Red Sox, Yankees Reportedly Could Ignite Bidding War For Premier Pitcher
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The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are known for their historic rivalry that has spanned over a century.
Now it appears that the two big-market franchises could be taking their clash into the offseason, for one of the most-hyped players in the current free-agent class.
"The Red Sox and Yankees have made contact with Kodai Senga's representatives, sources confirm," MLB.com's Jon Morosi tweeted Monday. "Senga, 29, is not attached to posting fees or draft pick compensation, which has broadened his marketplace. (The Athletic's) Ken Rosenthal reported the (New York) Mets and (San Diego) Padres have met with him."
Many consider Senga, the top international free agent on the market, to be just a tier below the likes of Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodón.
One difference between most of the high-end pitchers available and Senga is that the latter does not have the aforementioned qualifying offer attached to him, which is a big advantage for any of the six teams -- including the Red Sox and Yankees -- who have harsh penalties for going over the luxury tax last season.
The Red Sox would have to forfeit their second-round pick, fifth-round pick, and $1 million of international spending money to sign anyone with a QO. that would not be the case here.
Senga posted an 11-6 record in the Nippon Professional Baseball League this season with a 1.94 ERA, 156-to-49 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .200 batting average against in 144 innings across 22 games.
The 29-year-old's fastball touched 101.9 mph earlier this year, and his splitter has such a devastating dropoff that people are calling it a "ghost fork" pitch. He also features a cutter and slider.
It would make sense for Boston to pursue Senga and Eovaldi primarily, as they are both affordable and do not require additional compensation to the league.
At the GM meetings, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom spoke highly of the highly-touted Japanese ace.
"Super-talented, athletic, power stuff. Just a really impressive arm.”
Based on both Bloom's tenure and the reports of the Red Sox not wanting to go all-in on the top of the pitching market, Senga's price tag could exceed what the organization is willing to spend, but those limits are self-induced and the team could easily break their own rules to acquire the mighty international star. The money is there, it's just a matter of how they want to allocate it.
The one big advantage for Boston over the rest of the big-market teams is that they appear to be especially motivated to avoid players with qualifying offers. They may be more willing to slightly overspend if it means they can save substantial draft and pool money penalties.
It could come down to a Red Sox-Yankees bidding war, but there will be several other teams involved.
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