red Sox turned fully into getting on base and stealing bases, that would be another way forward, like the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers.

That's why The Athletic's Tim Britton, Johnny Flores Jr. and Chad Jennings floating Boston as a top fit for Luis Arraez is very interesting. But Boston wasn't the only American League East team mentioned.

"We were tempted to call Arraez’s free agency last winter 'polarizing,' but then again, we’re still waiting for the team that values his no-strikeout, high-batting average approach the way they would have a generation ago," Britton, Flores and Jennings wrote. "He enters this winter on much firmer ground, not merely because he was back hitting .300 — finishing a point away from a fourth batting title in five seasons — but also because he did so while playing a terrific second base. ... Best fits: [Philadelphia Phillies], BOS, [New York Yankees], [Detroit Tigers, [San Francisco Giants]."

Boston And New York Both Mentioned

Arraez may not be a perfect player, but he's the type of guy you want on your team, and not on your biggest rival's club. The Yankees had Jazz Chisholm Jr. manning second base in 2026, but he's a free agent right now and it wouldn't be shocking at all to see him elsewhere. Arraez would be an upgrade for the Yankees after he slashed .310/.345/.419 with six home runs, 64 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 33 doubles and seven triples in 2026 as a member of the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Yankees and Red Sox are certainly no strangers to one another, or to competing for the same free agent. Over the last few years, we've seen bidding wars pop up for players, including Juan Soto and Max Fried. Soto chose neither of the AL East rivals and Fried opted to go to New York. Any time the Red Sox and Yankees are both mentioned, it raises eyebrows.

How Luis Arraez Would Fit Boston

Arraez would be a sneaky-good fit for Boston. Right now, the middle infield likely will include Trevor Story and Mead. If Arias were to make the club out of Spring Training, then the easiest way to do so would be by moving Mead to designated hitter or by simply moving on from Story. If the Red Sox were to target someone like Arraez, he would slot in at second base and would likely shift Mead to DH. In 2026, Arraez was among the game's elite defensive second basemen and finished in the 97th percentile in outs above average.

From an offensive standpoint, he doesn't bring power to the table. But he's a career .316 hitter with a career .414 on-base percentage. In the age of advanced analytics, those two metrics sometimes get forgotten. The Rays and Brewers, on the other hand, embrace them and they just were in the World Series. You don't necessarily only need power to find success. If you can get on base, move guys along and score runs while pitching well, that's another way to rack up plenty of wins. With the firepower Boston does already have, if Arraez were consistently getting on base in front of guys like Roman Anthony, Rutschman, Willson Contreras, or Wilyer Abreu, Boston would score more runs.