The Red Sox need more pop in their lineup and Bell certainly could provide that. And don’t think of Bell just as a first baseman. With the Red Sox having a vacancy at designated hitter, Bell could slot in there nicely as well.
Willson Contreras
Boston has two catchers on its roster already in Reese McGuire and Connor Wong but if the Red Sox don’t think Wong, who was a late-season call up last season, is ready for a platoon role, they could try to add another catcher .
The 30-year-old Contreras is obviously a bigger name than both McGuire and Wong and could help send the ball out of the ballpark more for the Red Sox after they finished 20th in the majors in homers this past season. Contreras is coming off a season in which he belted 22 dingers to go along with 55 RBIs while sporting a .243 batting average to earn the third All-Star nod of his career.
Contreras made just under $10 million last season and has the added bonus of already playing for a marquee franchise. Contreras helped the Chicago Cubs capture a World Series in 2016, and if he can play in that heightened environment, the pressure of playing in Boston shouldn’t get to him.
Michael Conforto
The Red Sox desperately need another outfielder to go with Alex Verdugo and Kiké Hernández and one that can bring some power to the unit that was severely lacking in it this past season. Conforto might just be the guy, even though he didn’t play at all in 2022.
Conforto, a 2014 first-round pick by the New York Mets, missed the entire campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery, which could make him more of a bargain. A short-term, prove-it deal for Conforto could benefit both sides.
The left-handed hitter has smacked at least 27 homers in three of his seven seasons in the majors, last doing so in 2019 when he hit a career-high 33 round-trippers.
Verdugo and Hernández only combined for 17 home runs this past season as the 29-year-old Conforto would be an upgrade when it comes to power production from the outfield.