The Boston Red Sox should sign both Kyle Schwarber and Seiya Suzuki
The Boston Red Sox should make a splash after the lockout ends (assuming it does) and sign both free-agent outfielder/first baseman Kyle Schwarber and right-handed power-hitting outfielder Seiya Suzuki from the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. It’s time.
Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom has just dipped his toes into the free-agent market thus far. Now it’s time to make a cannonball splash and jump into the water big-time before it’s too late.
Bloom’s signings thus far have been uninspiring, to say the least. Acquiring both Schwarber and Suzuki would change that in a hurry. If the funds are made available by his penurious owners (or can be freed up by trade perhaps?) then it’s on Mr. Bloom to make it happen.
Boston Red Sox signing both Kyle Schwarber and Seiya Suzuki would make a lot of sense
This space is a big fan of Schwarber for a lot of reasons. He proved to be a great fit as an addition in the second half of last season’s run to the American League Championship Series.
He shouldn’t be just a half season rental. He’s a solid left-handed power hitter for whom the distant dimensions of Fenway Park’s right field are no obstacle to hitting home runs.
He also fits the team, his teammates, and the region’s millions of fans like a proverbial glove, a fine Nappa leather one at that. Schwarber’s seamless implementation into Boston’s culture reminded of similar seamless fits, such as now Hall-of-Famer David Ortiz and 2013 World Series champion Mike Napoli.
Schwarber hit 32 home runs last season (seven with Boston) and also hit .291 in the Hub, many of which were big hits. His asking price and length-of-contract seem very reasonable for a 28-year-old. It’s a no-brainer signing as has been claimed early and often here.
He won’t be cheap to sign as it may take “a four-year, $70MM deal” as reported by mlbtraderumors.com. That’s reasonable, and just the type of contract the club should be signing with a 28-year-old.
Why the Boston Red Sox should also sign Seiya Suzuki
Rumors of the possibility of the Boston Red Sox signing (or not signing) Seiya Suzuki when the lockout ends are all over the place right now.
Some say he’s headed our way, others say not so much. So what’s the freight to sign this potential game-changer? Boston.cbslocal notes,
"Suzuki won’t come cheap though. He is expected to command a five-year, $60 million deal, and whatever team signs him will have to pay his posting fee as well, which will be a percentage of his contract."
It says here he’s worth the risk. But will the Sox be daring enough to take it? Bloom has unfortunately squandered significant funds on questionable starting pitching signings in James Paxton and Michael Wacha, along with a less questionable move for Rich Hill.
He also traded a solid right-handed hitting outfielder in Hunter Renfroe for Jackie Bradley Jr. and two prospects. Bradley’s ridiculous $12M salary and accompanying .163 batting average from last season with the Milwaukee Brewers should have been enough to deter Bloom from pulling the trigger on this deal.
In the process of this head-scratching trade, Bloom undid one of his best signings from the previous offseason in Renfroe. It made no sense then and looks even worse now.
Those deals were expensive in the aggregate (almost $35M in 2022 salary) and thus the opportunity cost was significant. Yet, Boston is a big market team and needs to act accordingly. They have plenty of money to spend if they want to.
Next. David Ortiz is unquestionably a Hall of Famer. dark
Schwarber provides cover both in the outfield and at first base. In addition, after 2022 he would likely to step into the designated hitter role anticipated to be vacated by J.D. Martinez. That’s all good, even if he is not a top defensive player. Suzuki will likely man Renfroe’s old position in right field.
It’s time for Chaim Bloom to make the splash mentioned above, if he is allowed to by his ownership, and sign both Schwarber and Suzuki.
If he is not authorized to make such deals to improve the team for financial reasons, then this ownership should sell the team as soon as possible. It’s as simple as that.