Red Sox already missed out on their No. 1 offseason target

The Boston Red Sox have missed out on what was their No. 1 target heading into the offseason.

The Boston Red Sox offseason is not exactly off to a lustrous start. The futures of two lovable stars, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts, are in question with the team at this point, and even if they backfill Bogaerts’ role with an equivalent player, there are several destinations out there for him that could break Sox fans’ hearts.

To make matters worse, the Sox have officially missed out on their No. 1 offseason target and the player they met with as soon as free agency opened: Jose Abreu.

According to Jon Heyman, Abreu was the top target for Boston and someone they tried to move quickly on:

It’s unclear exactly why the Red Sox were unable to secure Jose Abreu over the Houston Astros, but considering he turned down an apparently good deal from his incumbent team, the White Sox, it may not have necessarily been the price.

Red Sox will have to look elsewhere for 1B help

With Abreu off the table, the Red Sox will need to explore other options for help at first base.

Josh Bell or Trey Mancini are the next-best available free agents with Anthony Rizzo having re-signed with the rival Yankees. Boston should be familiar with Mancini, who they faced often when he was with the Baltimore Orioles.

Mancini won a World Series with the Astros this year, as he was traded from Baltimore to Houston at the deadline. Snagging him could be a little get-back at both Houston and a division rival.

By no means are Bell and Mancini poor options, but Abreu was the best first baseman available. He was top-10 in batting average, on-base percentage, and top-5 in hits (183) in 2022.

So far, not so good for the Red Sox in 2022 free agency.