The World Series could be hours away from wrapping up, which means it’s time for the Boston Red Sox to get serious.
The Red Sox have had the full month of October to think about their offseason plans, and more specifically, who to pursue in free agency. The team’s needs are clear–top-tier starting pitcher, powerful right-handed bat, rebuild the bullpen. But who will be the new faces donning Red Sox jerseys by March?
Focusing specifically on the power bat, Boston is in a bind because Tyler O’Neill, a right-handed outfielder who led the Red Sox in home runs this season, is a free agent himself. There are some circumstances where it makes sense to bring O’Neill back, but the preferable scenario would be to land his replacement from a division rival.
The mission should be clear this winter: The Red Sox must go hard after Baltimore Orioles slugger Anthony Santander.
Recently, Jim Bowden of The Athletic speculated that the demand for Santander should be high, given the short supply of power-hitting outfielders available, while projecting that the switch-hitter would receive a seven-year, $150.5 million contract.
“A lot of teams are looking for corner outfielders with power and there won’t be a lot of those players available via free agency or trades,” Bowden said. “This season Santander had 44 home runs, 102 RBIs and 91 runs scored, all of which were career highs. He’s hit 105 homers over the past three seasons and is still only 30.”
Santander has a few things working in his favor that make him a good fit in Boston.
For one, he’s good from both sides of the plate, but slightly better as a righty hitter, which is the side of the plate the Red Sox really need help with. Two, his splits were much better on the road than at home, which should improve dramatically when swapping out Camden Yards for Fenway Park.
You don’t often get the opportunity to land a player who hit 44 home runs the previous season for reasonable money. $150.5 million would be a considerable price to pay, but seven years seems a bit ambitious for Santander, so the Red Sox likely could land him on a shorter-term deal with a slightly higher average annual value.
Whatever it takes, Craig Breslow and the front office have to do their part to ensure Santander is wearing red and navy by Opening Day.
