On Wednesday night, the Boston Red Sox were defeated 9-2 by the New York Yankees in Game 2 of their wild card series, eliminating Boston from the playoffs and sending them into the offseason.

And the Red Sox go to the offseason with major questions, ones that could end up pitting them against the Toronto Blue Jays over the winter for sluggers like Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena, who we believe the Jays should be interested in. We've already heard that they are interested in Suzuki.

Let's explain further.

1) The Red Sox made the playoffs, but they only scored 689 runs, which was 23rd-most in baseball. The Cleveland Guardians (678) were the only team to make the playoffs scoring fewer runs than the Red Sox did.

2) Boston hit 163 home runs, which was 26th-most in baseball. Cleveland (162) and the Milwaukee Brewers (154) also made the playoffs, but four of the top five home run hitting teams made the playoffs too. There's a clear understanding that hitting more home runs is better than not, despite what the Brewers did this year.

3) Jarren Duran took a massive step back for the Red Sox this season, Roman Anthony played only 55 games because of injury - and got injured again in the playoffs, and Masataka Yoshida is headed into the final year of the five-year contract he signed before the 2023 season.

So, while there are a number of bodies in the Red Sox outfield picture for 2027, there are questions about most of them. And oh yes, those three, plus Wilyer Abreu, are all left-handed. Ceddanne Rafaela is a right-handed hitting outfielder, but it still feels clear that Boston needs a right-handed hitting outfielder with some more power, which is where Suzuki and Arozarena come in.

Tyler Milliken of the popular Section 10 podcast is already putting the full-court press on for the pair of sluggers. 

The story for Toronto is basically the same as it is for Boston, only worse. The Blue Jays were last in baseball in runs scored and they were last in the league in homers hit. They need power and run production, and they also need a right-handed hitting outfielder. Brett Bateman, Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes are all left-handed, and with George Springer now a free agent, the need is highlighted further.

Both Suzuki and Arozarena hit 26 home runs this past season, and both are in their 30s already, so it will be curious to what exactly they get on the open market. Arozarena is 31 heading on 32 and Suzuki will turn 33 toward the end of next season.

The pending labor situation will also impact things as well. For instance, if a salary cap comes into effect, both teams may have to look to cut payroll rather than add to it. But if there's no cap, the two will be free to bid against each other for a pair of sluggers that both teams need.