The Never Weres

Jeff Passan reported that Juan Soto is meeting with the Red Sox this week. The temperature this morning was in the 20s. It’s hot stove season, baby!

In the past, I have been completely off base with the free agents I have wanted the Red Sox to sign. See Jayson Werth, who had 14 fWAR during his 7-year $126 million contract, or Eric Hosmer, 11 fWAR over his 8-year $144 million deal. Ironically and painfully, he ended up on the Sox in 2022, and they are responsible for the last $13.6 million of that contract. He is the fifth highest-paid player on the 2025 Red Sox payroll. There may be a text on the dark web where I mentioned Patrick Corbin. I always supported Lance Lynn at the beginning of the 2020s (which was legit). So, with all of this off my chest, here is who I would like to see the Red Sox sign.

Juan Soto – No shit, right? But this is a long shot. It will not happen. It won’t. Don’t think of it. Don’t look into the dead November woods and think of him in Boston for the next 15 years. Stop. Take some time, and think it through. He will not be coming to Boston. I hope this paragraph is wrong. I don’t think it will be.

Roki Susaki – 23-years-old. He throws triple digits with a devastating splitter. He could be the Red Sox answer for a top-of-the-line starter. He is an interesting case because of the rules concerning Japanese players coming to MLB. Since he is only 23, he is not eligible for a traditional free agent courting like Yashinobu Yamamoto. Teams can offer from their international pool money, and then the decision will be his to make based on the franchise. I would love to see it happen but the Dodgers and their Japanese stars make them the most likely fit.

Ok, here are the actual players I think that they will go after.

Max Fried – Here is your ace, a lefty, which the Red Sox rotation did not have this past year. Of all starters to start at least 60 games from 2022-2024, no one has a better ERA. If that isn’t enough, the ERA is 2.80! His ERA+ is 149 in that span and a 1.095 WHIP. His 437.1 innings rank 33rd in that timeframe. He did deal with a forearm injury in 2023 but came back and was his dominant self. He is the exact guy the pitching guru front office should target.

Teoscar Hernandez – Sure the team could have had him last year for cheaper. He took a pillow contract with the Dodgers and played very well, especially when they had injuries over the summer. He earned himself some years and a few extra bucks. That’s the risk you take not throwing a few extra dollars at him last off-season. He is a righty bat with power. Not a great defender but if Manny could handle left field at Fenway, Hernandez can certainly do it.

Tanner Scott – The Red Sox seem like the only team that doesn’t have a reliever that comes in and gases batters. Watching the playoffs it seems there was an endless stream of relievers at or just a tick below 100 MPH. Tanner Scott’s fastball averaged 97 MPH last year. He combined it with a slider. He is a lefty. This is the perfect fit. It would fill a gaping hole in the bullpen.

With my track record, these three players will probably not work out. They will give you one or two decent years and then will be the subject of angry spittle-spewing Irishmen calling into the Sports Hub. In reality, the move is to back up the Brinks truck from The Town and pay Soto. After watching the Netflix documentary The Comeback, I long for the days of overspending. Unfortunately, it is the way to win in Major League Baseball. Another long winter is on the horizon of check-ins and were-in-ons. The nucleus is forming. Young players are waiting. Spend a few bucks and get over the hump.