5 free agents Sox could’ve targeted
Bloom opts for quantity over quality
Before the MLB owners locked out the players and created an uncertain path toward the 2022 season, the Red Sox revealed a lot about their roster-building strategy.
Once again they’ve made it clear they’re prioritizing depth over high-end talent.
By guaranteeing $10 million to James Paxton, $7 million to Michael Wacha and $5 million to Rich Hill, the Sox were able to pick up three potential starting pitchers for the going rate of a single No. 2 starter-type.
They also swapped Hunter Renfroe for Jackie Bradley Jr. and a couple prospects, adding a few million dollars in expected payroll in the process.
Because they previously lacked pitching depth, it’s easy to see why this was the preferred route. Upgrading their defense will also help.
But with a handful of the market’s top players agreeing to deals before the lockout, we can see what other options the Red Sox might’ve had at their disposal.
Here’s a look at some of those signings with a thought on whether or not they would’ve made sense for the local nine:
1. Marcus Stroman, RHP
$71 million over three years with the Chicago Cubs: if the Red Sox had better defenders in the infield, this might’ve been the perfect option. The problem is that Stroman’s 51% groundball rate ranked eighth among the 39 pitchers with enough innings to qualify and the Sox’ 67 errors in the infield last year put their defensive unit among the worst in the game.
Because of that, it’s easy to see why Stroman, the Red Sox or both parties didn’t see this as a fit.
It’s too bad, because with the Sox’ short-term window wide open for a chance to compete in 2022 and perhaps 2023, Stroman’s front-loaded deal over two years was exactly the kind of contract that could’ve set them up to go allin now without hurting their longstruggled term outlook. He’ll make $50 million over the first two years with a chance to opt out before the third year. It’s a fair rate for a No. 2 starter, but the Sox chose to instead spend $3 million less in 2022 salaries for three guys.
2. Alex Wood, LHP
$25 million over two years with the San Francisco Giants: Similar to Paxton, Wacha and Hill, Wood has to stay healthy. He hasn’t thrown more than 152 innings since 2015. He’s averaged 92 innings a year in that span.
Dropping $12.5 million a season on him would’ve been a gamble too risky for the Sox to take, especially since Hill had an almostidentical 2021 season to Wood and was signed at a fraction of the cost.
3. Chris Taylor, UTIL
$60 million over four years with the Dodgers: Taylor was heavily connected to the Red Sox in the rumor mill, particularly given the Sox’ preference for position players who can move around the diamond. Taylor is a slightly better version of Kiké Hernandez: a wellrounded defensive player who excels at hitting lefties, but can hold his own against righties.
Taylor has a career .800 OPS against lefties and a .770 OPS against righties, and he’s proven to be a dynamic spark plug for a Dodgers team that was determined not to lose him after both Corey Seager and Max Scherzer found big contracts with the Rangers and Mets, respectively.
He would’ve been a nice fit for the Sox, given he could’ve teamed up with Hernandez to handle the center field/second base duties, but the Sox have to feel good about having Hernandez under contract at less than half the annual salary Taylor will receive.
4. Starling Marte, OF
$78 million over four years with the New York Mets: Marte was never connected to the Red Sox, but it’s fair to wonder why that was the case. The Sox needed someone to play either second or center, and Marte’s ability to roam the outfield while hitting for power and stealing bases at an all-time elite level made him a truly unique player on the market.
He went 47-for-52, the best success rate of anybody with at least 45 steals since Jacoby Ellsbury went 52-for-56 for the 2013 Red Sox. He’s exactly the kind of player the Sox have been missing since Mookie Betts left town, and the player they haven’t been able to replace since Ellsbury departed after the ’13 season.
5. Robbie Ray, LHP, and Kevin Guasman, RHP
$115 million over five years with the Seattle Mariners; $110 million over five years with the Toronto Blue Jays: Both Ray and Gausman are listed together because they’re similar pitchers who received similar contracts while coming off career years at 30 years old.
Had the Sox been more aggressive in putting together a rotation that was ready to win now, either one of these guys would’ve made sense.
Both have experience in the American League East, both have elite strikeout rates and both would have slid in nicely as an elite No. 3 starter behind Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi.
Alas, the Sox went in a different direction, choosing quantity over quality, though there remains a large pool of players who went unsigned into the lockout and will be available whenever the transaction freeze is lifted.