The Boston Red Sox have a lot of work to do during the 2022-23 MLB offseason after finishing in last place in the American League East during the 2022 season. After making it all the way to the ALCS the season before, the Sox were complacent last offseason, and paid a big price during their most recent campaign.
It’s clear big moves need to be made to fix the Red Sox, but the good news is that the front office claims they want to be big spenders this offseason. If Chaim Bloom decides to actually open up his checkbook this offseason and throw some money around in free agency, here are three big name targets that would help Boston make it back to the playoffs next season.
Boston Red Sox free agent target No. 3: Trea Turner
This is in no way, shape, or form a diss towards Xander Bogaerts. I think everyone can agree that the best case scenario for the Sox would see Bogaerts being the team’s starting shortstop next season. But that doesn’t seem very likely to happen at this point, and if he does end up leaving in free agency, the Boston Red Sox will need a replacement. For that reason, Turner makes a lot of sense, but only if Bogaerts does end up leaving.
It would be tough to find an upgrade over Bogaerts, who is one of the best all-around players at the position in the league. But if there is an upgrade, it could be Turner, if ever so slightly. Turner is coming off another strong season with the Los Angeles Dodgers (.298 BA, 21 HR, 100 RBI, 27 SB, .809 OPS) but he will likely be on the move with the Dodgers focusing all their attention on Aaron Judge.
It feels like it would take a lot for Turner to end up in Boston, but if Bogaerts walks, the Sox need to bring in a suitable replacement. Turner’s ceiling as a player is higher than Bogaerts’ and he is a year younger than Bogey, which makes handing him a long-term deal just a bit less painful. It would be tough to see Bogaerts leave, but if he does, bringing in a potential upgrade in Turner would help Sox fans move on quickly.
Boston Red Sox free agent target No. 2: Justin Verlander
In pretty much every other scenario, signing a pitcher who is about to be 40 years old and has dealt with some serious injury concerns over the past few years would be a risk no one would think twice about taking. But it’s clear that Justin Verlander is not like other pitchers in the MLB right now.
Despite missing nearly two full seasons of action in 2020 and 2021, Verlander returned this season and will likely walk away with his third career Cy Young award. Verlander was absolutely dominant for the Houston Astros (18-4, 1.75 ERA, 185 K, 0.83 WHIP) and helped guide the ‘Stros to their World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Verlander opted out of his deal with the Astros that he signed last offseason, and while it seems like a return to Houston is the most likely outcome for Verlander, the Red Sox should certainly be in on him if he ends up looking for a new home. Verlander will be 40, yes, but he has shown no signs of decline, and quite frankly, it’s tough to find a season where he pitched better than he did in 2022.
Boston’s starting rotation is a bit of a mess, but adding a de facto top of the line starter in Verlander on a two or three year deal could give the team time to sort out their rotation for the next few seasons if nothing else. The Sox need more top end talent in their rotation if they want to make it back to playoffs, and Verlander just proved in 2022 that there is nobody better than him on the hill right now, which is why signing him would make a lot of sense.
Boston Red Sox free agent target No. 1: Aaron Judge
When it comes to big name free agents this offseason, no one even comes close to Aaron Judge.
The New York Yankees star outfielder rewrote the history books with his legendary campaign (.311 BA, 62 HR, 131 RBI, 16 SB, 1.111 OPS) and he did it at the perfect time considering he’s now set to hit free agency. Judge is going to earn a massive contract from somebody, it’s just a matter of who is going to be backing up the Brinks trucks for him.
On one hand, there are some clear reasons to be skeptical of a deal for Judge. For starters, he’s already going to be 31 next season, and likely is going to be given a long-term contract that will hold him over for the rest of his career. It’s not a stretch to expect that Judge could be earning upwards of $30 million per season in his late thirties.
That comes with the territory in the MLB unfortunately, but it’s also worth noting that Judge is about to get paid for a season he likely won’t be recreating anytime soon. There’s a reason the American League home run record set by Roger Maris had stood for so long, and chances are Judge will come nowhere close to matching that total throughout the remainder of his career.
But in the short-term, signing Judge would make the Boston Red Sox an instant World Series contender. Playing the majority of his home games at Fenway Park, with the Green Monster being just over 300 feet away from home plate, would be a perfect fit for Judge in his attempt to continue hitting home runs at a historic rate. Boston also has a huge gap in their outfield that has Judge’s name written all over it, only adding to the logic that pursuing Judge would be a good idea.
The likelihood of this happening is low, considering Judge has been a Yankee all throughout his career, and west coast teams such as the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants seem destined to engage in a bidding war for Judge. But the Red Sox should at least check in on Judge in free agency, as he would drastically improve their team. And who knows, maybe Boston’s front office can make up for last offseason’s mistakes by making the biggest splash in the league this time around.