The Boston Red Sox have slogged through another mostly disappointing off-season, leaving their fanbase with more questions than answers at critical spots. And it seems they’re OK with that.

Boston will have to lean on what’s sure to be one of the best pitching staffs in the American League, bolstering the rotation with the additions of Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray. They also kept their bullpen intact, most importantly closer Aroldis Chapman. It’s on offense where the frustrations lie.

After failing to put a truly competitive offer on the table for Alex Bregman, they’re left with no sure things at third base, not to mention a potential hole right in the heart of the lineup. But, that’s where they’re reportedly turning to a promising young player to fill the void.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Boston “seems intent on leaning on Marcelo Mayer in a big way” in the 2026 season. The implication is that they plan on parking Mayer at third base, where he played 39 games in his first major-league season while Bregman was shelved with a quad injury. Olney also mentioned that the Red Sox are going with a platoon of Romy Gonzalez and Billy Hamilton at second base.

Mayer dealt with a serious injury himself in the 2025 season. He underwent season-ending surgery in August to repair torn cartilage in his right wrist. So, beyond just his status as an inexperienced and unproven major leaguer, anointing Mayer as your everyday starting third baseman comes with an injury risk as well.

Mayer was the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, the highest selection in the history of the Red Sox. An athletic and versatile prospect, Mayer still has the potential to become an impact player on both offense and defense. It sounds like Boston will be giving him every opportunity to do so.

The issue is not that Mayer is some kind of bust or that he won’t produce for the Red Sox at third base. It’s what a move like this represents. It’s a sign of a team that’s still unwilling to go the extra financial mile to ensure that they field a roster that can legitimately contend for a World Series championship. There’s no excuse for Fenway Sports Group not to do so.

While they currently rank 10th in terms of overall team cash spending for 2026 (via Spotrac) at just under $206 million, the Red Sox can’t exactly call themselves a big spender like the Dodgers, Yankees, or Mets can. Much of the Dodgers payroll is deferred, so their $253M cash spending for 2026 is a misleading number. There’s no reason for the Red Sox to not be closer to the spending of the Mets ($356M), Phillies ($311M), or Yankees ($305M) that fans should accept.

And those fans are now left hoping that they can really thread the needle with what is going to be a decidedly cheap offensive lineup, because the Red Sox front office can’t help themselves but cut financial corners.

Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.