Boston Red Sox free agency strategy hurt by new universal DH rule

Former Boston Red Sox slugger Kyle Schwarber is in his prime

The right move by Bloom should have been to wrap up a deal for Schwarber early in the offseason before the somewhat expected change occurred to the DH rule.

Clearly, as noted, the DH rule change would obviously boost the stature of players like Schwarber, who has limited defensive skills but can mash the ball.

Only 28 years old, Schwarber was reportedly looking for a five-year deal at $70M plus or so. That is exactly the type of deal the Red Sox should be seeking with fewer years at a reasonable salary for a player still in his prime. They regrettably passed.

Since he can play some outfield and first base as well as DH, he would have plenty of opportunities to be in the 2022 Red Sox lineup. While there is still time to make a deal, earlier would certainly have been better.

Bloom missed the boat on making that early deal with Schwarber. He not only makes perfect sense for the 2022 team but also for the future since the current DH, J.D. Martinez, is in the final year of his deal.

The right move to make was to sign Schwarber with a look not only to his great fit in Boston (some players aren’t cut out for the intensity of Red Sox Nation) but also to his versatility in 2022 and then to his perfect transition from into the DH spot in 2023.

He was a ready-made perfect fit to serve as the DH thereafter under a reasonable contract. It was a missed golden opportunity for the Boston Red Sox. This non-action for whatever reasons they had, coupled with several other poor moves, has made this offseason a flop to date.