Boston Red Sox free agent target No. 1: Marcus Semien
Marcus Semien has undergone quite a radical change over the past couple seasons. He was a solid role player for most of his time with the Oakland Athletics, than completely broke out during the 2019 season, finishing third in the MVP race. Semien struggled in 2020, and took a one year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays last offseason, betting on himself to earn more money this offseason.
It’s safe to say that bet paid off handsomely for Semien. He hit .265, smacked 45 home runs, and drove in 102 runs for the Blue Jays. It was an unbelievable season for Semien, and he seemed to only get better as time went on. Semien is one of the three finalists for the AL MVP award again, all though it appears he is staring at his second third-place finish.
Off the back of his career year, Semien is in a great position to make quite a large sum of cash this offseason. He’s a versatile infielder who can play three spots in a pinch, and he has developed into one of the best power hitters in the game seemingly out of nowhere. Semien has spent most of his career at either shortstop or second base, which is great because the Sox will be looking for a second baseman this offseason.
Semien is already 31 years old, which tanks his value a bit, but he’s still set to get a pretty big deal regardless. He will probably look to command a long-term deal worth anywhere between $20-25 million, which again is probably right on the edge of what Boston is looking to offer a single player this offseason.
Semien fills one of the Red Sox top needs heading into this offseason, and it would make a lot of sense for them to try to pursue him this offseason. There will obviously be a lot of competition, but that’s what happens when a player hits .265 with 45 home runs. If Boston can somehow land Semien this offseason, they will have to be considered one of the true World Series favorites in 2022.