The Boston Red Sox haven’t made any big moves on the free agent market yet, but they have been rumored to be involved with just about every big name available. They showed varying levels of interest in two big pitchers that already came off the board (Justin Verlander and Noah Syndergaard), and they have continued to look into a number of different players on the market.
Boston can go pretty much avenue they want to this offseason because of the amount of versatility they have on their roster. Want an outfielder? All you have to do is shift Kike Hernandez back into the infield. Want an infielder? Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers could be moving positions, so that opens up pretty much any position in the infield.
Despite their potential lineup needs, the starting pitcher market has been taking the MLB hot stove by storm early on. Big names are already coming off the board, and if the rumors are to be believed, that won’t be changing anytime soon. The Sox have already been linked to guys like Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman, and it seems like with each passing day, another name gets added to the list.
We have already taken a look at the potential fits of guys like the now-signed Verlander, Rodon, and Stroman, but there are two new names that Boston is being linked to that could end up being direct replacements for Eduardo Rodriguez. Let’s take a look at these two pitchers (both of whom conveniently happen to be from the same team, the Toronto Blue Jays) and analyze their potential fit with the team.
Boston Red Sox free agent target No. 2: Steven Matz
The Red Sox are rumored to be one team heavily pursuing Steven Matz, and a quick look at his 2021 numbers shows you why. The 30 year old lefty posted a 14-7 record with a 3.82 ERA and 144 strikeouts. It was a solid season for the former New York Met in his first (and potentially only) season in Toronto with the Blue Jays, but a closer look at his career shows it was quite the bounce back season too.
For those not familiar with Matz’s story, the young lefty exploded onto the scene in 2015, going 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA over his first six starts. He followed that up with his actual rookie season in 2015, and he ended up finishing six in the Rookie of the Year race. But Matz would struggle with consistency and injuries over the next four seasons, finishing with an ERA below four just one time.
Matz was traded to the Blue Jays after posting a 9.68 ERA in 2020, and it paid off handsomely for the Jays. Matz had his best season statistically since his 2015 season, and he now seems set to cash in on the market. Matz would be an ideal replacement for the departing Rodriguez, and he wouldn’t cost nearly as much as some of the other names on the market.
Matz is probably for looking for a deal around $10 million per year, which would be perfect for Boston. This would allow them to target another bat for the lineup, with a guy like Chris Taylor becoming a prime target. Matz has struggled with consistency, but we’ve seen Boston take guys like Nick Pivetta, who had no track record of consistency, and turn him into a solid backend rotation guy. Matz has a better track record than Pivetta, but you get the point.
In a starting pitcher market loaded with some big names, it seems only fitting that Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom and the front office locked in on an under the radar target that could end up being a steal. Matz would be a perfect middle of the rotation guy that would replace Rodriguez immediately. But if the team wants to try to land another potential ace, they should target the next player on this list instead.
Boston Red Sox free agent target No. 1: Robbie Ray
Fresh off winning the American League Cy Young award, Robbie Ray seems set to earn a huge chunk of cash this offseason. Could that deal end up coming from the Red Sox? They have been keeping an eye on Ray according to recent reports, and depending on how their pursuit of Matz goes, they could end up turning their attention towards Ray instead.
Ray had made a name for himself with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a strikeout machine, but if a batter made contact on Ray, it usually didn’t end well. The Diamondbacks had enough of Ray’s inconsistency in 2020, and traded him to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline. Who knew that just a year and a half later, Ray would be crowned with the most prestigious award a pitcher can get in the MLB.
Ray dominated in 2021, posting a 13-7 record, a 2.84 ERA, and 248 strikeouts. He led the American League in a number of categories (including ERA and strikeouts) and pretty much came out of nowhere to emerge as the most dominant pitcher in the AL. Not bad for a guy who was dumped off for next to nothing in 2020.
Ray seems likely to command a deal somewhere between $25-30 million per year, and the Blue Jays are doing what they can to make sure they are the team paying him that large sum of cash. But if he ends up departing from Toronto, Boston should at least make the star lefty an offer. They need another left handed arm in their rotation to compliment Chris Sale, and a rotation led by Sale, Ray, and Nathan Eovaldi would have to be considered one of, it not the best, in the entire league.
Ray is going to be arguably the most expensive pitcher on the market this offseason, and for good reason. Despite the price tag, he could be the final piece the Boston Red Sox need to push their pursuit for another World Series over the top. Chances are the team makes a bigger push for Matz, but if they really want to do some damage this offseason, Ray would be their guy.