Red Sox Reunion With Former All-Star Could Be In Store After Dismal Braves Stint

As the Boston Red Sox's gear approaches the Spring Training facility in Fort Myers, the roster still looks like an unfinished product.

Sep 30, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Adam Duvall (18) reacts after hitting a second inning triple against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The biggest offensive hurdle the Red Sox have to clear is that their lineup is too left-handed. They clobbered elite right-handed starting pitchers all season, but almost any lefty picked them apart without issue.

To top it off, the best lefty-killer the Red Sox had by far last season was Tyler O'Neill, who now plays for the Baltimore Orioles. And through three months of the offseason, the Red Sox front office, which has acknowledged the need to replace O'Neill, has yet to sign a free-agent hitter to a major league contract.

Fortunately, there's still time, but the options are running thin. Assuming the Red Sox can't pull off a last-second comeback to land former Houston Astros star Alex Bregman, they'll be shopping for hitters that come with risks.

Red Sox beat reporter Ian Browne of MLB.com floated the idea of a reunion with one such risky hitter: Adam Duvall, who had a strong 2023 season for the Red Sox when healthy, but struggled mightily with the Atlanta Braves in 2024.

"With the big hitters aside from Bregman off the market, there are a few platoon options out there who used to call Fenway home," Browne wrote. "Adam Duvall hit some tape-measure shots during his lone season with the Red Sox in ’23, and he loved hitting at Fenway earlier in his career with the Braves."

Duvall, 36, had an .834 OPS and 21 home runs in just 92 games played for Boston. He then signed a one-year deal with the Braves and couldn't find his form, producing a brutal .569 OPS and -1.4 bWAR in 104 games.

Though he's unlikely to ever recapture his All-Star form from 2016 with the Cincinnati Reds, Duvall could still have one last resurgence in his bat. But would it be worth taking playing time away from young outfielders to give Duvall that opportunity?