Inside The Red Sox

Two Red Sox Free Agents Reportedly On Precipice Of Signing New Deals

A pair of pitchers have some important decisions to make
Scott Neville|
Two Red Sox Free Agents Reportedly On Precipice Of Signing New Deals
Two Red Sox Free Agents Reportedly On Precipice Of Signing New Deals

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox could receive some answers that help shape their offseason this week with a pair of players from the 2022 roster set to make decisions in the coming days.

Markets for both right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and left-handed pitcher Matt Strahm are heating up according to WEEI's Rob Bradford on Sunday. There is a "good chance" at least one of those two will be signed prior to Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings, which kicks off Dec. 4.

Outside of the Xander Bogaerts sweepstakes, Eovaldi's decisions could have the most significant impact on the 2023 Red Sox roster. The 32-year-old hurler still qualifies as a frontline starter and his return would make the assembling of the rotation much easier. 

Should Eovaldi depart, Boston could be forced to pay up for some external options along the likes of Japanese ace Kodai Senga, among others.

If the Red Sox want to avoid qualifying offer penalties, Eovaldi and Senga should be atop their shopping list. Similarly skilled starters will cost the team draft compensation and international spending money on top of hefty contracts.

Eovaldi has been open about his interest in returning, and the Red Sox reportedly have offered him a multi-year deal. It sounds like we'll find out if the offer was enough shortly. 

Strahm's decision has a far smaller impact on Boston. It's not known whether the Red Sox even extended a contract offer to Strahm, and they already signed a southpaw in former New York Mets reliever Joely Rodriguez. Strahm would fortify a shaky bullpen, but is far from a must-have acquisition.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom would be smart to hone in on Eovaldi as he appears close to a decision.

More MLB: Red Sox No Longer Favorites To Land Xander Bogaerts, New Team Emerges

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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