MLB Rumors: Red Sox Making Eighth-Inning Reliever Their Top Priority

The Boston Red Sox watched two possible free-agent designated hitter options sign elsewhere this weekend, but they’re reportedly not too concerned about it.

The Red Sox allegedly see acquiring an eighth-inning reliever as the highest priority on their offseason to-do list over looking for a replacement for the retired David Ortiz, The Boston Globe reported Monday. This comes after reports that Carlos Beltran agreed to a deal with the Houston Astros, and Matt Holliday landed with the New York Yankees.

Boston was in on both Beltran and Holliday but wasn’t a huge bidder, the Globe reported, citing major league sources. The Red Sox would rather strengthen their bullpen, as Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa and Brad Ziegler all are free agents and their best current option for the setup role is Carson Smith, who missed most of 2016 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The report also surmises that Boston could be trying to stay under the luxury-tax threshold — which moved up to $195 million under the new collective bargaining agreement — rather than spending millions on a power hitter.

Still, ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden pointed out this also could be Red Sox president of baseball operation Dave Dombrowski’s way of staying under the radar before making a bigger move.

“He likes to lay low most of the time and then react like a pelican does on the beaches in Florida, going after fish slowly and from afar, then just swooping in with a violent late dive into the ocean,” Bowden wrote Saturday. “That’s what Dombrowski does when he closes a deal — quick and fast before anyone is watching. He’ll tell the media he’s only looking for setup relievers, but then he’ll shock the baseball world with a Chris Sale or Miguel Cabrera-type blockbuster deal. He’s always someone to watch at winter meetings.”