Red Sox May Soon Cut Ties With $18 Million Hurler, Insider Projects

What are the finishing touches of this offseason?

Mar 5, 2019; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; A detailed view of a Boston Red Sox cap, sunglasses and glove in the dugout during a spring training game between the Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox's offseason seems to have hit a lull, but the work is far from finished.

Boston's rotation has come a long way since the regular season ended, and Willson Contreras shores up a first-base position that has been a pain point far too often. But signing Ranger Suárez got them to the highest tax payroll in franchise history, and they still seem to be one infielder away from a competitive lineup.

The simple math dictates that if the Red Sox are going to bring in any more salary, they'll probably want to dump some, and that's why one insider believes that a starting pitcher who seems to have lost his spot in the projected rotation will be gone before the regular season begins.

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Will Patrick Sandoval ever play a game for Boston?

Jun 4, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval (43) delivers to the plate in the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive projected the Red Sox's opening day roster, and he conspicuously omitted left-handed hurler Patrick Sandoval, who could be traded to save just over $9 million against the collective bargaining tax threshold.

"The Sox have 10 pitchers who could reasonably begin the year in the big league rotation. Simply put, something’s got to give," Cotillo wrote.

"Slotting (Garrett) Crochet, Suárez, (Sonny) Gray, (Brayan) Bello and (Johan) Oviedo into the Opening Day group means decisions will have to be made on (Kutter) Crawford and Sandoval, who if healthy are the top fill-in options. Sandoval seems like a prime trade candidate, especially if he shows something in spring training."

Sandoval is now 19 months removed from Tommy John surgery, so when spring training opens, he should be a full go. That could mean, assuming he's still on the Red Sox by then, that he's auditioning for 29 other teams in addition to an unlikely spot in the Boston rotation.

In 107 career games, all for the Los Angeles Angels, Sandoval owns a 4.01 ERA and 529 strikeouts in 536 innings. He had a 3.3-WAR season with a 2.91 ERA in 2022, but he regressed in each of the following two years before surgery. Still, Boston rewarded him with a two-year, $18.25 million deal last January.

Of course, this calculus could all be upset by an injury, which the Red Sox certainly hope doesn't happen, but may need to anticipate based on how many occurred last year just after spring training began.

However, the presence of top prospects Payton Tolle and Connelly Early behind Sandoval could give chief baseball officer Craig Breslow the confidence to simply make the trade and get the money off the books.

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