Article: You’re the Red Sox GM! Plotting My Moves: If You’re Going To Spend, Spend Big

[Alex Mayes]

If the Boston Red Sox want to appease their fans, they'll have to go all in. Why not spend like it's World Series or bust? 

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That’s right, I'm going there. I’m trusting the process, buying into the messaging, and as the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox, I’ve been told to spend to make us contenders. And if trades need to be made to help make it happen, we’ve got log jams that need to be cleared. When plotting this exercise I decided that sign everyone because it isn’t my money wasn’t a realistic approach, so I tried to keep this to something that I legitimately could see happening. Some fan favorites are going to be dealt, but I've managed to keep the farm system in good shape. Let’s start with the trades. First, Garrett Crochet is headed to Boston.

Boston Red Sox Receive: Garrett Crochet
Chicago White Sox Receive: Wilyer Abreu, Kutter Crawford, Jhostynxon Garcia

This trade makes sense for both sides. The Red Sox get a left-handed, top-of-the-rotation pitcher and the White Sox get a Gold Glove outfielder with pop, a reliable starting pitcher to help bridge the gap until they are ready to compete again, and a young prospect with a ton of promise. Crochet would play incredibly well at Fenway Park. If we overlay his spray chart over Fenway, we notice a few things.

 

First, some of those outs in left field will turn into singles and doubles instead of home runs due to the nature of the Green Monster. Luckily, the Red Sox employ multiple outfielders who understand how to play in front of the Monster and can help limit the damage to balls hit to left. On top of that, one of the biggest strengths of the Red Sox is their glove-first outfielders. Crochet can step on the mound knowing anything hit to the outfield is going to be snared and controlled, even with the addition of a certain outfielder we’ll get to later. The second trade I’d make is within the division.

Boston Red Sox Receive: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Toronto Blue Jays Receive: Triston Casas, Miguel Bleis, David Sandlin

This trade may rub some people the wrong way. It’s a lot to give up for one player, but it is well worth it. Vladimir Gurerrero Jr. is a game-changer at first base. As a big fan of Casas, he’s upgradeable in someone like Vladdy. It’s no secret to Red Sox fans that Vladdy absolutely mashes at Fenway Park. The spray chart shows that. On top of the added home runs to left, he sneaks quite a few around the Pesky Pole as well. Casas could easily be the first baseman of the future in Boston, Miguel Bleis has the potential to be a true five-tool player, and David Sandlin could be one of the most intriguing arms in the system but when presented with the chance to add even more power to this lineup, you jump at it. 

Next, we move to the free agent signings. I’ve got money to spend and I’m planning on spending big. To start, we need two major pitching upgrades. First, go big for another starter and sign Blake Snell to a four-year, $120-million contract. Yes, Snell is turning 32 next month and this contract will take him through his age-36 season. However, the Red Sox have lacked a top-of-the-rotation, ace-level starter for years. Even with the Crochet trade, there’s still room for improvement. Snell’s Baseball Savant page is red-hot, literally. He’s a four-seam first pitcher with excellent strikeout and whiff rates. He misses barrels, something the rotation lacked in 2024. He adds a veteran voice to the clubhouse and can provide steady leadership to a young starting rotation. 

The second addition to the pitching staff comes in the form of a lockdown closer to captain the bullpen, Tanner Scott. A five-year, $60-million contract should be enough to bring him to Boston. The Red Sox have seemed like they have been in on Scott since the end of the season and he would make too much sense to ignore. Scott is a proven closer, notching 22 saves in 2024 while going 9-6 in wins and losses. He can slot into any situation and be trusted to take the mound and deliver results. He mainly throws two pitches, a four-seam fastball and a slider that play off each other incredibly well. Scott is the answer to the hole in the back of the bullpen, even with multiple people already in the organization who could step into the closer role. They would gladly move into a setup role to let someone like Scott close out games on a regular basis. To make room for Scott, Red Sox would DFA left-hander Brennan Bernardino. 

Finally, the big fish. The man who can learn to play the Green Monster on the fly because his bat is that good. And yes, he’s left-handed. That’s right, the one and only Juan Soto. My contract offer to him would be 13 years for $675 million with player opt-outs built into the contract after year six. Details from last week's meeting indicate that Soto is interested in the team's young core, and an approach that focuses on landing proven major leaguers without sacrificing the top tier of prospects should appeal to him. The Red Sox are poised to compete for every year of his contract and to instantly become a destination for free agents. We don’t have to rehash Soto’s numbers on the year but his slash line was .288/.419/.569. We all know he is the best hitter in the sport and hitting at Fenway Park should more than make him happy. Let’s look at that spray chart overlay. He should be salivating at taking aim at the Green Monster and roping monster home runs to dead center. Juan Soto would be the best hitter since Ted Williams to play for the Boston Red Sox. 

 

Let’s look at what the entire roster would look like after these additions. 

C: Connor Wong
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2B: Vaughn Grissom
3B: Rafael Devers
SS: Trevor Story
LF: Juan Soto
CF: Jarren Duran
RF: Ceddanne Rafaela
DH: Masataka Yoshida

4th OF: Rob Refsnyder
Utility: David Hamilton
Utility: Romy Gonzalez
Backup C: Kyle Teel

 

SP1: Blake Snell
SP2: Garrett Crochet
SP3: Tanner Houck
SP4: Brayan Bello
SP5: Lucas Giolito

RP: Liam Hendricks
RP: Michael Fulmer
RP: Garrett Whitlock
RP: Justin Wilson
RP: Cooper Criswell
RP: Josh Winckowski
RP: Justin Slaten
RP: Tanner Scott

These trades and signings would likely put the Red Sox around $247 million going into next season. That’s a ton of money, but it would be far from the most expensive roster in the league. The Red Sox are a big market team and should act like one. Bringing in top-tier free agents and adding ace-caliber talent through trades is exactly how they should operate year after year. If it were up to me, the offseason would already be in full swing and the fans would be talking about how the Boston Red Sox are the odds-on favorites to go to the World Series in 2025. 

 

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