It was a busy day for Major League Baseball on Tuesday, with all 30 teams undergoing some sort of roster reconstruction. Part of that shuffling has left a pair of former Red Sox opponents on the open market. Should Boston be interested in their services?
The deadline to add minor leaguers to 40-man rosters, therefore protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft, came and went Tuesday. The Red Sox were among the most active teams in doing so, adding five players to their Major League roster. As a result of that process, veteran players across both leagues were released to make room for the influx of young talent. Raimel Tapia, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Ryan Yarbrough, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays, were two such players. And they both have ties to Boston.
Tapia, who was DFA’d by the Blue Jays after they promoted an outfield prospect to their 40-man roster, will likely hit the open market in the coming days. The 28-year-old is coming off a season where he ended up playing in 128 games despite initially being viewed as a fourth outfielder. Injuries thrust him into the lineup on more days than anyone expected, and he contributed well, posting a .265/.292/.380 slash line, with seven home runs and 52 RBIs. Those are solid enough numbers, but it’s what Tapia did in Boston that could make him an attractive free agent.
In six games at Fenway Park in 2022, Tapia absolutely killed the Red Sox. He went 9-for-30 from the plate with one double, one triple, two home runs and 12 RBIs.
Boston could have a need for outfield depth depending on how things shake out this winter. Kiké Hernández, Alex Verdugo and Rob Refsnyder all project to be major leaguers in 2023, but the Red Sox will need to add depth to survive the season — Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu won’t be enough to field a competitive team. If Boston goes and adds a third starter alongside Hernández and Verdugo, Tapia would be a great candidate to battle for the fourth spot alongside Refsnyder.
Yarbrough is an interesting free agent option for Boston, as he’s a player Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has targeted in the past. Bloom traded for Yarbrough in 2017, and turned him into one of the Rays’ bullpen weapons over the course of their time together in Tampa Bay. Yarbrough went 28-16 and had a combined 3.94 ERA in his first three seasons with the Rays before regressing in 2021 and 2022. Perhaps a change of scenery, and a relatively low price, could be just what he needs to bounce back.
