A World Series champion has been crowned, all of the option and opt-out decisions have been resolved, and the Hot Stove is officially heating up.

What will the offseason have in store for the Red Sox? We answer your questions in today’s Red Sox mailbag.

What are the worthwhile third base options if they cannot re-sign Alex Bregman? Marcelo Mayer looked good filling in while Bregman was hurt but he is an injury risk. — @nhlefty on Bluesky

Mayer would be the top internal candidate. He showed he can play the position at a high level defensively but he is also young and, as you said, injuries have been an issue for him throughout his professional career.

If Bregman leaves, there aren’t many obvious alternatives.

In terms of free agents, the only other third baseman who would meaningfully move the needle is Eugenio Suarez. The 34-year-old hit 49 home runs with 118 RBI and an .824 OPS this past season, so he’d help bring some badly needed right-handed power to the lineup, but he’d also represent a significant downgrade defensively from both Bregman and Mayer.

The trade market could offer some more palatable possibilities.

Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm is a former No. 3 overall pick who is coming off a respectable season in which he batted .287 with 11 home runs and a .741 OPS. He’s also projected to earn $10.3 million in his final year of arbitration this offseason, and given how many mouths the Phillies have to feed it wouldn’t be a shock to see them move on from the 29-year-old.

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung is another interesting name who has been floated as a change of scenery candidate. Jung is a former top prospect who helped lead the Rangers to the 2023 World Series title as a rookie, but this past season he did not take the step forward the club hoped he would as a 27-year-old in his third MLB season.

Of course, the Red Sox could always give old friend Chaim Bloom a call, as the Cardinals have several infielders they could be looking to move. Brendan Donovan is regarded as one of the top infielders likely on the trade market and would make a great addition for the Red Sox, but there’s another name who will probably draw plenty of discussion this offseason.

I saw a report that Nolan Arenado is now willing to waive his no trade clause. I personally don’t want him but do you think the Sox entertain those conversations? — Robert D.

Another year, another offseason of Nolan Arenado speculation.

Before we get into the question of whether the Red Sox would want him, a quick refresher. The Cardinals are entering a multi-year rebuild and have already begun the process of trading away established veterans in hopes of acquiring controllable young talent. St. Louis has been trying to trade Arenado as part of those efforts since last winter, but to this point they haven’t been able to find an acceptable deal.

A big reason for the hold-up is Arenado’s contract, but going forward that could be much less of an issue.

Arenado now has only two years, $31 million remaining on the eight-year, $260 million deal he originally signed in 2019 while still with the Colorado Rockies. The $16 million he’s due in 2026 will likely be close to half of what Bregman is expected to earn annually, so if Bregman leaves Arenado could represent a price-efficient alternative who might only cost a mid-level prospect or two to acquire.

Would that be a path worth taking?

On one hand, Arenado is a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest defensive third baseman in MLB history. Any clubhouse would benefit from having a guy with that kind of pedigree, and acquiring the 10-time Gold Glove winner would also mean reuniting him with Trevor Story, his close friend and longtime former teammate in Colorado.

On the other hand, Arenado is not the player he once was. The 34-year-old’s OPS has declined in each of the past three seasons and he is now coming off the worst offensive season of his career by a sizable margin. He batted .237 with 12 home runs, 52 RBI and a below-average .666 OPS, and his Statcast metrics for both batting and baserunning ranked among the worst in the league across the board. He also missed six weeks with a right shoulder strain, and his 107 games played were the fewest he’s ever played in a non-pandemic season.

So back to your question. Would the Red Sox entertain those conversations? I think they would, but only if they’d already struck out on Plans A, B and C.

Will Breslow be held accountable if neither Bregman nor Rafael Devers are on the roster in 2026 and they miss the playoffs? — Justin H.

If Bregman is not brought back and the Red Sox miss the playoffs next season, I can’t imagine that will go over well with Breslow’s bosses.

Obviously the specifics will be important. Do the Red Sox miss the playoffs because of poor performance at third base, or because of the offense as a whole? Or would it be due to a significant regression among the club’s young pitchers? The latter wouldn’t have anything to do with Bregman but I believe is both more likely and would reflect much worse on Breslow, since pitching development is how he made his name and is the reason why this year’s club was able to get back to the postseason.

Either way, we have a whole year’s worth of baseball to get through before we need to concern ourselves with that. What’s the sense in putting Breslow on the hot seat because of a bunch of possibilities that haven’t happened?

Who do you think makes the most sense for the Red Sox to target as a starting pitcher trade target? As far as profile and cost to obtain and such? — Jeffrey M.

Joe Ryan is certainly the name we’ve heard linked to the Red Sox most frequently, and there are plenty of reasons why he would make sense.

The Minnesota Twins are in a full rebuild and by trading Ryan they could potentially restock their minor league system with a wealth of young talent. Ryan would also be appealing for the Red Sox because he has two years of team control remaining, so if the club were willing to part with a handful of young pitchers it’s easy to imagine a deal getting done.

But what about some other possibilities?

Washington Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore just enjoyed a breakout 2025 in which he was named an All-Star for the first time and struck out 185 batters over 159.2 innings. Like Ryan he also has two years of club control remaining, and new Nationals boss Paul Toboni arguably knows the Red Sox minor league system better than anyone from his time as one of Boston’s assistant general managers.

There is also Pittsburgh Pirates righty Mitch Keller, who doesn’t have the same upside as Ryan or Gore but has posted three straight seasons with more than 175 innings and an ERA in the low 4.00 range.

In terms of prospect return the Red Sox would have to give up in a potential deal, last winter’s Crochet trade is probably a good comparison. Crochet also had two years of team control remaining at the time, and to get him the Red Sox gave up four prospects, including their 2023 and 2024 first-round selections.

The club has more young big league talent at its disposal than last year along with more pitching depth, so a potential deal this year could include a player from four distinct buckets. One, a controllable big league outfielder like Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu. Two, a young starter with big league experience like Hunter Dobbins, Kyle Harrison, Connelly Early or Payton Tolle. Three, a high-upside pitching prospect like Luis Perales, Brandon Clarke or one of the club’s top draft picks from last summer. Last, perhaps a Single-A lottery ticket like Juan Valera or Yhoiker Fajardo, both of whom are years from the majors but could help get a deal over the finish line today.

With all the talk of a lockout entering the 2027 season, do you think that will affect the Red Sox approach to free agents this offseason? — Todd C.

My guess is it won’t affect how the Red Sox approach free agency, but it might impact how players do.

If there is concern among free agents that a lockout could be imminent, then there probably won’t be as much of an appetite for one-year deals. Players, especially veterans like Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso or Lucas Giolito who have been free agents before, are going to want long-term financial security and the comfort of knowing they won’t be left homeless in the sport for months on end while players and owners fight over the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Perhaps there are some who won’t have much of a choice, but for a guy like former All-Star Zac Gallen, who is coming off a rough platform year and whose value will be further depressed by a qualifying offer, a high-dollar, one-year prove-it deal like the one Walker Buehler signed with Boston last offseason may have had some appeal. Now, who knows?

As far as the Red Sox go, they will need to swim in some deep waters if they hope to make the upgrades that will be necessary to go from a Wild Card team to a championship contender. That means big, long-term deals for premium free agents, and those guys are going to get paid whether there’s a lockout next winter or not.