MLB Hot Stove: Red Sox, Kyle Schwarber reunion on the radar?; League tightens betting rules after Clase, Ortiz scandal

The MLB General Managers Meetings are currently taking place in Las Vegas, where front office executives are starting to plan their moves for the upcoming offseason.

What happens in Vegas is generally supposed to stay in Vegas, but for Red Sox fans, they’ll be watching each report very closely. One name that has reportedly been buzzing around the Vegas strip has been Phillies free agent Kyle Schwarber.

According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, “A reunion for Schwarber in Boston makes sense. It’s something that rival executives are monitoring as a possibility this offseason.”

The Sox are in a position to spend, and they desperately could use some additional thumping in the middle of their lineup. Schwarber, who’ll turn 33 in March, was one of the game’s top sluggers this past season. He led the National League in home runs (56) and RBI (132) while posting a .240 batting average and a .928 OPS.

Schwarber’s power potential is precisely what the Sox need, who finished 15th in home runs (186) in 2025. They hit just 49 home runs during August and September, the third fewest behind only the Cardinals (43) and Pirates (45).

Teams that could hit the long ball fared well this postseason. The Yankees, Dodgers, and Mariners were at the top of the league in clubbing homers this season and all made it to at least the Divisional Series — with the Mariners losing in the ALCS and the Dodgers ultimately defeating the Blue Jays in seven games to win the Fall Classic.

Power is top of mind for Breslow, who needs to replace Devers’ bat after the Father’s Day trade that sent the disgruntled DH to the Giants.

“I don’t want to get so anchored to this idea that the only way to score runs is home runs,” Craig Breslow said. “We showed that that isn’t the case. That said, a disproportionate number of runs are scored in the postseason via the home run. And that’s not something that we can ignore. And there is just something about a bat in the middle of the lineup that forces another team to game plan against it that I think has a compounding effect on the rest of the roster.

“We didn’t slug nearly as much as I think we can or we will and will pursue opportunities to improve that,” Breslow added. “Free agency is one of them; trades are another. We lost Roman, and we lost Wily for significant stretches. And those are two guys who can hit the ball out of the park consistently.”

The Red Sox penciled in numerous different players into the cleanup spot this season, including catcher Carlos Narvaez, who was not a prototypical No. 4 hitter. Sox’ hitters who batted fourth batted just .245/.298/.388/.687.

“I don’t know how much sense it makes to say we need to get more production out of our No. 4 hitter vs. looking at our offense in its totality and identifying opportunities to get better. You could zoom out and look at a top 10 offense in terms of wOBA and runs and OPS and those types of metrics. You can also say we struck out far and away more than anybody else with runners in scoring position. And we had opportunities to cash runs in, and we didn’t do that. So I think we need to find any possible way to improve our team offensively and defensively.”

The idea that the Red Sox could be serious suitors for Schwarber began to surface last month when MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported that Boston “loves” Schwarber and is expected to express “real interest” in the power hitter if he does not return back to Philadelphia.

Schwarber called Fenway Park home after the Sox traded for the slugger during the summer of 2021. The Sox elected not to bring the left-handed hitter back, and he ultimately signed a four-year, $79 million-bargain with the Phillies. Over the last four seasons in Philly, Schwarber has clubbed 187 home runs and driven in 434 RBI.

If the Sox were to bring Schwarber back, he would be a perfect DH, and he could play an occasional first base. He hasn’t played first base since he was with the Red Sox in ’21.

Now, if the Red Sox aren’t able to lure Schwarber back to town, they should pivot to Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.

He is coming off a monster year where he hit .272 with a .871 OPS, an NL-leading 41 doubles, 38 home runs, and 126 RBI. Alonso has hit at least 30 homers in every season he’s been in the majors, outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

The addition of Alonso would give the Red Sox a much-needed right-handed power bat for the middle of their lineup and a legitimate first baseman. Boston utilized Romy Gonzalez, Abraham Toro, Nathaniel Lowe, and others last season, after Triston Casas went down with a season-ending knee injury. Casas isn’t expected to be ready for Opening Day, and based off his slow start to the 2025 season, the Red Sox might be prepared for a fresh start at the position.

While it may not be significant to everyone, Alonso's wife is from Quincy; feel free to interpret that information as you wish.

If the Red Sox were to sign either Alonso or Schwarber, they would lose the ability to have flexibility at the DH position. It's a trade off the Sox would likely welcome to get a legit power bat into its lineup. 

“I think flexibility is very valuable,”Breslow said at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas on Monday. “There is certainly a talent threshold that is elite enough to warrant just penciling somebody in. If David Ortiz were available in his prime, then certainly that’s just something that you commit to. But given we have, as an example, four outfielders that we think are capable of playing every day. The DH spot could be an opportunity to keep guys fresh and keep bats in the lineup.

“Masa (Masataka Yoshida) in September and into the postseason was an offensive force at the DH spot,” Breslow said. “And so we’ll evaluate that. I do think flexibility, just given the versatility of the roster, gives (manager) Alex (Cora) more ways to deploy and keep guys fresh and optimize matchups. But we’ll see what the market dictates and what makes the most sense for the roster.”

Signing either slugger shouldn’t take the Sox out of the running to bring back Alex Bregman. When the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers this summer, they saved $254.5 million, foisting his entire contract onto the Giants. Boston took back the remaining salary of Jordan Hicks and could easily accommodate adding Schwarber or Alonso’s salary with Bregman.

For years, it’s been shoved down the throats of Sox fans that the young core was coming, and now that it’s officially here, and most are making peanuts for money, Boston should spread the wealth around the roster and position themselves to be true playoff contenders for the next handful of seasons.

Schwarber and Bregman are two proven clubhouse leaders who have both experienced the Boston market. The Sox need to add their production on the field and in the lineup with the younger core of players this winter, while also finding a No. 2 pitcher behind left-handed ace Garrett Crochet.

Could Schwarber sign sooner instead of later? According to MLB Network Insider Jon Paul Morosi, the slugger may not last on the open market very long.

"My theory is this, from talking to people around the industry, that if we do see one significant bat sign early, it could be Kyle Schwarber," Morosi said Monday. "Here's why: To me, his market is more defined than the [other top free agents]. ... There are just more moving parts to some of the other [position-player free agents], whereas with Schwarber, it is so clear what his role is. It is so clear what his value to the Phillies is."

The Red Sox won’t be the only team aggressively pushing for Schwarber’s services. The Phillies are expected to be firmly in the mix, with the Rangers and the Reds lurking in the background.

NEW MLB GAMBLING RULES

One day after federal prosecutors indicted Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz on charges related to an alleged bet-rigging scheme, Major League Baseball announced new limits on legal sports betting to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

The league announced Monday that, effective immediately, all MLB Authorized Gaming Operators will cap wagers on pitch-level markets at $200 and exclude those bets from parlays.

The limits will cover more than 98% of the U.S. betting market, the league says, and they’re intended to mitigate the risk that a single player could deliberately alter their performance for gambling purposes in games.

"The risk on these pitch-level markets will be significantly mitigated by this new action targeted at the incentive to engage in misconduct," MLB said. "The creation of a strict bet limit on this type of bet, and the ban on parlaying them, reduces the payout for these markets and the ability to circumvent the new limit."

In a statement, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred thanked sportsbook operators and local officials for their assistance while expressing his hope that other professional sports leagues will follow in their footsteps to limit exposure.

“Since the Supreme Court decision opened the door to legalized sports betting, Major League Baseball has continuously worked with industry and regulatory stakeholders across the country to uphold our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans," Manfred said. "I commend Ohio Governor (Mike) DeWine for his leadership on this issue over the last several months. I also commend the industry for working with us to take action on a national solution to address the risks posed by these pitch-level markets, which are particularly vulnerable to integrity concerns. We look forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders, including licensed sports betting operators, elected officials, and regulators, to ensure we are always protecting the integrity of our game.”

Prosecutors are alleging that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball on June 15 and Clase was given $5,000 for facilitating it. Both players did it a second time on June 27, according to the indictment. The payment for each on that pitch was $7,000 apiece for each pitcher.

Clase and Ortiz are each charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. The top charges carry a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

Authorities arrested Ortiz, 26, on Sunday at Boston Logan International Airport. Clase, 27, is believed to be outside the U.S., according to ESPN.

Ortiz and Clase "betrayed America's pastime," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said Sunday. "Integrity, honesty, and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us."

Ortiz’s agent, Chris Georgalis, released a statement to ESPN stating his client is "innocent of the charges related to two pitches he threw" and that "he has always given his best effort in every inning of every game."

Georgalis added, “There is no credible evidence Luis knowingly did anything other than try to win games with every pitch, every inning. Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court. The government’s case is weak and circumstantial.

“He will defend himself, and he will prevail.”

Clase, a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year, had a $4.5 million salary for 2025 and was in the fourth year of a $20 million, five-year contract. The three-time AL save leader began providing the bettors with information about his pitches in 2023 but didn't ask for payoffs until this year, prosecutors said.

Ortiz, who was to earn a $782,600 salary this year, got in on the scheme in June and is accused of rigging pitches in games against the Mariners and Cardinals.

The news comes on the heels of the alleged NBA gambling issue that involved Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. They were both arrested last month.

AROUND THE BASE PATHS

- The Rays traded outfielder Kameron Misner to the Royals in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Tampa Bay had designated Misner for assignment last week.

- The Saitama Seibu Lions will officially post Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai. The righty recorded a 1.92 ERA and struck out 178 batters in 163.2 IP during the 2025 season. Teams will have 45 days to work out a contract with Imai.

- The Giants have announced that former manager Bruce Bochy will return to the organization as a special advisor to baseball operations. Bochy served as the skipper of the Giants from 2007 to 2019 and led San Francisco to three World Series titles in 2010, ‘12, and ‘14.

- Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. took home the 2025 Platinum Glove Award in the American League.

- Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. won the 2025 Platinum Glove Award in the National League.

- The Dodgers freed up $87 million off the books with Clayton Kershaw, Michael Conforto, Chris Taylor, and Kirby Yates off the books. The rich keep getting richer.

- The Blue Jays are expected to be aggressive in free agency after earning an additional $50 million from their World Series run this October.

- Reds manager Terry Francona doesn’t expect young pitcher Hunter Greene to be traded this offseason. He’s owed only $39 million over the next three years with a $21 million club option in 2029.