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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 looking to be aggressive this offseason, and the stove is already getting hot for the team. While MLBTR previously listed Jarren Duran (and Wilyer Abreu) as one of the top 40 trade candidates this offseason, Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggests that it is a focus of the team this offseason.
    Yesterday, Nightengale reported that the Boston Red Sox "believe they need an upgrade over Jarren Duran and that he needs a fresh start." He took it even further by stating that "it would be a massive surprise if he's in Fort Myers come spring training.
    Duran, who is controllable through 2028, has been a polarizing figure throughout his career. From multiple controversial comments to up-and-down performances, the 29-year-old has been the subject of trade rumors in the past, and those rumors may continue this offseason. In 2025, he carried an OPS of .774 with 16 home runs and 24 stolen bases across 696 plate appearances.
    Do you think the Red Sox should move Duran before Opening Day 2025? Join the conversation in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    Lucas Giolito put together a strong season for the Boston Red Sox in 2025 - a year removed from UCL surgery. Given his productivity, he declined his side of a mutual option, and days later, he learned that the Red Sox would not tender him a qualifying offer, effectively making him a free agent.
    However, Giolito is very open to coming back. On Rob Bradford's 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast, Giolito stated, "I made it clear to everybody. I would love to come back here and continue to play for the Red Sox."
    Giolito pitched 145 innings during the regular season across 26 starts. He had an impressive 3.41 ERA, though his FIP was 4.17 and could indicate some negative regression. Additionally, his K-BB% settled at a lowly 10.6% due to an elevated walk rate of 9.1%. Giolito was sidelined late in the year due to an elbow injury, keeping him off the Red Sox postseason roster. Of the injury, Giolito said, "There’s no injury, or whatever injury there was is gone.  It was a weird, freak thing that popped up at the worst possible time..."
    MLBTR projects him to make $32 million over two years on the open market. Do you think the Red Sox should look to bring him back?
     
    Matthew Lenz
    One way or another, the Boston Red Sox will be looking to spend a lot of money (again) this offseason. Who they spend the money on remains to be seen. Just a week into the 2025-2026 offseason, and they have been linked to top free agents Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Pete Alonso, and Kyle Schwarber. In fact, Ian Browne of MLB.com recently provided insight into the team's preferences.
    In an AMA thread on Reddit, Browne said the Boston Red Sox prefer Pete Alonso to Kyle Schwarber. Browne cited the fact that Schwarber was tendered a qualifying offer, meaning the Red Sox will lose a draft pick if they sign him. Additionally, they prefer Alonso's right-handed bat in Fenway Park.
    Alonso appeared in all 162 games for the New York Mets, recording 38 home runs and scoring 87 runs. He raised his OPS nearly 90 points from 2024 to 2025, finishing with a mark of .871 this season. Overall, he posted a wOBA of .368 and a wRC+ of 142. Defensively, Alonso recorded a -9 Outs Above Average (OAA) and a -9 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) over the course of the season. MLBTR projects him to get a four-year, $110 million deal.
    Schwarber recorded 56 home runs, scored 111 runs, and added 10 stolen bases. His performance resulted in a .928 OPS, .391 wOBA, and a wRC+ of 153. He was primarily used as a designated hitter, appearing in left field for only eight games throughout the season. MLBTR projects him to get $135 million over five years.
    Do you think the Red Sox should target Alonso or Schwarber?
    Nick John
    The Boston Red Sox made a move Thursday afternoon to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, as they needed to reinstate several players from the 60-day injured list. To open up room on the roster, the team designed right-handed pitcher Luis Guerrero for assignment, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo.
    Guerrero, a 17th-round draft pick in 2021, spent parts of two seasons in the majors with the Red Sox, appearing in 22 games and throwing 27 1/3 innings to a 2.63 ERA. Despite having some of the best raw stuff of anyone in the system, his command and control along with inconsistency held him back during his time in Boston. In his 27 1/3 innings pitched, Guerrero had allowed 16 walks. The 2025 season was when his inconsistency issues were at their worst, as he allowed 14 walks in 17 1/3 innings across 13 games.
    Guerrero last pitched for Boston on June 27 against Toronto, when he went 1/3 of an inning and allowed two runs on a walk and two hits. He would be placed on the 15-day injured list the next day for a right elbow strain before being transferred to the 60-day injured list on August 2.
    With the DFA of Guerrero along with previous cuts of Isaiah Campbell and José De León, the Red Sox 40-man roster currently sits at 40.
    Matthew Lenz
    Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran is sure to be one of the most discussed players this offseason as beat writers, reporters, and contributors stoke the hot stove.
    Despite avoiding arbitration and agreeing to a one-year deal yesterday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network speculated that Boston Duran could be traded to the Detroit Tigers this offseason. On an episode of Hot Stove, Morosi predicted Duran "would be a great fit with the Detroit Tigers … Do not be surprised if Jarren Duran is wearing the old English D by opening day." It's important to re-emphasize that this is just speculation and not anything supported by sources from within either organization.
    Duran, who is controllable through 2028, has been a polarizing figure throughout his career. From multiple controversial comments to up-and-down performances, the 29-year-old has been the subject of trade rumors in the past, and those rumors may continue this offseason. In 2025, he carried an OPS of .774 with 16 home runs and 24 stolen bases across 696 plate appearances.
    Do you think the Red Sox should move Duran before Opening Day 2025? Join the conversation in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    After a season where the Boston Red Sox fell short of expectations, they've had a very busy start to the offseason with option decisions. These decisions have started to paint the picture of what the 2025-2026 offseason may hold and what needs to be done to the roster to meet their goals for next season.
    One of the bigger questions they're tasked with is figuring out the plans at first base. After a devastating knee injury to Triston Casas, first base was a bit of a merry-go-round with Nathaniel Lowe and Romy Gonzalez getting a bulk of the reps in the second half of the season. While both players are controllable in 2026, Casas is hoping to be healthy by the time Spring Training rolls around. However, at the end of the season, in an interview with Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow was non-committal to Casas's future, stating, "I don’t think it makes a ton of sense on October 6 to say someone is or isn’t our first baseman. We’ll see how things play out..."
    Ultimately, it's those comments that may have prompted the cryptic message from Casas:
    Casas, who was struggling at the plate prior to his injury, is projected for a very team-friendly $1.7 million salary in his first year of arbitration.
    What do you think he means in his Instagram post? Should the Red Sox move on from him? Join the conversation in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    The Boston Red Sox will lose one coach looking to climb the MLB ranks, and rumors are swirling that a second might soon follow.
    Rob Bradford of WEEI is reporting that Chris Hess, the Double-A Portland hitting coach, has been hired as the assistant hitting coach for the Miami Marlins at the big league level. This comes days after it was being speculated that Justin Willard is expected to be hired as the next pitching coach for the New York Yankees Mets. Willard has served as the Red Sox director of pitching for each of the last two seasons.
    While that isn't ideal, Bradford has a glass half full perspective, stating "You hire. You develop. You lose good people who get better titles. The Red Sox should take it as a compliment."
    Hess has been with the organization since 2021, most recently working with top prospects Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell.
    How do you think this will impact hitting prospects with the Portland Seadogs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
    Nick John
    In what was an expected outcome, the Boston Red Sox have declined Liam Hendriks' $12 million option for the 2026 season. Hendriks will instead receive a $2 million buyout. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported the news first.
    Hendriks, who signed with the Red Sox as spring training was beginning in 2024, was rehabbing from surgery. While he started a rehab assignment in the second half of the season, Hendriks did not pitch in the majors in 2024.
    2025 was more of the same when it came to Hendriks staying healthy as he opened the season on the injured list die to right elbow inflammation before being activated on April 19. Hendriks would end up back on the injured list with right hip inflammation on May 30 before being transferred to the 60-Day injured list in early July.
    When healthy, Hendriks struggled with the Red Sox, appearing in 14 games and going 0-2 with a 6.59 ERA in 13 2/3 innings.
    Hendriks, entering his age-37 season will look to sign with another team an in attempt to continue his career.
    Matthew Lenz
    It's only the third day of the 2025-2026 Major League Baseball offseason, and the Boston Red Sox have already been busy making a variety of roster moves.
    Yesterday, decisions were made regarding the future of Lucas Giolito and Alex Bregman with the club, and today, two more dominoes are falling into place.  Christopher Smith of MassLive is reporting that the team and Jarren Duran have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a 1-year, $7.7 million deal. Additionally, Trevor Story is expected to opt in after the Red Sox exercised their half of a mutual option.
    Duran, who is controllable through 2028, has been a polarizing figure throughout his career. From multiple controversial comments to up-and-down performances, the 29-year-old has been the subject of trade rumors in the past, and those rumors may continue this offseason. In 2025, he carried an OPS of .774 with 16 home runs and 24 stolen bases across 696 plate appearances.
    Story enjoyed a bounce-back season after a devastating injury in 2024. Missing only five games all season, he produced a .741 OPS with 25 home runs and 31 stolen bases. In all, he finished with a .320 wOBA and a 101 wRC+.
    What are your thoughts on these deals? Do you think Duran could still get traded? Let us know in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    As the 2025-2026 MLB offseason gets underway, the Boston Red Sox suddenly have a lot of money available to them following the option decisions of Alex Bregman and Lucas Giolito. They also have decisions looming on Jarren Duran and Liam Hendriks, as well as on whether to submit a qualifying offer on Giolito.
    On Tuesday, Rob Bradford of WEEI named Shane Bieber, Chris Bassitt, and Bo Bichette as potential offseason targets for the Red Sox to fill the team's newly identified needs. 
    Regarding Bieber and Bassitt, Bradford says, "Boston was the only place Bieber visited during last offseason when looking for a new team...and the 30-year-old certainly continued to help his stock with his postseason performance. Another potentially cheaper option might be another Toronto [Blue Jays] starter, Chris Bassitt, who manager Alex Cora has long been a fan of." While Bieber ended up signing with the Cleveland Guardians, he eventually became teammates with Bassitt in Toronto after a deadline deal. Both pitchers were key contributors down the stretch and throughout the playoffs.
    Though the Red Sox are expected to pursue Bregman, and it's been rumored they're interested in Pete Alonso, Bradford identifies Beckett as another "go-hard-or-go-home" target. Due to injury, Bichette was limited to seven postseason games with a .923 OPS, including a massive three-run home run off of Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series. Across 139 regular-season games, he hit 18 home runs and had a 134 wRC+, cementing himself as one of the game's best shortstops.
    Do you think the Red Sox should pursue any of these names? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    While the Boston Red Sox as a team didn't bring home any hardware, two of their players may need to make room on their mantles for individual awards.
    The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWA) announced its award finalists on Monday, including Garrett Crochet as a Cy Young award finalist and Roman Anthony as a Rookie of the Year award finalist. Detroit Tigers Starting Pitcher Tarik Skubal is the favorite to win his second Cy Young in as many seasons, and Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz is the favorite for Rookie of the Year.
    Crochet, in his first season with the Red Sox, started 32 games, throwing a career high 205 1/3 innings. He posted a 2.59 ERA (2.89 FIP) and a 25.6% K-BB rate. Relying more heavily on his sinker than in years past, it proved to be the perfect pitch to counteract one of the best sweepers in the league. Opponents batted  .226 and .126 against the sinker and sweeper, respectively.

    The 21-year-old Anthony made his big league debut on June 9th against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. After collecting just two hits in his first nine games (.064 batting average), he turned things around, finishing the season with an .859 OPS, eight home runs, and four stolen bases. Though he had an elevated strikeout rate of 27.7%, he also sported an elite 13.2% walk rate. This all accumulated to a 140 wRC+ in 303 plate appearances. On the defensive side of the ball, he accumulated 6 Outs Above Average (OAA) in just 55 games, which would rank him 12th in baseball amongst other outfielders had he had the innings to qualify.
    Do you think either player will take home their respective awards? Let us know in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    Hours after the Boston Red Sox received confirmation that superstar third baseman Alex Bregman was opting out of his deal, they learned another player would follow suit.
    Alex Speier of the Boston Globe is reporting that Boston Red Sox Starting Pitcher Lucas Giolito has declined his mutual option. He will receive a $1.5 million buyout and hopes to earn at least $17.5 million in 2026 and/or future years via free agency. However, the Red Sox could opt to give him a qualifying offer of $22 million.
    Giolito started 26 games, totaling 145 innings pitched. He finished the season with a pedestrian FIP of 4.17 and a subpar 10.6% K-BB rate due to an elevated walk rate. This marked his first full season pitching since undergoing a right elbow ulnar collateral ligament repair in March 2024, which could explain the difference in production between his first and second halves. In the first half of 2025, he posted a 3.67 FIP and 14.6% K-BB rate before the figurative wheels fell off in the second half. In total, Fangraphs has his 2025 value at the equivalent of a $15.6 million salary. While the Red Sox may try to bring him back via free agency, it seems unlikely they will give him a qualifying offer, given his production. On the other hand, a weak starting pitching market could drive up costs, leading to overpaying for players. Regardless, the Red Sox's primary goal will be to sign one of Bregman or Pete Alonso.
    Do you think the Red Sox should look to bring back Giolito? Let us know in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    The 2025-2026 offseason got underway on Sunday, allowing teams and players to make decisions on options for the 2026 season. To no surprise, Boston Red Sox third basemen swiftly made their decision.
    Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe is reporting that Bregman has opted out of his contract, as was fully expected. Both sides have expressed interest in a reunion for 2026 and beyond.
    Bregman finished the year with an OPS of .821 across 114 games. He hit 18 home runs and scored 64 runs, while adding one stolen base. His advanced metrics include a wOBA of .356 and a wRC+ of 125, indicating an above-average performance relative to the league. Bregman produced a total of 0 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and 1 Outs Above Average (OAA). The veteran infielder was acquired by Boston as a free agent in February 2025. In all, his season was worth 3.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
    He'll be one of the most sought-after free agents, if not the most, of the offseason. Eugenio Suarez represents another option on the hot corner for teams to pursue. It's previously been reported that the Red Sox will set their sights on Pete Alonso if talks with Bregman fall through.
    How much should the Red Sox offer the 32-year-old Bregman? Let us know in the comments! 
    Nick John
    While the Boston Red Sox weren’t the World Series champions in 2025, the team still managed to bring home some hardware in the form of two Gold Glove awards thanks to some amazing defense from their outfield.
    Winning his second consecutive Gold Glove award in right field was Wilyer Abreu, as the outfielder managed to put on a defensive display despite being limited to just 104 games in right field this season. In 847 1/3 innings, Abreu wound up with 215 putouts and seven outfield assists. He also started three double plays. In total, he finished the season with a .978 fielding percentage while putting up 15 Defensive Runs Saved, eight Outs Above Average, and a Fielding Run Value of eight. Of all right fielders in the majors, Abreu’s DRS was tied for second, his OAA was tied for second, and his FRV was second. He also led all right fielders with a 5.8 FanGraphs' defensive value.
    Joining Abreu is Ceddanne Rafaela, as the center fielder won his first Gold Glove after appearing in 141 games at the position. In 1167 1/3 innings, the walking highlight reel made 319 putouts while also earning eight assists. For the season he finished with a .985 fielding percentage at the position. Though, that may be an understatement of just how good he was in center. Out of all center fielders, Rafaela led all of the majors with 20 DRS, a good five runs above second place which belonged to Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs. His 22 OAA just barely allowed him to pass Crow-Armstrong for first, as did his Fielding Run Value of 22. Rafaela also led all center fielders with a defensive value of 18.7. Rafaela had previously been named the 2025 Fielding Bible Award winner for center field back near the end of October, being the first-ever Red Sox center fielder to win the award, though Abreu had won it in 2024 for right field.
    Carlos Narváez was also a finalist for a Gold Glove award for catchers, but the award instead went to Dillon Dingler of the Detroit Tigers
    Part of the Red Sox's success in 2025 was due in part to the great defensive effort of the outfield, and now two of the main contributors to that are being recognized with their rightfully owed awards.
    Matthew Lenz
    Every year, MLB Trade Rumors releases a list of the most likely trade candidates for the offseason. In this season's edition, they named a total of 40 players, including three Boston Red Sox in the top 24.
    Outfielders Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, as well as first baseman Triston Casas, were named the 12th, 13th, and 24th most likely trade candidates, respectively.
    Duran, who has an $8 million club option in 2026 and is controllable through 2028, has been a polarizing figure throughout his career. From multiple controversial comments to up-and-down performances, the 29-year-old has been the subject of trade rumors in the past, which will likely continue this offseason. In 2025, he carried an OPS of .774 with 16 home runs and 24 stolen bases across 696 plate appearances.
    Abreu, controllable through 2029, had a productive sophomore season that was limited due to injury. Playing in only 115 games, the 26-year-old still mashed 22 home runs to go along with six stolen bases. The Red Sox are fairly well stocked in the outfield, so dealing one, or even both, of these controllable outfielders to strengthen other position groups could make sense.
    Casas, who suffered a gruesome season-ending knee injury, is projected for a very team-friendly $1.7 million salary in his first year of arbitration. The soon-to-be 26-year-old has been the subject of trade talks in the past, and while the Red Sox don't have a solid contingency plan at first, we can expect more of the same this offseason. There have been rumors that if they don't re-sign Alex Bregman, who is expected to opt out, they could pursue Pete Alonso.
    Do you think the Red Sox should trade any of these players? Let us know in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    Following a disappointing 2025 season, the New York Mets parted ways with Jeremy Hefner, who had served as the team's pitching coach for six seasons.
    Will Sammon of The Athletic is reporting that Boston Red Sox Director of Pitching Justin Willard is "emerging as the favorite" to become the next New York Mets Pitching Coach.
    Willard, who has been in various roles in Major League Baseball since 2017, has been the Red Sox Director of Pitching for each of the last two seasons. He advocates for blending analytics and biomechanics with practical coaching instincts, focusing on maximizing a pitcher's best pitches while ensuring consistent strike-throwing. In a conversation with Ian Browne of MLB.com, Willard's philosophy is simple: "Throw nasty stuff in the zone."
    The Red Sox pitching staff was one of the best units in baseball in 2025, sporting a 3.98 FIP (10th) and an 18.4 fWAR (7th), though it posted a below-average 13.5% K-BB rate (18th).
    How do you think Willard's departure would impact the 2026 Red Sox pitching staff? Let us know in the comments!
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