Three Realistic Moves For Red Sox To Make If They Plan To ‘Spend Heavy’

The bottom line will literally be the ultimate benchmark, but it sounds like the Red Sox are prepared to throw around their financial might this winter.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan unloaded his notebook for a 2024-25 MLB free agency preview Tuesday, and the Red Sox were prominently featured. First and foremost, it sounds like Boston sees itself as a major player in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. The Sox, who have missed the playoffs in five of their last six seasons, are going to be in on a lot, according to Passan.

Talking about free agent pitcher Corbin Burnes, Passan noted the incumbent Baltimore Orioles are “surrounded in the AL East by teams that plan to spend heavy this winter (New York, Toronto, Boston).”

That should be music to the ears of Red Sox fans who have pleaded for the club to spend money. It makes sense, too. The club has said it would spend once the rebuild got to a point where it made sense. With a handful of top prospects knocking on the door of the big leagues, that time might be here.

The Red Sox are also better positioned to spend big this winter given their payroll situation. The money owed to Chris Sale — Boston paid him $17 million to pitch for Atlanta in 2024 — is off the books. It’s safe to assume Kenley Jansen, who made $16 million last season, won’t be returning. Nick Pivetta and Tyler O’Neill might both be gone, too, after making a combined $16 million (ish) last season.

So, not only is there an incentive to spend, but there’s also money to do so. Perhaps all of that money goes to Soto; one could do worse, that’s for sure. But assuming the future Hall of Famer lands elsewhere — the Yankees or Mets being the favorites — here are three realistic moves the (potentially) big-spending Sox could make.

Sign SP Max Fried
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has already said the Red Sox need to “raise the ceiling” of their pitching staff. There’s a good core in place, anchored by Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello, but the group lacks a true No. 1. It’s possible Pivetta returns after getting a qualifying offer, but Passan reported the right-hander’s market could be surprisingly robust. If he doesn’t return, the need for a horse only intensifies. Only 19 pitchers have logged more innings than Fried since 2019. They need a left-hander to balance the rotation, and his ground-ball rate fits Fenway Park well. It makes too much sense.

Sign OF Teoscar Hernández
If Soto is destined for New York, and O’Neill does shake free (Passan ties him to both Detroit and San Francisco, too), middle-of-the-order pop becomes a need. The Red Sox are extremely lefty-heavy, especially if O’Neill walks, and Hernández fills that void. The two sides were close on something last winter, but according to Hernández, the Sox balked at giving a third year, and he signed a one-year, prove-it deal with the Dodgers. It worked well for Hernández, who still makes sense on something resembling a three-year, $60 million contract MLB Trade Rumors predicts he’ll land.

Sign RP Jeff Hoffman
If the Red Sox are really gonna spend big, investing $60 in ace left-handed reliever Tanner Scott is probably the way to go. But we’re trying to be a little more “realistic” here, so let’s just spend about $30 million on someone like Hoffman, even though he’s right-handed. The Red Sox bullpen looks OK on paper, but it’s putting a lot of stock in arms like Liam Hendriks or even Garrett Whitlock. Hoffman, who has allowed just 30 runs over the last two seasons while striking out 12 per nine inning could push for the closer job and at least could be the perfect eighth-inning guy ahead of Hendriks. Maybe you also take a flier on Chris Martin coming back, too. There are certainly options, especially for a forward-thinking front office, but locking in someone like Hoffman could really help.

BONUS MOVE: Trade for Garrett Crochet
Wanna go all-in? Go continue to pick over the corpse of the White Sox and pry a nasty left-hander out of the South Side. Sound familiar? It doesn’t require a major financial commitment — MLBTR projects Crochet will make $2.9 million in arbitration — but it would require parting with some valuable prospect capital. The White Sox reportedly want position players, which the Red Sox have in spades. It would be a tough call to part with anyone in that farm system, but part of the reason you build a pipeline like Boston’s is just for examples like this.