The top reliever on this year’s free agent market is now out of the picture, and once again the Red Sox have been chosen as the bridesmaid, not the bride.
Left-hander Tanner Scott agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract with the Dodgers on Saturday, as first reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The deal is tied for the third-highest average annual value ever given to a reliever and bolsters a stacked Dodgers pitching staff that already added Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki this winter. Scott, who posted an excellent 1.75 ERA in 72 innings with Miami and San Diego last year, was always going to benefit. But his value was helped by the fact that a group of big-market teams pursued him hard.
The Red Sox remained in contact with Scott throughout the winter, sources said, but the suggestion that Boston offered more than the Dodgers in terms of two years and AAV was described as “highly inaccurate » by someone familiar with the process on Sunday afternoon. It was thought the Red Sox would be reluctant to spend four years on Scott, who will be 34 at the end of the season. The Cubs were another aggressor in the Scott market and the Mets were interested before signing fellow lefty AJ Minter late last week.
It is well known that Boston wants to add another veteran reliever to a core that will include right-handers Justin Slaten, Liam Hendriks and Garrett Whitlock and new left-handers Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson in 2025. Earlier this month, the Sox hit the base with a long list of free agent relievers and were thought to be shopping at the top of the market. The list of options has narrowed considerably over the past two weeks.
Scott, Jeff Hoffman, Minter, José Leclerc and Andrew Kittredge all signed recently and Clay Holmes, Blake Treinen and Chris Martin are also off the board. It’s unclear if the Sox have approached any of these pitchers, but they have had conversations with at least Scott, Hoffman, Minter, Kittredge and Martin. The rest of the relief market could move quickly now that top prize Scott has decided where to play.
Among those left out are top options like Kirby Yates, Carlos Estévez, David Robertson, veteran righties Tommy Kahnle, Paul Sewald, Kyle Finnegan, Phil Maton and Jakob Junis and lefties Andrew Chafin and Colin Poche. Kenley Jansen also hasn’t signed, but the door is surely closed on a reunion after an undesirable end to his time in Boston.
Boston has expressed interest in a few of the remaining pitchers and has the money to do something. After completing their four arbitration agreements, the Red Sox are estimated to have approximately $32 million remaining to spend before reaching the first Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) threshold of $241 million. Giving a short-term, high-AAV contract to someone like Yates, Estévez, Robertson or Kahnle would make a lot of sense in an effort to add a veteran right-hander to a fairly strong group. There are also elite options on the trade market, like St. Louis’ Ryan Helsley and Houston’s Ryan Pressly, but with relievers, the path of least resistance is always paying cash, not prospects. The Red Sox definitely have the money to sign one of the remaining righties and should have the motivation. The problem is that many teams, including those who lost to Scott, are also pushing for help. For example, Kahnle has eight teams with strong interest in a very competitive market.
Sources continue to indicate that adding a right-handed bat remains Boston’s top priority, with bullpen help considered a secondary need. Free agent Alex Bregman and Cardinals trade candidate Nolan Arenado remain the two big names – as yet imperfect – that the Red Sox have considered. Boston could wait for either Bregman (short-term deal?) or the Cardinals (salary cut?) to become desperate heading into spring training. Beyond Bregman and Arenado, there is a limited list of right-handed hitting options that includes free agent Randal Grichuk and Cubs trade candidate Seiya Suzuki.
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