The Boston Red Sox have a sizable list of impending free agents once this dismal season comes to a close next week.
Xander Bogaerts, if he decides to opt-out of his contract, will obviously headline the group that also features Nathan Eovaldi, J.D. Martinez and Michael Wacha. Further down on the list after those names is Matt Strahm, who has proven to be a reliable and versatile arm in his first season in Boston.
It’s unclear if Strahm will be in Boston’s plans for next season, but the left-handed reliever hopes to hear from Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom in the offseason in an attempt to suit up for the club again next year.
“I would love it,” Strahm told MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “It’s Fenway Park. You get to play here 81 games a year. This is my seventh season in the big leagues and there isn’t a more special place than here. Definitely hope Chaim decides to give me a call or at least let me know what his plans are, but we’ll see.”
Strahm wouldn’t mind a change of roles, either, whether he’s back with the Red Sox or signs somewhere else. He could see himself as a starting pitcher next season after starting 16 games with the San Diego Padres in 2019. The Red Sox haven’t used him in that capacity at all this season, with Strahm making all 49 of his appearances out of the bullpen.
He’s shown he can throw multiple innings for Boston while posting a 3.92 ERA with four saves to go along with 51 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings pitched. While starting games might be in Strahm’s future, it’s not the biggest deciding factor in where he ultimately ends up playing next season.
“I’ve never said I want to sign as a starter. I still think I can be a starter,” Strahm said to Cotillo. “I just want to win, first and foremost. My main goal in baseball is to win a World Series. My dream as a kid was to play Major League Baseball. I’ve accomplished that. Now the next thing for me is just to win a World Series.
“Whatever I feel best on a winning team is what I want to do,” he continued. “I sit here and watch all the starters throughout the league and I think I can do every bit of what a majority of them are doing. But I also understand my value in the bullpen, to be able to cover two innings, get lefties and righties out and bridge it to the back, or even be part of the back of a bullpen.”
