Red Sox Outbid By Low-Budget Rays In Failed Attempt To Upgrade Pitching Staff
The Boston Red Sox have had a brutal start to the offseason, as they've already lost out on two of their free-agent targets, with the latter proving to be a real twist of the knife.
The Red Sox were very close to bringing in former Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin, but were stabbed in the back by an American League East rival.
Eflin reportedly signed a three-year, $40 million deal, a price that was originally offered by Boston, and then matched by Tampa Bay.
"My understanding (of) what transpired is that the Red Sox were the highest bidders, but Eflin is from Florida, and so the Rays were given an opportunity to match," The Athletic's Chad Jennings wrote Thursday. "If the Florida club put the same offer on the table, Eflin would sign.
"They did, and he did."
The worst part? Boston was completely blindsided by the change of heart.
"The Red Sox were not given an opportunity to raise their bid," Jennings wrote. "They also didn’t know until the deal was done that the Rays were going to have the final opportunity to match."
Eflin posted 4.04 ERA with a 65-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .241 batting average against in 75 2/3 innings last season. He made 13 starts and seven relief appearances for the Phillies in the regular season and added 10 more relief appearances in the postseason, with a 3.38 ERA, 12 strikeouts, a pair of walks and a save in 10 2/3 innings.
The 28-year-old could have filled a swingman/long reliever role for Boston.
While it's immensely frustrating to see the big-market Red Sox get outbid by the penny-scraping Rays just a few days after the Houston Astros outbid Boston for perennial All-Star first baseman/designated hitter José Abreu, this last loss involved some tough luck.
Not only did Eflin effectively screw over Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and company, but it took the largest free-agent contract in Rays' history to do so.
That said, it's time for the Red Sox to start acting like the franchise that has more World Series rings than any other team this century, and that starts by throwing around blank checks and letting top-tier talent name their price -- starting with star shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
There's also no reason to lose out on outfielder Mitch Haniger, who the team reportedly is a serious suiter for.
More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Among 'Serious Suiters' For All-Star Outfielder
