Boston Red Sox Rumors: Sox emerge as legit suitor for Freddie Freeman

The Boston Red Sox post-MLB lockout additions have been few and far between so far. Aside from a pair of deals for lefty relievers Matt Strahm and Jake Diekman, the Sox have mostly sat on the sidelines and watched the madness unfold in the front of them.

That could be set to change very soon however. Boston has been linked to some of the top remaining free agents available, such as Carlos Correa, Seiya Suzuki, and even Trevor Story, but haven’t been able to lock anything in yet. You can now add former Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman to that list as well.

Freeman’s market has really opened up over the past 24 hours, thanks in part to the Braves swining a blockbuster deal with the Oakland Athletics for first baseman Matt Olson. Olson’s arrival all but confirms that Freeman will not be returning to Atlanta next season, meaning that Freeman will be switching teams for the first time in his 12 year career.

For a time, it seemed like Freeman was destined to go to either the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees, but that doesn’t necessarily appear to be the case anymore. While both those teams are still in the running, teams like the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays appear to have joined the sweepstakes as well. If Boston could land Freeman, he would provide a significant boost to the team’s World Series prospects.

Freddie Freeman could take the Boston Red Sox to the next level

Despite making it all the way to the ALCS last season, the Sox aren’t really being considered a legitimate World Series threat heading into the 2022 season. While they haven’t lost any key players (although Kyle Schwarber appears to likely be on his way out), they also haven’t made any truly significant signings. Strahm and Diekman don’t really push the needle, and neither do guys like Michael Wacha, James Paxton, and Rich Hill.

Freeman could be the guy that pushes the Sox back into that conversation. Freeman is easily one of the top first baseman in the league, and during his time with Atlanta, he only got better as he got older. Freeman is fresh off a World Series campaign with the Braves, and he was a driving force that helped get that team a ring.

After winning his first MVP award in the shortened 2020 season, Freeman followed things up with another solid campaign in 2020, hitting .300 with 31 home runs and 83 runs batted in. At this stage of his career, Freeman is good for about a .300 batting average with anywhere from 25-35 home runs per year. What team wouldn’t want that type of production in their lineup?

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Freeman’s addition would blow the lid off the Boston Red Sox lineup. With an already solid core of Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez in place, adding Freeman would make this arguably one of the most dangerous lineups on the league. Boston definitely could use another big lefty bat, especially if Schwarber ends up not coming back.

Freeman would come in and take over for Bobby Dalbec, who had a strong second half of the season in 2021, but was way too inconsistent overall to be counted on in 2022. That’s not really an issue, but the fact that there would still be a huge vacancy in the outfield is. Neither guy has outfield experience, and I doubt the front office really wants to start Jackie Bradley Jr. on a nightly basis.

But Freeman’s bat pretty much makes that point irrelevant. Any chance you get to add a .300, 30 home run guy, you take that chance, no matter the positional fit. Freeman has been a top ten hitter in the league over the past few years, and adding him to an already dangerous lineup may just allow Alex Cora to hide Bradley at the bottom of the lineup and get by unscathed.

Freeman, despite already being 31 years old, is going to command a large deal. Projections mostly have him bringing in around $30 million per year for around five to six years. Freeman has shown virtually no signs of regression yet, and he has proven to be well worth that sum throughout his career. Signing Freeman would send Boston above the luxury tax threshold, but only by around $6-7 million.

This is a doable deal, and it’s encouraging to see the Boston Red Sox emerge as a potential landing spot for Freeman from seemingly out of nowhere. Freeman isn’t a perfect fit on the field, but he is in the lineup, and that’s ultimately more important at this stage of the game. Freeman is a top tier hitter who would come in and help turn a good lineup into a great lineup, and the Sox would be wise to do whatever it takes to get a deal done with him.