It didn’t take long for the conversation in Boston to switch from World Series jubilation to offseason speculation. It’s simply the nature of baseball.
Ben Cherington hardly had any time to bask in the glory of his first title as general manager of the Red Sox before he needed to extend qualifying offers to Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli and Stephen Drew. Now, Cherington is down in Orlando, Fla., for the MLB GM meetings, preparing for what should be another eventful offseason.
The Red Sox might not be as active as they were last winter, when Cherington and Co. brought in a number of free agents to help turn around a team that finished the 2012 season with a 69-93 record. But there are still some questions that need to be answered, and the trio of aforementioned free agents, as well as Jarrod Saltalamacchia, is at the heart of the offseason buzz.
Cherington said Monday that there’s some level of interest in all six of the Red Sox’ free agents — including Joel Hanrahan and John McDonald. But Boston must also explore other free-agent options in case things don’t work out. After all, Cherington acknowledged recently that it’s unlikely that all of the Red Sox’ free agents will be back in 2014.
So who should the Red Sox consider going after? Well, a lot hinges on which players (if any) re-sign with the Red Sox and whether Boston is willing to make a big splash. There are some options worth keeping an eye on for one reason or another, though.
Check out 10 players who should at least garner some attention from the Red Sox at the link below.
Click here for 10 potential free-agent targets for the Red Sox >>
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