The Boston Red Sox entered the offseason with a few needs. They’re still searching for a right-handed bat while they already upgraded the starting rotation with Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler.
The free-agent departures of Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin also sparked a need for Boston to retool the back end of the bullpen. Justin Slaten should take another step forward and Liam Hendriks is ready to debut with his new team after Tommy John surgery. That being said, the Red Sox still need another difference maker even after the signings of Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson.
The issue in that search had been that no high-end relievers had truly begun movement. The market sat cold into the new year and finally sparked a flame Friday night when the Toronto Blue Jays inked 2024 All-Star Jeff Hoffman to a three-year deal.
Tanner Scott is far and away the best reliever remaining on the market and his suitors should step up now that Hoffman ignited the position group. The Red Sox should make every effort to add Scott in a move that would revitalize the bullpen. Should they lose out, there’s valuable depth in the market of talented relievers, including A.J. Minter, Carlos Estévez and Kirby Yates, to name a few.
If Boston can check those final two boxes off their offseason to-do list, the Red Sox will have a real chance at breaking their three-year playoff drought. With the bullpen market alive again, Boston must be aggressive.
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Featured image via Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images
