Red Sox sign Ranger Suarez. 5 years $130 Million

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

6 hours ago, Randy Red Sox said:

FO apologist strikes again. 

Just because Suarez is the longest free agent contract the Sox have given in half a decade doesn't mean they weren't trying! The front office has told us every year they're all in full throttle so why wouldn't we believe this administration?

Things didn't align -- it happens... over and over again. Why would fans whine, anyway, when all they have to do is pay annual increases for ticket prices, concessions, cable, streaming and new shirt colors?

Ranger has no opt outs! (the Sox must actually want to keep him in Boston, while The Window's propped open with a shattered maple Old Hickory).

[moonslav59]

7 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

I'm not in love with the BTV Marte valuation.  Duran had a higher bWAR last year, over the past two years, and almost the same over the past three years.  If he repeats his 4.7 for 3 years, that's 14.1 bWAR, for maybe $52M.  Even if Marte does not decline at age 32-34, he gives us 13.6 for $47M.  That's all good, especially since he fits so well.

But then we are on the hook for $44M/2 for ages 35-36, with a player option for $11.5M at age 37.  In a vacuum, I'd rather have Duran than Marte.  I can deal, but wouldn't add in anything extra.

I agree. When you look at just the value and years- not the salary, they have Marte at about $150M/5 or $30 per year, even as he ages deeper than Duran's contract goes.

Duran is worth $45M/3 or $15M a year. That's HALF of KMarte.

KMarte is a better defender and has way more power. Duran has speed. Those two don't even out, but I don't see 5 years of KMarte being worth 10 by Duran.

3 yrs

fWAR: KMarte 15.3 (same as Betts)/ Duran 13.2 (same as Hoerner)

wRC+: KMarte 140 (same as Vladdy)/ Duran 121 (same as O'Hearn) Kinda crushes him here.

OPS: KMarte .887 (between Witt & Tucker)/ Duran .810 (between Naylor & Wood)

Baserunning: Duran is 3rd (22.7)/ KMarte is 147th out of 229 at -2.9

KMarte has a very decent AAV, and I think he will age well, but that's just an opinion.

[mvp 78]

15 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

Realistically, how much demand could there be for bello?? 

Young, controllable pitcher on a cheap deal who is relatively healthy and puts up decent numbers every year. Some orgs will want that considering what that arm would cost in FA.

[mvp 78]

15 hours ago, Jean-Sébastien Blouin said:

Why did they sign Suarez if it's just to trade Bello? I think our hitter will come from Duran and a prospect.

Likely there could be multiple deals coming. 

Sandoval - free up salary

Duran - deal for prospects

Prospects - acquire 2b

[mvp 78]

7 hours ago, harmony said:

Over the past four seasons Ranger Suarez posted an ERA+ of 117 and 12.1 bWAR in 588.1 innings while over the same period Sonny Gray posted an ERA+ of 117 and 11.3 bWAR in 650.2 innings.

Suarez overtook Gray with a 4.7-to-1.4 bWAR edge in 2025. The 30-year-old Suarez and the 36-year-old Gray may be trending in different directions.

Or not.

I'd be surprised if Suarez is trending UP at his age TBH. If Gray wasn't trending down at age 36, it'd be kind of a socker.

[Donnie Sadler was short]

16 hours ago, vegasbob said:

To the extent that Masataka Yoshida is a one dimensional player  , with no speed on the bases, isn't it close to time to just eat whatever is necessary of his $18MM and move on, opening up the OF and DH position for the guys already on roster.  

I doubt that will happen before the trade deadline , but surely by that date Masa will be moved, including DFA if he can't hit well enough to make himself attractive to a contending team.

He's short and slow, can we try him at 2B, LOL

He cant make that long throw to 1st!

[Hugh2]

12 hours ago, Duran Is The Man said:

one Suarez down, one to go.

Given that the Sox have invested so heavily into pitchers, particularly pitchers who induce ground balls at an average to above average rate. 

Suarez 52%

Oviedo 44%

Gray 49.7%

The Sox will get more bang for their buck if they invest in a 3B who isn't in the 8th percentile for range at 3B. 

If Contreras wasn't already signed and they wanted him for a DH/1B role I can see the bat playing, but I'm not sold on him anymore.  Bo or a trade will round out the roster nicely. 

[Old Red]

Shaugnessy just said it’s good to see the Red Sox spend money just 4 days after the BREGMAN DEBACLE, which it was after Bregman had been Plan A all along, so now we’ll see what else Brez has up his sleeve.

[drewski6]

15 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Given that the Sox have invested so heavily into pitchers, particularly pitchers who induce ground balls at an average to above average rate. 

Suarez 52%

Oviedo 44%

Gray 49.7%

The Sox will get more bang for their buck if they invest in a 3B who isn't in the 8th percentile for range at 3B. 

If Contreras wasn't already signed and they wanted him for a DH/1B role I can see the bat playing, but I'm not sold on him anymore.  Bo or a trade will round out the roster nicely. 

Contreras will play some C, Geno would play some 1b/DH, Masa would lose practically all PT, Cedanne would play some infield

Geno would play the most at DH, Contreras would play the most at 1b, Cedanne would play the most at CF, but they wouldnt be stuck to their positions like its 1998

I think theres room for a 1b/dh type, but cedanne would play some infield.

[Hugh2]

4 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

Contreras will play some C, Geno would play some 1b/DH, Masa would lose practically all PT, Cedanne would play some infield

Geno would play the most at DH, Contreras would play the most at 1b, Cedanne would play the most at CF, but they wouldnt be stuck to their positions like its 1998

I think theres room for a 1b/dh type, but cedanne would play some infield.

Ok, but that's not happening. I don't think Contreras plays more than 5-6 games at catcher.  He's emergency C. 

You still need a 3b/2b.  

And I disagree on there being room for 1B/DH type.  Between the two we have Yoshida/Contreras/(one of the 4 outfielders)/ Casas.  That's 4 guys.  

[mvp 78]

25 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Given that the Sox have invested so heavily into pitchers, particularly pitchers who induce ground balls at an average to above average rate. 

Suarez 52%

Oviedo 44%

Gray 49.7%

The Sox will get more bang for their buck if they invest in a 3B who isn't in the 8th percentile for range at 3B. 

If Contreras wasn't already signed and they wanted him for a DH/1B role I can see the bat playing, but I'm not sold on him anymore.  Bo or a trade will round out the roster nicely. 

Bichette has had some pretty bad seasons at SS. I'm not sure he necessarily becomes a good defender by transitioning to 2B. 

[moonslav59]

53 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Likely there could be multiple deals coming. 

Sandoval - free up salary

Duran - deal for prospects

Prospects - acquire 2b

Trading Duran + Crawford frees up over $10M AAV. Duran + Sandoval is near $17M.

Campbell + Sandoval is almost $17M, too.

Bello is $9.2M, but why undo some of what we did by adding Ranger? Make Bello the #4 and trade one from Crawford, Sandoval or Harrison, along with others for a true 3Bman or maybe a 2Bman. It seems simple.

I'm not sure we are looking to free up more money, but with JH, one never knows.

There are still the ideas of trying to save a few $M by trading Yoshida and or Hicks. I've given up hope on that front.

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Trading Duran + Crawford frees up over $10M AAV. Duran + Sandoval is near $17M.

Campbell + Sandoval is almost $17M, too.

Bello is $9.2M, but why undo some of what we did by adding Ranger? Make Bello the #4 and trade one from Crawford, Sandoval or Harrison, along with others for a true 3Bman or maybe a 2Bman. It seems simple.

I'm not sure we are looking to free up more money, but with JH, one never knows.

There are still the ideas of trying to save a few $M by trading Yoshida and or Hicks. I've given up hope on that front.

You'd trade Bello because the return would be greater than a return for Crawford plus potpourri. 

Dealing Campbell now could be dealing him at his lowest value. At least let him reclaim some value in AAA this season. Sox are still high on him. 

The only trade to really free up money would be a Sandoval deal. The others are just swapping assets IMO. Sox have a diminished farm right now, they could add to it with some deals that also give them some salary relief. 

[drewski6]

15 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Ok, but that's not happening. I don't think Contreras plays more than 5-6 games at catcher.  He's emergency C. 

You still need a 3b/2b.  

And I disagree on there being room for 1B/DH type.  Between the two we have Yoshida/Contreras/(one of the 4 outfielders)/ Casas.  That's 4 guys.  

You make room for an elite thumper when you have 0.

Defenses arent rigid in 2026.

The amount of "slashes" (as in multiple position players) is at an all-time high and increasing.

[drewski6]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

You'd trade Bello because the return would be greater than a return for Crawford plus potpourri. 

Dealing Campbell now could be dealing him at his lowest value. At least let him reclaim some value in AAA this season. Sox are still high on him. 

The only trade to really free up money would be a Sandoval deal. The others are just swapping assets IMO. Sox have a diminished farm right now, they could add to it with some deals that also give them some salary relief. 

How much of Sandovals salary could we realistically clear. What a crap move that was.

[drewski6]

This is a good team, to make it great, we need one very good hitter.  ANd I really dont care what position he plays.  Defenses work themselves out.  Everybody moves around these days. Im not saying dont have a good defense, im saying dont have a rigid defense where everyone is earmarked into one position.  

A rigid defense is like having a plan before mike tyson pops you in the mouth.  There will be injuries/slumps/twists-turns

Guys will move around as the season progresses, I guarantee it. People want to talk about how we had 9 starting sp last year (OMG).  How many different defensive alignments did we have? 100?

[mvp 78]

13 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

You make room for an elite thumper when you have 0.

Defenses arent rigid in 2026.

The amount of "slashes" (as in multiple position players) is at an all-time high and increasing.

Being a slash defender means you're probably a mediocre defender at multiple positions. 

[mvp 78]

13 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

How much of Sandovals salary could we realistically clear. What a crap move that was.

All of it. 

[drewski6]

6 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

All of it. 

Oh, well, then thats something we should prob consider.

[notin]

18 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Being a slash defender means you're probably a mediocre defender at multiple positions. 

Or you cannot hit Major League pitching…

[Jasonbay44]

I never understood the Sandoval move. Breslow for some reason seems to like signing guys with serious injuries and paying them to not play for a season. Giolito, Hendriks and Fulmer were similar signings.

[moonslav59]

47 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

You'd trade Bello because the return would be greater than a return for Crawford plus potpourri. 

Dealing Campbell now could be dealing him at his lowest value. At least let him reclaim some value in AAA this season. Sox are still high on him. 

The only trade to really free up money would be a Sandoval deal. The others are just swapping assets IMO. Sox have a diminished farm right now, they could add to it with some deals that also give them some salary relief. 

I totally get the reasons why you trade Bello over Crawford and hold onto KC in hopes he rebounds from a pretty small sample size of struggles.

I value Bello way more than Sandoval/Crawford/Harrison. I'm not looking to get worse at one position or slot, but as with any trade, if we gain by much more at another slot, I'm all ears.

The drop off from Bello to those three is much more than the drop off from Sandoval to Crawford, IMO.

The drop off from Masa/Romy/Campbell at DH is much less that the gain we get by trading Duran the DH for a thumper 3Bman/2Bman. That's how I view trades and who to choose. It might be oversimplification, but I think my philosophy has merit. The drop off from trading Rafaela and playing Anthony or Duran in CF is not much either. I'm open to trading him or Abreu to, despite both being among my favorite players.

I know some feel Bello is not as good as his ERA shows he is, and this is a trade high moment. That view makes some sense. His $9.2M AAV is also a reason to look at him (or Sandoval) as a trade chip. I will say that those salaries also exclude many teams from even calling and will lessen the return that maybe a Crawford or Harrison might bring back. (Not equally, but in terms of value per salary)

[moonslav59]

17 minutes ago, Jasonbay44 said:

I never understood the Sandoval move. Breslow for some reason seems to like signing guys with serious injuries and paying them to not play for a season. Giolito, Hendriks and Fulmer were similar signings.

Bloom had the same fixation.

I don't get it either. BTW, Gio was not hurt when we signed him. Neither was Buehler, but I view Buehler as more of a stab in the dark than Gio. He also has a higher AAV.

[harmony]

51 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

How much of Sandovals salary could we realistically clear. What a crap move that was.

How many trade partners would be willing to take on Patrick Sandoval's 2026 salary of $12.75 million? Nevertheless, Baseball Trade Values assigns Sandoval a modest surplus value of $5.4 million:

https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trades?page=1&q=sandoval

As the Red Sox negotiate the luxury tax thresholds, trading Sandoval for nothing would not save the club $12.75 million in the tax calculation. The Sox would save only the $9.13 million AAV under the left-handers's two-year contract.

[UtahSox]

As a vocal hater as some call it, I am VERY much excited about the addition. I think for someone who tries to portray himself as calculated, Breslow has been erratic at best this offseason. Ultimately I think my frustration is w/ FSG group. But 1 or 2 moves can change everything as Suarez signing showed. I hope Breslow continues to prove me wrong.
 

I will say the heat around Boston media, even nationwide the last few weeks is the most intense I’ve ever seen. JH must have felt some of that even from the Salon of his yacht. We know “we’re the Boston Red Sox there aren’t resource issues” so it’s a matter of convincing JH to go for it. 

[moonslav59]

9 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

As a vocal hater as some call it, I am VERY much excited about the addition. I think for someone who tries to portray himself as calculated, Breslow has been erratic at best this offseason. Ultimately I think my frustration is w/ FSG group. But 1 or 2 moves can change everything as Suarez signing showed. I hope Breslow continues to prove me wrong.
 

I will say the heat around Boston media, even nationwide the last few weeks is the most intense I’ve ever seen. JH must have felt some of that even from the Salon of his yacht. We know “we’re the Boston Red Sox there aren’t resource issues” so it’s a matter of convincing JH to go for it. 

I do wonder if the media frenzy and fan disgust drove JH to give Brez the thumbs up on Ranger.

I seriously doubt we go over the 3rd line, so a trade will likely be needed to add that big bat we both want.

A trade of salary might open up enough budget space for E Suarez. 

Doing both might make us both giddy, but I'm not optimistic we add 2 more significant pieces, unles syou call Paredes and a RP'er significant.

[mvp 78]

5 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I do wonder if the media frenzy and fan disgust drove JH to give Brez the thumbs up on Ranger.

Less about fans and media and more about just missing out on Bregman. 

[Jasonbay44]

27 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Bloom had the same fixation.

I don't get it either. BTW, Gio was not hurt when we signed him. Neither was Buehler, but I view Buehler as more of a stab in the dark than Gio. He also has a higher AAV.

Giolito wasn’t “injured” but he was coming off an absolutely horrible second half of the season where he played for 3 different teams. It wasn’t shocking an injury popped up after the signing. 

[UtahSox]

Donavan would much less than Marte for good reason. I think Marte is a better baseball player than Bregman. 
 

Maybe Beta Breslow goes back to well 1 more time for Donavan? and then adds Paredes… That would not exhaust resources. Like Marte (allow you to keep both Early/ Tolle)

[UtahSox]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Less about fans and media and more about just missing out on Bregman. 

I watched the highlight of Carrabis asking ownership if they were still committed to Red Sox? Or working on other projects took priority? The question was met with visible indignation from JH. I loved to see his ego take the hit, he didn’t know how to respond.