MLB Writer Believes Red Sox Should Sign These Free Agents

Major League Baseball fans are a month away from free agency starting to heat up, and Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has multiple paths to take.

Boston leadership has committed to turning things around, and Breslow hinted that could start with the pitching staff. The Red Sox also have other needs, including at second base, and while all eyes will be on Shohei Ohtani, there still are quality names for Breslow and his staff to consider.

David Schoenfield on Wednesday aimed to find a home for ESPN’s top 25 free agents, as well as other notable names on the market, and projected where he sees all the names going. The MLB writer had the Red Sox filling multiple needs by signing pitchers Marcus Stroman and Nick Martinez, left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and second baseman Amed Rosario.

“It will be interesting to see how new GM Craig Breslow attacks his first offseason,” Schoenfield wrote. “The Red Sox are more retooling than rebuilding, but you have to believe Breslow will be aggressive given former GM Chaim Bloom was fired in part for being too cautious. The nice thing is all the Red Sox have to do is spend some money. If Red Sox fans want to dream big, Ohtani supposedly loves Fenway Park, but I’m having the Red Sox spread that money around a little bit.

“Stroman offers some needed consistency to the rotation — he’s had an ERA under 4.00 each of the past four seasons he’s pitched — while Martinez gives them a valuable starter/reliever hybrid. Gurriel is coming off a 3.0-WAR season with Arizona with solid defensive metrics and would push Masataka Yoshida into a regular DH role, while Rosario is a stopgap until prospects Marcelo Mayer and Nick Yorke are ready. They could also try to trade outfielder Alex Verdugo.”

Breslow acknowledged Verdugo drew interest in trade conversations during the general manager meetings, but the Red Sox still have multiple options to choose from when it comes to the outfield. Gurriel helped the Diamondbacks reach the World Series, so Boston could count on his big-game experience.

Stroman would be an interesting name for the Red Sox to consider. If Boston misses out on Jordan Montgomery or National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell, the Chicago Cubs starter would be a solid option, especially since he was linked to Boston the last time he hit free agency in 2021. The right-hander also was public about his praise for Fenway Park and Boston players like Rafael Devers and Tanner Houck.

Boston already made small transactions, so it would not be a surprise if Breslow continued to find ways to improve the roster. Whether it will be the names Schoenfield pointed to will depend on how the market shakes out.