By all accounts the Red Sox offseason is over. The equipment trucks are already en route to Fort Myers and in less than a week pitchers and catchers will report for the first workout of the spring.
And while the club’s top decision-makers have tempered expectations, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy said Monday he views the Red Sox roster as an unfinished product. Perhaps there might still be some last-minute moves in the cards?
It wouldn’t be unprecedented.
In 2018, the Red Sox didn’t reach an agreement with J.D. Martinez until well after spring training was underway, and the club didn’t sign Trevor Story in 2022 until barely a week before Opening Day, nearly two weeks after the lockout ended. Given how slowly the MLB offseason has gone as a whole and how many top players are still available, it’s not crazy to imagine the club’s recent tone shift could be at least partially a negotiating posture.
And if pitchers and catchers report and some of the top free agents’ prices start coming down, perhaps the Red Sox may still move to strike a deal.
That could be overly optimistic — the Red Sox certainly haven’t earned the benefit of the doubt — but if there are still any moves coming, here are a few that make sense.
Sign Jordan Montgomery
This one is such a no-brainer that it’s honestly weird the Red Sox don’t seem to be trying harder. It’s gotten to a point where national reporters like Ken Rosenthal are expressing outright bewilderment that Boston hasn’t been among the top suitors when by all accounts the two sides should be a perfect match.
Boston’s biggest need is a top of the rotation arm, which Montgomery is. They need someone with a proven track record of posting every five days and pitching deep into games, which Montgomery has. Ideally they’d like someone with championship experience, and Montgomery just played a key role in leading the Texas Rangers to their first World Series title. Plus, on top of all that, Montgomery is already living in Boston while his wife completes her dermatology residency at a local hospital.
Short of bald-faced stinginess, the only explanation for passing on Montgomery that makes sense is the Red Sox sincerely believe he isn’t actually that good, and that they’d rather wait a year and invest their money in someone like Zack Wheeler instead.
The whole thing is especially odd when you consider that many of the other suitors for Montgomery, most notably the Rangers, are dealing with serious uncertainty relating to their local broadcast revenue. That’s not a problem for the Red Sox thanks to NESN, so for as long as Montgomery is available they should be in the hunt, and if they ultimately come through and sign him it would immediately change the tone of what has otherwise been a highly discouraging offseason.
Sign Jorge Soler
The Red Sox made no effort to bring back Justin Turner, and while a healthy and productive Story would go a long way towards replacing his production, the club could still use one more big right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup.
Soler is likely the most impactful addition the Red Sox could still make. The 31-year-old slugger hit 36 home runs with the Marlins last year, and while he’d primarily serve as designated hitter like Turner, Soler is also capable of playing outfield. That would enable the Red Sox to maintain some degree of flexibility, allowing both Masataka Yoshida and Soler to split DH time while Tyler O’Neill and Wilyer Abreu form a potentially impactful platoon.
Bring back Adam Duvall
If not Soler, the most sensible move to improve the lineup might just be to bring back Duvall. The veteran outfielder enjoyed a productive season with the Red Sox last season, hitting 21 home runs with an .834 OPS despite missing about a third of the season with a broken wrist. He’s also better defensively than Soler and has proven he can adequately play center or right field, no easy feat at Fenway Park.
The 35-year-old could likely be had on another one-year deal, which wouldn’t tie up future money or block prospects like Ceddanne Rafaela or Roman Anthony over the long run. It would be a simple, low-risk move to raise the lineup’s floor, and if Duvall can maintain his prior level of production and avoid another fluky injury, it’s not outlandish to imagine he could post 25-30 home runs.
Trade Kenley Jansen
Of all the Red Sox rumors we’ve heard bandied in recent weeks, a potential Kenley Jansen trade is unfortunately the one that’s circulated the most. Jansen is among the best closers of the 21st century and solved Boston’s long-running late-inning woes upon his arrival last year, but he’s also owed $16 million in 2024, so the theory is the Red Sox could move him to clear salary and potentially use the savings to spend elsewhere.
On some level the idea has merit. Paying a closer $16 million when you aren’t projected to be a playoff team doesn’t necessarily make the most sense, so if the club can find an adequate replacement it could theoretically get more bang from its buck if that money were reallocated to a starting pitcher or a right-handed bat.
The problem is that calculus only holds up if you grant that the Red Sox actually need to cut salary before they can spend. Considering the club’s current payroll is projected at around $200 million, down $25 million from last year and $37 million under the luxury tax threshold, that shouldn’t be the case. Given that there isn’t an obvious replacement on the roster and that the options on the free agent market are dwindling, the Red Sox would be better off tabling this idea and rolling with Jansen for one more year.
