The Boston Red Sox are stuck in neutral a quarter of the way through the 2026 season, and one former rival general manager has some bold ideas on how to get them moving again. Sitting dead last in the AL East with a disappointing 17-24 record and a negative-13 run differential, the Sox have already made changes—swapping out their manager and much of the coaching staff last month—but the results haven't followed.
Enter J.P. Ricciardi, the former Toronto Blue Jays GM who now serves as a color analyst for NESN. During a recent appearance on the "Cassell's Corner" podcast, Ricciardi didn't hold back on what he'd do to spark Boston's underperforming roster. His prescription? Lean into speed and small ball.
"It's hard to do things now because teams aren't willing to trade at this point," Ricciardi explained. "I would try to utilize a little bit of their speed and maybe steal bases a little bit more... I would hit and run a little bit more. I would emphasize more contact to create traffic as much as I can on the bases because there's no power on the club."
That's a pointed critique of a lineup that ranks 27th in runs per game—a far cry from the slugging identity Boston fans have come to expect. The good news? There are signs of life on the basepaths. Under new manager Chad Tracy, the Red Sox have swiped 18 bags in just 14 games, compared to 16 steals in 27 games under Alex Cora. Boston now ranks 12th in steals league-wide, and Ricciardi sees that as a foundation to build on.
Defensively, Ricciardi is more measured. He wouldn't overhaul the unit, though he floated the idea of swapping Trevor Story and top prospect Marcelo Mayer at the middle infield positions. "Defensively, I think they are what they are defensively," he said. "There's not one brush that can make this right. I think incrementally you gotta try to build this thing up. You gotta get Crochet back. You gotta get the guys who are hurt back."
In other words, there's no quick fix—but a smarter, faster approach at the plate could help the Sox start clawing their way out of the AL East basement.