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  • Boston Red Sox Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Boston Red Sox free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Matthew Lenz
    The Boston Red Sox are 29-33 and nine games out of first place in the American League East. While they haven't waived the white flag themselves, Jeff Passan of ESPN is reporting that another GM indicated that star outfielders Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran could be moved before the trade deadline.
    It's been a disappointing season thus for for the Red Sox who entered the year with aspirations of ending their three-year postseason absence. Unfortunately, under performance and a bevy of injuries has the club four games under .500 and 4.5 games out of a wild card spot. 
    Duran and Abreu would draw significant trade interest if officially put on the block. Both players have been well above-average producers at the plate this season.
    Do you think the Red Sox should move these two or ride out the injuries and stay the course?
    Matthew Lenz
    Following a 5-0 shutout on Saturday night, the Boston Red Sox are expected to make two roster moves on Sunday ahead of the rubber match against the Atlanta Braves.
    Chris Henrique of the Boston Sports Journal was the first to report the Eaton move, and Chris Cotillo of MassLive was the first on the recall of Luis Guerrero.
    While Eaton isn't the position player Red Sox fans were hoping to seen selected, the 28-year-old utility man can play all three outfield positions, as well as the hot corner, and has a 116 wRC+ in 225 plate appearances at Triple-A Worchester. He's had two stints in the big-leagues with the Kansas City Royals with a career slash line of .201/.266./.283 with one home run and 14 stolen bases. The Red Sox signed him to a minor league deal this offseason.
    Guerrero, who has pitched 5 1/3 innings this season for the Red Sox, is being recalled after a short stint in Triple-A Worcester. In fact, adding him to the roster today would require the Red Sox to make a corresponding injured list move as it's within the 10 days of being demoted. Guerrero struggled a bit in 20 1/3 Triple-A innings, but otherwise has looked deserving of bigger role with the Red Sox. Albeit a small sample, Guerrero has a 0.59 ERA, 2.42 FIP, and a 14.0% K-BB rate in 15 1/3 career big-league innings.
    UPDATE: RHP Justin Slaten has been placed on the IL.
    Davy Andrews
    Well, the Red Sox are clearly concerned about the catcher situation after Connor Wong's fractured pinkie. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, they've agreed to a minor league deal with Yasmani Grandal, who, despite his age, was one of the better catchers on the free agent market this offseason, but never got signed. The team has Carlos Narváez taking over the starting role for Wong, and they called Blake Sabol up Blake Sabol to serve as the backup. The team also has Seby Zavala in Triple-A, but they clearly feel that the position could use reinforcement. Grandal put up 2.0 fWAR with the Pirates in 2024, which was tied for 16th-best among catchers. We'll have more on this move first thing on Friday.
    Davy Andrews
    Just when you thought the Red Sox were done, they've signed yet another franchise cornerstone to an extension. According to MassLive's Christopher Smith, the team has signed Kristian Campbell to an eight-year contract extension just two days after locking down Garrett Crochet to a long-term deal. We don't know the terms yet, but we'll have a full article up soon and keep updating it as news rolls in.
     
    Davy Andrews
    Well, it's finally happening. According to Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston, Kristian Campbell is breaking camp with the Red Sox. He'll be on the Opening Day roster, and will presumably be the team's starting second baseman. We'll obviously write more about this on Monday (and probably throughout the week), but in the meantime, how do you feel about the decision?
    Matthew Lenz
    Sean McAdam of MassLive is reporting that Rafael Devers considered asking for a trade shortly after the Boston Red Sox signed third baseman Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal.
    Ultimately, it's unknown if the request was formally ever made, but there has seemingly been some tension between Devers camp and Red Sox brass since Bregman joined the club. Initially, right as camp was getting underway, Devers was adamant that he would not be moving off the hot corner. Fortunately, he came out just a day or two ago and backed off those comments stating he'd do "whatever the Red Sox want [him] to do". 
    Red Sox skipper Álex Cora hasn't announced any decisions on who will play wear and Bregman has been manning third baseman in spring training while Devers ramps up for the season. Prior to signing, Bregman had shared with teams that he was open to moving to second base. Moreover, many suspected that, if Bregman was added, Devers might shift to first and the Red Sox would look to move Tristan Casas.
    Alas, we are roughly two weeks away and all three players remain on the club while there haven't been any rumors to suggest what the Opening Day line up may look like.
    What does your Opening Day lineup look like? Where do Devers, Bregman, and Casas slot in? Join the conversation in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    Aside from acquiring Garrett Crochet, it's been a fairly quiet offseason for the Boston Red Sox. After reportedly being "in the mix" on Alex Bregman over the last couple of weeks, Jon Morosi of MLB Network is reporting that they have had "recent communication" with the St. Louis Cardinals regarding Nolan Arenado.
    There doesn't seem to be any clear indication on what this means for the Red Sox and Bregman but, as Morosi points out, a trade before Bregman signing would have implications on his market.
    Rumors have been swirling around the Red Sox pair of corner infielders, particularly Triston Casas being the subject of trade rumors. Any acquisition of a third basemen would almost assuredly put the nail in the coffin for Casas in Red Sox uniform as Rafael Devers would shift over to first base.
    The Cardinals have been looking to shed salary as they look towards a multi-year rebuild. They owe Arenado $64MM over the next three seasons: $27MM this year, $22MM in 2026, and $15MM in 2027.
    Do you think the Red Sox should make a move for Arenado or stay in the fight for Bregman?
    Davy Andrews
    Some of us have been waiting for this day for quite a while. This morning, Baseball Prospectus released its rankings for the top 100 prospects across baseball. Unsurprisingly, Roman Anthony is still ranked number one. The big news is that Kristian Campbell's incredible 2024 season has pushed him all the way up to number three. Marcelo Mayer checks in at number 25. No other Red Sox prospects made the list, which is unsurprising after the amount of prospect capital they moved in order to get Garrett Crochet and Carlos Narváez. The Dodgers are the only team with two prospects in the top 10 and three in the top 25.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Alex Speier of The Boston Globe wrote that the Red Sox are pursuing extensions of one or all of their "Big Three" prospects: Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer.
    Frankly, it'd be surprising if the Sox weren't interested in extending any of these players, particularly Anthony, who spent much of last year as the consensus #1 prospect in baseball.
    Teams have been wildly successful in extending some of the best prospects in baseball as or even before they play a major league game. Last season, the Brewers inked outfielder Jackson Chourio to a long-term deal with multiple team options while he was still a teenager. Chourio unsurprisingly scuffled early in the 2024 season before becoming a dark horse in the Rookie of the Year balloting, completing the season with a 3.9 fWAR in 148 games played.
    Davy Andrews
    According to Katie Woo, who covers the Cardinals for The Athletic, the Cardinals are running out of options in their quest to clear Nolan Arenado's salary from their books. After Arenado, who has a full no-trade clause, nixed the idea of being traded to the Astros, "there has been next to no traction in his trade talks," she wrote. Arenado was open to the Dodgers, but they weren't interested. The Yankees checked in, but weren't willing to pay what the Cardinals wanted. That leaves the Red Sox. Woo wrote, "Multiple league sources indicate the Red Sox represent Arenado's last chance to get dealt before the 2025 season."
    Alex Mayes wrote about the possibility of trading for Arenado here at Talk Sox this morning, but the extent of Boston's interest in Arenado is unclear. The 33-year-old is owed $74 million over the next three years and is coming off the worst two-season stretch of his career. He would represent a clear defensive upgrade at third base, but the Red Sox would have to displace franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers in order to make room for him.
    Davy Andrews
    On Monday night, Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors wrote that Chris Martin is signing a one-year deal with the Rangers. This outcome always seemed the likeliest, as the 38-year-old Martin lives in Texas and had made it known that he was looking to retire after 2025 and wanted to spend his final season pitching closer to home. All the same, it's a sad day for the Red Sox. It's hard to overstate just how good Martin has been, not just with the Red Sox over the past two years, but over his entire career. Martin has a career 2.96 FIP. This century, among the 366 different relievers who have thrown at least 300 innings, that ranks 25th. Since 2020, 70 relievers have thrown at least 200 innings. Among that group, Martin's 2.66 ERA ranks ninth. The Red Sox have added to the bullpen this offseason, but they haven't added anyone with a consistent track record for success like Martin's, and they're sure to miss him.
    Davy Andrews
    The Red Sox weren't publicly linked to Gleyber Torres in any prominent fashion. However, now that the Tigers have signed the second baseman, Evan Petznold of the Detroit Free Press reports that the Red Sox were one of many, many teams in on him. The list also includes the Reds, Guardians, Angels, Giants, Blue Jays and Nationals. Torres is coming off a slightly down season, but has been a solid second baseman since his debut in 2018. The Red Sox have an obvious need at second base, and Torres was apparently insistent on a one-year deal, which would fit with their recent predilections. So far this offseason, the only player the Sox have signed to a multi-year deal was Patrick Sandoval, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and will only have one full year with the team.
    Throughout the offseason, I have been tracking teams that were reported to have interest in a player after they signed or got traded elsewhere. The Red Sox have appeared on the list eight times. No other team has been on it more than five times.
    Brock Beauchamp
    David Schoenfield of ESPN wrote that the Red Sox are one of several teams vying for Alex Bregman's services in 2025 and beyond. The list of teams is a collection of baseball heavyweights so competition may be fierce; along with the Boston Sox, interested parties include the Philadelphia Phillies, both New York teams, and the Houston Astros.
    Bregman will play his age-31 season in 2025. He posted a 118 OPS+ last season and has a career 132 mark. Those are impressive but what Bregman would bring to the Red Sox infield is defensive stability at the hot corner: he has a career +27 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) and +22 OAA (Outs Above Average).
    And as our own Davy Andrews wrote early in the offseason, Bregman is a great fit to dent the Monster on a nightly basis.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Jon Morosi tweeted a nugget: the Red Sox aren't done pursuing starters.
    If this is true, CBO Craig Breslow is serious about stabilizing the Red Sox rotation for 2025 and beyond. The Mariners have a slew of good starters but have stated they're not keen on the idea of trading the young cost-controlled core of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo.
    The Mariners also have 32-year-old Luis Castillo rostered, who could likely be had for a reasonable prospect return due to the fact he is owed roughly $24 million per season through 2027 with a $25 million vesting option in 2028.
    The Red Sox are now reduced to a "Big Three" with the removal of Kyle Teel in the Garrett Crochet trade. If they decide to pursue one of Gilbert, Kirby, or Miller it's likely that will be reduced to a "Big Two".
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    Chris Cotillo of Mass Live wrote that the Red Sox are preparing an offer for free-agent starting pitcher Corbin Burnes.
    The Sox have had a rough week, losing two bidding wars against New York teams: Juan Soto ended up in Queens while Max Fried ended up in the rival Bronx.
    It feels slightly odd that it is being reported Boston is "preparing an offer" this late in the game. Is it their initial offer or a revised offer in the wake of losing two of their targets early in this offseason?
    Burnes himself has questions lingering around him. He's the closest thing to an "innings eater" we see in the modern game, pitching at least 167 innings a season every year since 2021. He also peaked in 2021, winning the National League Cy Young award with Milwaukee.
    Since that time, Burnes peripherals have been trending down in a problematic way. His strikeout percentage peaked at 30.4% in his award-winning season but has dropped each season since, ending up at only 17.0% in 2024. Burnes is 30 years old through the 2025 season.
    Matthew Lenz
    Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe ($$) is reporting that the Red Sox are interested in right-handed starting pitcher Walker Buehler. He's another name of the laundry list of pitchers who have been tied to the team, including Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Blake Snell (before he was signed). That doesn't include trade candidates such as Garrett Crochet, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo.
    What makes this report surprising is that Buehler, a former top prospect, is coming off an abysmal 2024 season upon his return from Tommy John surgery. The surgery forced him to miss the better part of two seasons and upon his return he posted a 5.38 ERA / 5.54 FIP with a lowly 10.5% K-BB rate.
    Previously, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow had spoken of raising the ceiling to compete for the AL East and to make a deep playoff run, yet Buehler is more of a high-risk bounce back arm. While there is upside to bet on with Buehler, it's just not the type of move I'd expect the Red Sox to make given the previous statements made by Breslow.
    Earlier this offseason, MLB Trade Rumors predicted the 30-year-old to get a one year deal worth $15 million. Would you want the Red Sox to sign him for that number? Or at all?
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