MLB Insiders See Red Sox As Legitimate Spot For Several Free Agents

The Boston Red Sox have a busy winter ahead of them in reconstructing the roster in order to compete in 2024.

As a result, the team could be in the mix for several of the top players on the market. In a new tracker for The Athletic, a group of baseball insiders -- Tim Britton, Keith Law, Aaron Gleeman, Eno Sarris and Jim Bowden, comprised a ranking of the 40 best free agents and a few teams in which they would best fit in a deal. The Red Sox were a popular team on this list.

Here are the nine players that the panel listed the Red Sox as "best fits" for this offseason:

- RHP Aaron Nola

- OF Cody Bellinger

- RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

- LHP Jordan Montgomery

- LHP Eduardo Rodriguez

- RHP Marcus Stroman

- INF Tim Anderson

- LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu

- INF Whit Merrifield

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Nola is a proven starter as a durable innings-eater and a playoff performer. He offers exactly what the Red Sox are looking for at the top of the rotation in what should be an absolute priority for Boston.

Yamamoto is the most coveted arm on the market at just 25 years old as he makes his way to Major League Baseball after a dominant run in Japan. Once posted, he will spark plenty of competition among top contenders. If the Red Sox truly want to make a major addition to the rotation, Yamamoto's youth and pure stuff make him the best option, though he will come at a hefty price.

The Red Sox already have a surplus of left-handed hitting outfielders, though Bellinger would be a solid addition to the lineup. The former National League MVP is coming off of a resurgent season, hitting .307 with an .881 OPS. If the Red Sox can clear a direction for a crowded outfield, Bellinger would be an interesting fit.

In the starting pitching market, both Stroman and Montgomery showed frontline potential in their respective seasons with the Chicago Cubs and the Texas Rangers. While both pitchers are over 30, they could each help boost the Boston rotation in the short term. As less likely options, Rodriguez and Ryu offer a pair of southpaws in solid 2023 seasons in the American League with each starter posting an ERA south of 3.50.

A pair of infield possibilities also exist for the Red Sox in Anderson and Merrifield. Both players are former All-Stars who are capable of filling a six-year hole at second base in Boston. If it comes down to the bat, Merrifield had a far better 2023, though Anderson had hit over .300 in each of the previous four seasons.

While the Red Sox certainly will not sign all nine of these players, some combination of them could shift expectations for Boston in 2024.