FORT MYERS, Fla. -- In their long history, the Red Sox have frequently boasted power-packed outfields.
In 1979, the Red Sox got 99 homers from their outfield alignment of Jim Rice, Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans. In 1968, the trio of Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith and Tony Conigliaro belted 85 homers. And in 1983, Jim Rice, Tony Armas and Evans were good for 97 homers.
Then, there's this season, where homers look like they could be at a premium. Barring any late-spring additions, the Sox three primary outfielders will be Alex Verdugo, Kike Hernandez and Jackie Bradley Jr. None has ever hit as many as 30 homers in a season.
In fact, Verdugo has never hit more than 13 in a season. Hernandez nearly matched his career-high of 21 last year when he hit for the Sox. And while Bradley once hit 26, that was six seasons ago.
It's unlikely that this group will hit as few as 20 homers -- the amount supplied by the 1974 combination of Evans, Tommy Harper and Juan Beniquez in what is believed to be the lowest modern-day total for three Boston outfielders in the same season. But neither are they a threat to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the most homer-happy outfield troikas in franchise history.
Home run totals, of course, can be somewhat deceiving. While the game is, in some ways, more homer-centric than ever before, teams ultimately value runs scored. In that regard, the Sox figure to be among the league leaders, having finished fourth in that category in the American League last season. Other metrics -- slugging percentage as one obvious example -- could be a better measurement of power.
There's also a danger of putting too much emphasis on home runs by position. The Sox stand to get plenty of homers from shortstop (Xander Bogaerts) and third base (Rafael Devers), to say nothing of DH (J.D. Martinez). Those three could be good for 85 or more by themselves, making it less critical how many homers the outfielders supply. Then there's Bobby Dalbec, who has plus-power, and could deliver 30 or more if he shows the kind of approach he flashed at the plate in the second half of last season.
If the Sox get above-average homer output from four other spots in their lineup, they should be able to withstand below-average totals from their outfielders.
But the very notion that Bradley currently projects for regular playing time is ominous. Bradley was, simply put, one of the worst offensive performers in the game last season while with Milwaukee, with a paltry OPS+ of 34, with an OPS (.497) that looks like it might belong to a pitcher. And the fact that Bradley was traded for Hunter Renfroe, whose 31 homers were second on Boston's roster last season, only highlights the dropoff.
The Sox had -- and still have -- chances to upgrade their offense.
Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki, in whom the Sox had interest, signed with the Cubs this week, with the Sox seemingly not interested in equaling the five-year, $85 million that represented the winning bid. It was much of the same story when it came to retaining Kyle Schwarber, with the Red Sox unwilling to match the Phillies' offer of four years and $79 million.
Some free-agent bats remain on the market, though the Sox appear to be trailing in the chase for Nick Castellanos, who appears poised to join Schwarber in Philadelphia.
On the trade front, there's been some speculation that the Sox would be willing to absorb the remaining year ($20 million) left for San Diego Padres outfielder Wil Myers as long as it meant the Sox could get a top prospect from San Diego to help off-set Myers' salary. Even still, Myers hasn't hit more than 18 homers in a season since he hit a career-best 30 in 2017.
Finally, there's Ramon Laureano, who like seemingly most members of the Oakland A's, is available via trade. Laureano hit 14 in a little more than half a season for the A's last season after blasting a career-best 24 in 2019.
Then again, Alex Cora has openly mused this spring that the Sox were too dependent on the long ball at times last year, and he would welcome improved efficiency in other situations, including a runner on third with less than two out.
"We can't strikeout too much,'' said Cora. "We have to put the ball in play and we have to try to create a balance for what we're trying to accomplish. Hitting the ball the other way, putting the ball in play....those are the things that we're trying to get this group going. In this division, there are certain stretches where the pitching is stupid and you have to maximize your outs. You just cannot throw at-bats away.''
If Cora gets his wish for a more efficient offense, the team will benefit. But in an era when homers rule the day, the Red Sox may come up short from an area that has traditionally offered way more.