Much has been said about how the Red Sox need pitching, but new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has also gone on record as saying the club needs another bat, too.

Specifically, the Red Sox could use another right-handed hitter to help balance out the lineup. The club could also use an upgrade at second base or a designated hitter who offers some degree of positional versatility.

The market for position players isn’t nearly as deep as the pitching market, but there are still a number of interesting options available through trades and free agency. For the purposes of this exercise, we’re going to ignore financial considerations or what it might take to land someone in a trade and instead focus more on fit and what each player could potentially bring to the table.

Shohei Ohtani, DH

On one hand Ohtani really doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Red Sox at all. He’s a left-handed bat who will exclusively DH next season, so positionally adding him would be like jamming a square peg through a round hole.

On the other hand, it’s Shohei Freaking Ohtani! This guy led the American League in home runs (44) and all of MLB in OPS (1.066), so there’s no more impactful addition the Red Sox could make to the middle of their order. If the Red Sox can get him, they shouldn’t hesitate. They can figure all the other stuff out later.

Jorge Soler, OF/DH

In terms of players who fit the Red Sox existing needs, you could do a lot worse than Soler. The right-handed slugger hit 36 home runs with an .853 OPS with the Marlins last year, and in the past he’s hit 48 homers in a season. He’s also won two World Series titles and earned World Series MVP in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves, so he has a winning track record. The downside to Soler is he’s a poor defender and would primarily play DH, so he wouldn’t do anything to help improve the club’s defensive woes.

Rhys Hoskins, 1B/DH

Hoskins missed all of last season due to a torn ACL, but he hit 27 or more homers in each of last previous four full seasons. A right-handed bat, Hoskins has proven power and also walks a lot, which makes his huge strikeout rate a lot more palatable. Hoskins would also primarily DH but could occasionally platoon at first base with Triston Casas to help give the second-year standout some time off his feet.

Mitch Garver, C/DH

Like Soler and Hoskins, Garver is a powerful right-handed hitter who would primarily serve as DH. He’s also renowned as a great clubhouse guy and saw significant time during the Rangers’ World Series run this past October. Garver is injury prone and has never played more than 102 games in seven MLB seasons, but he also can play catcher and has some experience at first base, making him more versatile than the other DH-types.

Whit Merrifield, INF/OF

How about an infielder? If the Red Sox want a proven performer on a short-term deal, Merrifield is the best candidate on the open market. The right-handed hitter can play both second base and outfield and remains a force on the base paths, recording 26 stolen bases last season. He’s also going to be 35 and both his bat and underlying metrics aren’t great, so there’s risk here, but if Boston is looking for someone to man the fort until Marcelo Mayer is ready, then Merrifield would be a solid choice.

Brandon Drury, 2B

An even better option than Merrifield could be Drury, though the Red Sox would have to swing a trade with the Los Angeles Angels to get him. Drury is coming off a season in which he hit 26 home runs with an .803 OPS, and beyond second base he can also play pretty much every position on the diamond. The right-handed hitter is signed through 2024, so he’d perfectly fit Boston’s timetable too, but it’s not clear if the Angels would trade him given their own uncertain situation.

Jonathan India, 2B

This one might be more of a long-shot, but with all of the top infield prospects who debuted for the Cincinnati Reds this season, the former 2021 NL Rookie of the Year could soon find himself on the trade block. India is also a right-handed batter who could immediately slot in as Boston’s second baseman, and with three years of team control he’d raise Boston’s floor in case Mayer or Boston’s other top prospects need longer than another season to develop.