For several weeks now, the vibe among Boston Red Sox fans has felt like it could be boiled down to sign Alex Bregman or we’re going to revolt against Craig Breslow. While the additions of Garrett Crochet, Walker Buhler and even Aroldis Chapman and Patrick Sandoval make the team better moving forward, the ever-present need for a right-handed bat persists. And Bregman, with his connection to Alex Cora, has long seemed like the perfect guy for that.

Unfortunately, it appears that we’re trending toward a world wherein the Red Sox aren’t the destination for Bregman in free agency.

After reports indicated that Boston may not have even made an offer to Bregman yet, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported on his B/R stream on New Year’s Day that it’s likely the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers as the frontrunners for the two-time World Series champion. There was nary a mention of the Red Sox involvement.

It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that Bregman wants to be in Boston and Breslow is simply playing the waiting game to some degree. Yet, the vibes still somewhat indicate that this might not get done, which would leave the Sox in the same dire need for a right-handed bat, this time without even Tyler O’Neill to help bolster the lineup against lefty pitching.

Breslow and Sam Kennedy’s assertions that this team would be willing to get uncomfortable haven’t come to fruition. But if it’s not Bregman, do the Red Sox have a free agent left that makes sense? Pete Alonso doesn’t make much sense in terms of price and fit defensively, Anthony Santander is a switch-hitter who posts better numbers from the left side, and Randal Grichuk feels like a mistake waiting to happen.

If Breslow and the Red Sox strike out on Bregman in free agency, the fans are going to be furious. And if that’s the case, any one of these four trades would help him save face in Boston while, more importantly, helping this team compete and get back to the playoffs in 2025.

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Several weeks ago, Minnesota insider Darren Wolfson reported that he’d heard the Red Sox had expressed interest in infielder Carlos Correa. And it’s not hard to see where that would come from. Like Bregman, the connection to Cora from their time together in Houston makes a lot of sense as to why Boston would want him, especially if he could move over to second base or put Trevor Story in that spot with Correa at. Moreover, the Twins are surely looking to get out from under that contract as they shed salary.

Since that time, though, it’s been crickets on the Red Sox-Correa front. Bregman is likely part of that consideration with Correa potentially being a backup plan in the mind of the front office anyway. But if the recent reports about Boston and Bregman are to be believed, it’s something they should turn back to.

What could be interesting for Correa is possibly unloading the Masataka Yoshida contract. While expensive, it’s not as much so as the Correa contract and has fewer years for Minnesota to commit to. Meanwhile, the Twins would still get a good left-handed bat with less financial stress while the Red Sox would get a right-handed bat that could help defensively and who mashed last season.

The big worry with Correa remains his health after playing only 86 games last season. But in those games, this is a guy who hit to a .905 OPS with 14 home runs and 20 doubles while also being a positive dWAR defender. And oh yeah, he mashes lefties, posting an .867 career OPS against left-handed pitchers. If the Sox believe he can stay healthy or that they could manage his health, it’s a deal that should be on the table, especially if the Yoshida framework is a good starting point.

3. Taylor Ward might be the most underrated option Boston can nab

When you first look at just the overall numbers for Taylor Ward, I fully understand why you might be a bit underwhelmed. He posted a .748 OPS last season and has only a .758 career OPS while he’s also entering his age-31 season. None of that makes him truly look like the otherworldly addition that it feels like many Boston fans are hoping would be signed or traded for this offseason.

That’s one area where Red Sox fans need to accept the reality, though. The Red Sox, if they miss out on Bregman, might not be in the market anymore for a true force multiplier. That’s why someone like Grichuk would make sense. But unlike Grichuk who I tend to believe is coming off more of an outlier season than anything else, Ward checks the boxes for what Boston is looking for in a right-handed bat.

Not only is Ward versatile defensively to help fill multiple holes in any lineup but he’s been a consistent lefty killer in his career. This past season, while the overall OPS was at .748, it was a blistering .873 against lefties. For his career, the OPS is at .805, almost 50 points higher than his career OPS.

While Ward does check a similar profile to someone like Rob Refsnyder, if it’s a low-cost addition in terms of a trade, that’s not a bad thing! Refsnyder has crushed left-handed pitching and the Red Sox have few guys who actually check that box right now. This isn’t my favorite solution either as I would like more upside but, at the same time, if there’s a belief that it’s worth it to look more to next offseason to complete the roster build, Ward could be a nice option to help bide some time.

But let’s stop thinking small for the Red Sox with someone like Ward. Instead, let’s swing for the fences, which is what going after someone like Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki would certainly qualify as.

Boston might be the one team — or at least one of the few — that could still sway Chicago to deal Suzuki after the Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker trades. While there hasn’t been any real smoke since Bellinger was moved that the Cubs would want to trade Suzuki. However, this is still what appears to be an offseason in which Jed Hoyer is trying to shed some payroll while still helping the team compete, and the Red Sox could potentially work into that.

With the newfound surplus of starting pitching the Red Sox have after this offseason, would it be outlandish to consider a package around a young highly-ranked prospect and Kutter Crawford? That would give Chicago another reliable back-end starter in the rotation in addition to young talent for the farm. You could even make that multiple prospects to really incline the Cubs to make the move.

For the Red Sox part, they should be willing to make that offer for someone like Suzuki. Not only is he on the books for only $19 million per season over the next two years, but he’s a perfect fit for what Boston’s lineup needs, while also offering more flexibility in the outfield to move Wilyer Abreu or not rush Roman Anthony. But for a proven hitter who had an .848 overall OPS last offseason from the right side, it’s the aggressive move Breslow should be all over.

1. Get uncomfortable and trade for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

I’m not going to have this conversation without dreaming a little bit about the golden goose that the Red Sox could go after. As of right not, it appears that the Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are still open to an extension. However, the All-Star first baseman is entering the final year of club control, appears to be far apart with the Jays on a contract, and has set a deadline for early spring training for negotiations.

All of this appears to be trending toward Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins being forced to make a difficult decision but trading Vladdy could behoove them in the long run. If you don’t work out an extension, the past two free agency periods have proven that losing Guerrero is a distinct likelihood. So trade him for a king’s ransom before the season and start hitting the hard reset button.

The Red Sox have long felt like the best next landing spot for Guerrero and it’s hard for me to also not think that some of the slow-playing we’ve seen in this offseason from Breslow is with eyes on Vladdy next winters. But they could also jumpstart that process by offering someone like Marcelo Mayer and a bevy of other prospects. Even after the Crochet trade, Boston has one of the best farm systems in baseball that could absolutely help the Blue Jays start a new chapter post-Vladdy and Bo Bichtte.

Guerrero is the white whale, to be sure, and I do have a hard time fully envisioning the Blue Jays trading him simply because that organization has been so unwisely stubborn. But if there’s even a sliver of the door that’s opened for it, Breslow and the Red Sox should bust in the door and make it happen. Why not solve your right-handed hitting need with one of the best right-handed hitters in baseball, right?