It seems the Red Sox are casting a wide net this offseason.
We’ve known about their pursuit of the top fish in the free agent sea, Juan Soto. Yet it appears the local nine aren’t limiting themselves to trying to sign Soto and Soto alone.
Boston has reportedly met with two-time Cy Young Award-winning free agent left-hander Blake Snell. There is also reporting that the Sox have been in talks with other free agent starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, who we’ve also known they’ve been targeting. And of course, we’ve already touched on their potential interest in Roki Sasaki.
Now add to the mix that Boston has reportedly inquired about free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. And another report chimes in that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Sox sign Fried and trade for Garrett Crochet.
Rumors, rumors, rumors…
It’s the reason for the (hot stove) season. There are seemingly more reports than one can keep up with, and ultimately, they won’t matter in the least. The only thing that will matter at the end of the day is who the Red Sox did sign… and who they didn’t.
That begs the question: given their broad approach, do the Red Sox know their pursuit of Soto might ultimately be in vain?
Yes and no. What the Red Sox are finally doing, we think, is what any worthwhile front office should be doing. Even if you are willing to sink all of your efforts and assets into signing one player, you’re never guaranteed success. It’s vital for a team that’s intent on becoming a true contender once more to be active on multiple fronts. If Plan A doesn’t come to fruition, you need to be ready to move to Plan B, Plan C and so on.
We’ll see if the Sox actually make good on all of it. For now, the net is cast and the net is wide — as it should be. But nobody in their right mind will be calling it a successful fishing trip if they don’t come back with more than a few minnows…
Price is right?
Keeping with the theme of rumors, we now have a rumored price tag for one free agent with Red Sox ties.
According to sports salary website Spotrac, former Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill has an estimated market value of $16.2 million and is projected to command a three-year deal worth roughly $48.7 million.
For a player who made nearly $6 million last season, that would represent a nice little raise. Yet for somebody who should qualify as a “slugger” and is coming off a 30-homer season, one would think he might command a little more.
However, O’Neill did hit just .241 last season and his 61 RBIs were a tad underwhelming for a player who hit as many home runs as he did. He certainly has value to add to a team, but he’s not among the top free agent sluggers on the market.
Most aren’t expecting the Sox to reunite with O’Neill next season, and that’s probably for the best. But if all else fails and Boston strikes out on its other primary targets, it wouldn’t be shocking to see O’Neill return on a deal similar to the one that’s being projected.
Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that…
Campbell & Mata
Isaiah Campbell’s and Bryan Mata’s days with the Red Sox organization aren’t done yet after all.
Despite being non-tendered by the Sox this week, both pitchers are returning to the organization on minor-league deals. Bailey Horn won’t be so lucky (or perhaps he is luckier) after the Tigers claimed the left-hander on waivers.
Campbell began his Red Sox tenure with some promise last year after being acquired last year around this time in a trade with the Mariners, but the right-handed reliever never found traction in his first season with Boston.
After allowing just one run over his first five appearances, the wheels fell off and Campbell turned in three more shaky appearances before landing in Worcester and ultimately seeing his season cut short due to right elbow inflammation.
Boston clearly liked Campbell enough to take a flyer on him once, so it seems they’re holding out hope that he might still be able to become a valuable contributor down the line.
As for Mata, a pitcher who was once viewed as the best in the Sox system, it seems Boston is still holding onto hope that he might be able to become what they once hoped he would be. Despite a respectable 3.46 ERA across 108 minor league games in seven seasons, Mata’s 4.37 ERA in 11 games last season likely signals that the Mata train has run out of steam.
Perhaps both pitchers will be plucked away in the Rule-5 draft, but for now, they’re back in the minors and I wouldn’t expect to be seeing them anytime soon…
Coaching changes compete
The Sox finalized their coaching staff for the 2025 season this week.
After recently naming Dillon Lawson as assistant hitting coach and adding Chris Holt as the team’s bullpen coach, Boston announced it has named Jose Flores as first base coach and infield instructor while naming Parker Guinn its catching instructor and bullpen catcher.
The team also announced a tweaking in the job title of Jason Varitek, who is now the "game planning and run prevention coach."
The 53-year-old Flores most recently spent time as the bench coach in Worcester for the past three seasons but does have prior major league experience. He was a first base coach with the Phillies, a third base coach with the Orioles and an infield coordinator for the Cubs organization.
As for Guinn, the 31-year-old managed the Yankees’ Dominican Summer League team for the past two seasons and has worked as an assistant coach at a handful of collegiate baseball programs.
Neither moves come with the same kind of pomp and circumstance that the Andrew Bailey hire did a year ago certainly, but it’s good to see the Sox adding someone who’s been around the block with some quality organizations in Flores onto the coaching staff…
Tito & Napoli
One former Red Sox World Series champion is set to join forces with another in Cincinnati.
On the heels of Terry Francona surprisingly being named manager of the Reds, former Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli is also headed to Cincy to join Francona’s staff in an unknown capacity, according to reporting by WEEI.
In his post playing career, Napoli has worked exclusively with the Cubs in various roles. After joining the team in 2019 as a quality assurance coach, Napoli became the team’s first base coach entering the 2022 season. He was let go after last season.
Francona’s and Napoli’s paths never crossed in Boston, as by the time Napoli had become a fan favorite during the Sox’s improbable run to a World Series title in 2013, Tito had been long gone. But it’s always fun when two people with a special place in the hearts of Red Sox fans team up elsewhere.
It will be interesting to see what Francona and Napoli might be able to squeeze out of an up-and-coming Reds team anchored by one of the sport’s more exciting young stars in Elly De La Cruz…
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on Threads and Instagram.