The Boston Red Sox entered the offseason knowing that they were going to have to make some big moves if they wanted to remain a potential playoff contender in the 2023 season and beyond. Instead, they have spent most of the free agency period on the sidelines watching, leaving their fan base dismayed by their lack of interest when it comes to improving.
The Red Sox haven’t been completely idle, and have brought in free agents such as Kenley Jansen, Masataka Yoshida, and Justin Turner. But you can’t help but feel like this team has once again gotten worse after letting another homegrown star in Xander Bogaerts leave in free agency, only adding to their confusing free agency period.
While the free agency period isn’t over, the majority of the biggest moves have been made, and it feels as if the Red Sox are a team lacking any sort of direction. Let’s take a look back at their biggest free agent activity so far in the offseason and hand out a final grade for the moves they have made.
Grading the Red Sox MLB free agency
It’s not as if the Red Sox have been inactive this season, as President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom made it clear from the get go that he wanted to add seven to nine players to the team this offseason. The problem is that the moves have been confusing, and the ones the team hasn’t made have been equally as confusing to this point.
The best thing the Sox have done in free agency is work on shoring up their bullpen. Jansen is the biggest signing of the group, and he should immediately fill the team’s closer role in 2023. Chris Martin is a solid late-innings guy who can pitch ahead of Jansen, and Joely Rodriguez has the potential to be a strong lefty out of the pen, although he needs to become a lot more consistent.
Boston has largely left their starting rotation untouched, which is strange considering Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha, and Rich Hill are all free agents. The Sox have a lot of young starters looking to burst onto the scene, but if this team wants to contend, adding another veteran to the unit would probably be a good idea.
When we reach the lineup, that’s where the problems really start to pop up. Adding Yoshida from Japan isn’t a bad thing, but when you add on the $15.4 million posting fee the Red Sox paid, they basically signed Yoshida to a five-year, $105.4 million deal that is widely considered to be an overpay by folks around the league.
It’s very tough to judge how players from overseas leagues will perform in the MLB, but it doesn’t seem like this was a figure that the Red Sox had to pay to land Yoshida. He’s a solid hitter, but his fielding needs work, and it remains to be seen whether he can be counted on to be an everyday player in their outfield, even though Boston is paying him like one.
Aside from that, the only other notable bats the Sox have signed have been Turner and Niko Goodrum (signed early Wednesday morning). Turner is a solid hitter, but he’s 38 years old, and considering how the team just let JD Martinez leave for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Turner’s old team, he doesn’t seem to be much of an upgrade. Goodrum is a utility guy who hit .116 in 15 games last season; he doesn’t move the needle either.
Easily the most egregious move involves allowing Bogaerts to leave in free agency. Yes, his 11-year, $280 million deal from the San Diego Padres is an overpay, but the front office shouldn’t have ever allowed him to hit free agency in the first place. And as a result, the Sox are stuck in the middle wondering whether they are contending or rebuilding.
The problem is the front office doesn’t even seem to know the answer to that question. This team has shown a shocking lack of interest in keeping their best players around, or even adding good players to their current group. They needed to have a strong free agency period, but so far, Boston’s free agency work has been anything but strong.
Final Grade: F
The Red Sox made it to the ALCS back in 2021, but quickly fell back down the totem pole to finish last in the American League East in 2022. This team has talent, but the front office doesn’t seem interested in adding to the current core group. They have let stars walk away for nothing, and have shown no willingness to pay top dollar to land the best players in the game.
In a big market such as Boston, that simply isn’t going to cut it. The front office has completely dismantled the 2018 Red Sox World Series team that was one of the most imposing forces in the game. The moves the team have made are OK at best, but it just reinforces the notion that this team has no idea what their identity is. And until they figure that out, they will continue to be mired in mediocrity for the foreseeable future.
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