Red Sox Should Target These 3 Bargain Free Agents For Black Friday

In the spirit of some Americans' favorite holiday, let's do some Black Friday shopping for the Boston Red Sox.

We certainly don't want the Red Sox cheaping out on power-hitting corner infielders. However, a low-cost deal for bullpen help makes a lot of sense this offseason, and there might be space for another utility-type, depending on how much of an upgrade they are over guys like Nick Sogard and Nate Eaton.

As a disclaimer, there's been no particular reporting suggesting the Red Sox are interested in these three players, but they'll likely be cheap, and that's all that matters for the theme.

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Luke Weaver, New York Yankees RP

We know the Red Sox love ex-Yankees players, as half of the bullpen once donned a Yankees uniform in addition to catcher Carlos Narvaez. Weaver was great for the Yankees for a year and a half, but his second-half struggles were so pronounced this year that he might be available for a few million bucks.

In 64 2/3 innings this year, Weaver managed a respectable 3.62 ERA. Spotrac projects him for a two-year, $19.9 million contract, but it's unclear whether there are actually multi-year offers out there. He'd be a nice pickup for a seventh or eighth-inning role.

Willi Castro, Chicago Cubs UTIL

Castro is the type of player every fan loves to have on their favorite team, even if stats like WAR don't particularly point to his case for stardom. He plays every position imaginable, can catch lightning in the bottle at the plate, and is relatively platoon-proof as a switch-hitter.

The Red Sox definitely shouldn't be focusing on signing a Castro-type now, but if they wind up with just one infield signing in free agency, he could be a nice middle infield insurance policy to guard against potential injuries to Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer, and even Alex Bregman if he returns.

Michael Soroka, Cubs SP/RP

There are a lot of baseball fans who will hear the name "Michael Soroka" and immediately fear for an injury if their favorite team signs him, and that's reasonable, as the righty has just one year with over 100 innings pitched. He got hurt in his second inning of his first and only start with the Cubs this past year, right after he was acquired at the trade deadline.

But Soroka also ranked near the top of the league leaderboard in differential between actual ERA and expected ERA, and it's hard to get his time as a dominant reliever in the 2024 Chicago White Sox bullpen out of one's head. If he's available for something minuscule like $2 or 3 million, the Red Sox may want to take a flier, provided that he focuses solely on relief duties.

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