Ticker tape is practically still being picked up from the
victory parade of the World Series winning Houston Astros. However, as we head
into the offseason, eyes have already turned to the 2018 major league baseball
season. Nearly 150
players have become free agents and teams will shortly begin jostling to
add new pieces in an attempt to field an even better team than the year before.
Let’s take a look at some of the available talent that could be good fits for
the Boston Red Sox, who won 93 games this year and may not be too far away from
planning another parade of their own in the near future.
The Red Sox have eight players of their own who are now free
agents (Fernando
Abad; Blaine
Boyer; Rajai Davis;
Doug
Fister; Mitch
Moreland; Eduardo
Nunez; Addison
Reed; Chris Young).
Given how they produced with Boston last year, and the holes they would create
by leaving, it seems like Moreland and Nunez are two of the better bets to
return if terms are mutually agreeable. That being said, there are plenty of
other players that could potentially help the Red Sox in 2018:
Outfielder Cameron Maybin: After a nice first season as the Sox’s fourth outfielder in 2016,
Young’s production dropped significantly this past year. In particular, he lost
his ability to beat up left-handed pitching (a primary reason he was brought on
board in the first place), as his batting average against them dipped from .329
to .200.
Although he doesn’t have the power of Young, Maybin could be
a worthy replacement. The 30-year-old has excellent speed (33 steals in just
114 2017 games) and can all play all three outfield positions. He is also a pretty
darn good defender, which would only add to the reputation of the stout
Boston outfielders. He has played for seven teams in his 11-year career, mostly
as a starter. He may not do enough with the bat to command starting dollars on
the open market but could be a nice option to shore up the Red Sox bench.
Outfielder JD Martinez: Despite the team’s success it was obvious that the Red Sox sorely
missed retired slugger David Ortiz
this past year. They were in the top half of the league in runs scored but dead
last (by a decent margin) with 168 home runs. They relied more on stringing
together hits to score runs than one big blast, as had been a frequent
occurrence throughout the career of Big Papi.
There aren’t a lot of great power options on the free agent
market but Martinez is clearly the best. He hit 45 home runs in just 119 games
this past year, including a Ruthian 29 in just 62 games after joining the
Arizona Diamondbacks following a mid-season trade. He has a 1.222 career OPS in
14 games against Boston, so they would likely breathe easier if he didn’t have
to face them any longer.
A pretty abysmal fielder, the 30-year-old right-handed
hitter is an outfielder by trade. There is no place for him to play his natural
position in Boston. However, one solution might be shuttling him between DH and
first base, as disappointing/oft injured Hanley
Ramirez plays out the final year of his $88 million pact in 2018. He has
not played at first during his career but such shortcomings would be much more
forgivable if he was around to put 40-plus homers over the fence on an annual
basis. Once Ramirez’s contract runs its course he could slide into a full-time
DH role.
Obviously, money will be an issue when considering the plausibility
of signing Martinez. It is rumored
that he may be asking for upwards of $200 million. Given his age and defensive
limitations that should be out of the question for any team that might mind
spending 200 cents on the dollar. However, if the Sox don’t land slugger Giancarlo
Stanton in a trade,
he would be the next best option to see what might be worked out.
Relief Pitcher Bryan Shaw: Boston doesn’t typically throw a lot of money at higher-priced
middle relief options. Shaw might be worth the exception. The 30-year-old
right-hander has been a lynchpin of the Cleveland Indians’ bullpen for the past
half decade, and has led the American League in appearances in three of the
past four years. A slider/cutter
man, he kills right-handed hitting, holding such batters to a .621 OPS for his
career.
With the Red Sox currently possessing a pretty full bullpen,
signing Shaw would be more about making an upgrade than addressing a need. His
availability could also be determined by his market, as it is possible some
team could make a run at him in the hopes of making him their closer, which
would certainly eliminate Boston from any contention for his services.
Pitcher Yusmeiro Petit: A much less sexy but potentially as valuable option would be the
right-handed Petit. A journeyman with a propensity to give up to many long
balls for much of his career, he had a career year in 2017 with the Los Angeles
Angels. He appeared in 60 games (one start) and had a 2.76 ERA, a near
career-best of 10.0 strikeouts/9 and halved his home runs/9 from the previous
year.
With a fastball
that averages less than 90 MPH, he throws breaking balls a majority of the
time and is the definition of a crafty pitcher. However, he has the ability and
track record of both starting and relieving. He is the Swiss Army Knife type of
pitcher that could be of immense value to the Sox staff, especially with free
agent Doug
Fister likely to hit the road and the healthy return of Steven
Wright still unknown at this time.
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