Red Sox 'Not Meaningfully In' For Marquee Slugger After Signing Elsewhere
The Boston Red Sox's offseason has been a massive disappointment thus far, namely due to the false perception that ownership had been reinvigorated after back-to-back last-place finishes in the American League East.
In reality, the ownership group has never cared less about the current product and continues to slash payroll. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow even admitted how poor his first offseason has gone to date. A winter in which the Red Sox seemingly showed little-to-know aggressiveness -- even for players they reportedly had strong interest in.
The trend has continued right up to spring training, as Boston let an impactful right-handed slugger head elsewhere. Outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler reportedly inked a three-year deal with the San Francisco Giants and the Red Sox seemingly did little to prevent the West Coast partnership.
"For what it's worth: Red Sox were not meaningfully in on Jorge Soler at the end of his free agency," MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported Tuesday.
Breslow has been adamant about the team's need for a right-handed hitter all offseason but also mentioned the ideal candidate having positional versatility. Soler was the best right-handed bat on the market but profiles more as a designated hitter than someone who can play all three outfield spots.
Soler became more of a logical fit when the Red Sox passed on outfielders such as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernández earlier in free agency.
At this juncture, it appears that the plan to replace Justin Turner's production -- .276/.345/.455 with 96 RBIs and a 114 OPS+ -- is to simply hope that in-house candidates evolve.
That could mean a step up from Masataka Yoshida -- who will take the primary DH reps -- or someone such as Wilyer Abreu to dominate in their first full season.
Those beliefs align with the rest of the team-building philosophy this offseason -- do nothing and hope for the better. There are some young controllable players poised for big years in 2024 but the unwillingness to supplement talent with external help remains perplexing.
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