Red Sox Buzz: Dansby Swanson to Cubs, Martinez to L.A, what’s next?
Welp, another top free agent short stop is off the board. After the Boston Red Sox watched Xander Bogarts take a massive deal with the San Diego Padres, a player the team was rumored to be in on is also now off the board.
As MLB.com reported on Saturday night, free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson and the Chicago Cubs have reached an agreement on a seven-year, $177 million contract that does include a no-trade clause. After coming up very short in maintaining the services of Bogaerts, is that a deal the Red Sox would’ve been willing to make?
Red Sox rumored to have been targeting Dansby Swanson
That will be the $177 million question when it comes to Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox ownership who have suddenly turned into runner ups in a lot of these deals for top free agents. With Bogaerts, Carlos Correa and now Swanson off the board, the Red Sox can still move Trevor Story to short stop, which appeared to be the plan when they signed him last offseason.
As for Swanson, his fit with the Red Sox would’ve been solid though not the splash fans are waiting for. He would’ve been an upgrade defensively over Bogaerts at this stage of his career, but the team would’ve lost a little power at the plate.
In 2022, Swanson batted .284 with 18 homers and 80 RBI. Certainly not bad numbers at all for the position. In all, a Rafael Devers, Story, Swanson and Triston Casas infield would’ve had some potential if all lived up to their potential offensively.
Former Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez L.A. bound!
Another former Boston Red Sox big bat is heading to the loaded National League West. Almost a week after Xander Bogearts broke the hearts of Red Sox fans and signed a massive contract with the San Diego Padres, J.D Martinez is joining Mookie Betts with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Saturday, Martinez had agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal with the Dodgers.
Designated hitter J.D. Martinez and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a one-year, $10 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 17, 2022
This officially puts the Red Sox on the market for a new designated hitter although life without Martinez going into the 2023 MLB season was not unexpected.
After a couple of monster seasons with the Red Sox, Martinez tailed off a bit as far as power goes. The five-time All-Star batted just .274 with 16 homers in his final season in Boston. Again, this is not a tearjerker if you are a Red Sox fan, but the money is something the team could’ve handled if they at least wanted to have a veteran bat remain in the lineup.
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While the team is not down shaping their roster, there is a big hole in the middle of the Red Sox lineup now that Bogaerts and Martinez are taking their talents to the West Coast. This does open up an opportunity for a player like Bobby Dalbec who has shown flashes of being a streaky power hitter.
What’s next for the Boston Red Sox in free agency?
While the Red Sox have lost out on some of the top free agents, there are still some opportunities to make a splash.
At this point Sox fans aren’t holding their breath when it comes to Bloom, but the Red Sox chief baseball officer is pledging that moves will be made and something must be in the works after DFA’ing Eric Hosmer and Jeter Downs, right?
Potential trades aside, there are some interesting free agents still out there who may be fits as far as position players go. Along with Justin Turner, players like Brandon Belt, Michael Conforto, Brandon Drury and Michael Brantley are some interesting names to keep an eye on.
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When it comes to possible DH options, Trey Mancini and Nelson Cruz are sluggers who can fill that role in the short term. It seems highly possible the Sox will land one of those players unless there is a massive trade out there. As far regaining some buzz, Bloom’s best chance of that would be a contract extension for Devers which would make the fans believe in the team once again.