Boston Red Sox: Sign or pass on 3 rumored free agent targets
Boston Red Sox rumored free agent target No. 1: Seiya Suzuki
Much has been made of Boston’s pursuit of Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki, and it looks like they will battle to the end trying to get Suzuki to join their club. Suzuki is set to make the jump from the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan to the MLB, and there are a number of teams circling the five-tool star hoping he will sign with them.
For those who forgot, Suzuki was reported to have a contract in place with the Red Sox that he would sign once the lockout ended. Those rumors were quickly contradicted by different reports that suggested that Suzuki hadn’t made up his mind yet, and that Boston wasn’t even on his final list of teams he was considering joining.
Given that Suzuki is still a free agent, it seems he didn’t have a deal in place with the Sox, as was reported in Japan. But that hasn’t stopped Boston from pursuing him aggressively, according to reports. Suzuki has a number of suitors, and he may just be the best outfielder left on the market depending on who you ask, making it tough to predict which team he will choose.
Banking on international players success in the MLB is a risky proposition (just ask Rusney Castillo), but Suzuki seems like as close to a safe bet as there is. Players from the Nippon League have made seamless transition before, and it doesn’t seem like Suzuki is fazed by the move. While it’s something to keep in mind, it shouldn’t deter the front office from signing him.
SIGN OR PASS: SIGN
It should be Suzuki or bust for the Boston Red Sox in terms of their outfield plans at this point. Suzuki could be a star in the making, and his arrival in Boston would see him join a lineup with Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez already in place. In other words, he would have a lot of protection from those guys when it comes to how pitchers attack him, and that’s something other teams may not be able to offer him.
Next. The Red Sox have some big challenges ahead of them. dark
Trading Renfroe, a starting outfielder, away for Jackie Bradley Jr. and prospects only makes sense if you can bring someone in to replace his production. It feels like they have a plan in place to bring on either Suzuki or Soler, but at this point, Suzuki is a much more reliable bet to replace Renfroe’s lost production than Soler. Suzuki should be Boston’s top target for however long he remains on the market, and losing out on him could throw a huge wrench in the front office’s plans.