Red Sox: 5 non-tender players to consider in free agency
A look at five non-tender players who the Boston Red Sox should consider now that they are officially on the free agent market.
Major League Baseball’s non-tender deadline was on Friday, leaving us with a bevy of new free agents hitting the market this weekend. The Boston Red Sox didn’t non-tender anyone, reaching a one-year agreement with Tyler Thornburg and extending an offer to all their other eligible players. However, they may have interest in a few players who were let go by other clubs.
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. There are diamonds in the rough to be found among non-tender players. The Red Sox are no stranger to that, having scooped up David Ortiz after he was released by the Minnesota Twins.
Just because their former team gave up on them or couldn’t find room on their roster doesn’t mean they can’t be useful. There are dozens of players who fall into the non-tender category this year, many of whom will catch on with a big league team in time for next season.
Here are five players who hit free agency after not being tendered a contract by their former team this week who may interest the Red Sox.
The veteran journeyman found a home with the Los Angeles Angels the last two seasons but he’s on the move again. The 33-year old carved out a meaningful role in the Angels’ bullpen and even spent some time as their closer, collecting 22 saves over the last two seasons.
Parker posted a 3.26 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 9.5 K/9 this year. That’s solid production for a reliever. He was even better the previous year when he owned a 2.54 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 11.5 K/9. That gives him an appealing ceiling with a relatively safe floor if he continues to pitch at the level he’s been at in recent years.
There are some early career struggles that may be of some concern, including a brief stint with the New York Yankees in which he allowed nine earned runs in only 16 1/3 innings. Parker seems to have figured himself out in Los Angeles so we shouldn’t expect him to revert back to that pre-2017 form.
Parker could be a potential replacement for Joe Kelly if he leaves in free agency, while his closing experience makes him a dark horse candidate to compete for the ninth inning role if Craig Kimbrel signs elsewhere.
Boxgberger is coming off a bit of a down season in which he posted a 4.39 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. This can partially be explained by a career-high 1.5 HR/9, the result of moving from the pitcher-friendly environments he called home for most of his career to an offensive haven in Arizona.
Walks were also to blame, as has often been the case for Boxberger. His 5.4 BB/9 this year was troubling even by his standards.
However, Boxberger does match those flaws with elite strikeout upside. He owned a 12.0 K/9 this year and has an 11.6 rate for his career.
Boxberger also has some experience as a closer, having led the league with 41 saves in an All-Star campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015. He tallied 32 saves with the Diamondbacks this year.
The free agent market isn’t exactly overflowing with closers outside of Kimbrel. If the incumbent closer bolts for a lucrative deal the Red Sox aren’t willing to compete with, Boxberger is among the cheaper alternatives to consider.
As an added bonus, Boxberger will be a pleasure to have during Player’s Weekend. When players were allowed to wear nicknames on the back of their jersey’s for one weekend this year, Boxberger sported a jersey with a picture of a box and a burger in place of a name. Who wouldn’t want a guy with that sense of humor?
Miller was a disaster for the Diamondbacks since being acquired from the Atlanta Braves following a career-year in 2015. Injuries limited him to only 28 starts over three seasons and he didn’t perform well in the rare appearances he did make, posting a 6.35 ERA during his time in the desert.
Arizona is still kicking themselves for making that deal, which cost them former No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson. It’s no surprise they let him go but that doesn’t mean he can’t resurrect his career somewhere else.
Miller showed a lot of potential early in his career, finishing third on the NL Rookie of the Year ballot in 2013 and making the All-Star team two years later. He’s only 28 years old so it’s not too late for him to get his career back on track as long as he’s healthy.
If Nathan Eovaldi isn’t re-signed, Boston may look to add a cheap starter to compete with Steven Wright, Brian Johnson, and Hector Velazquez for the final rotation spot. Miller could be as much of a bust as he was in Arizona but he has much higher upside than any of those internal options.
Schoop was supposed to provide a power boost to the Brewers lineup when he was acquired in a mid-season trade from the Baltimore Orioles. Instead, he fell out of favor due to his poor production and wasn’t even seeing steady playing time by the postseason.
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He hit .202 with a .577 OPS in 46 regular season games with the Brewers. Schoop followed that with an 0-for-8 performance in the postseason.
There’s no doubt that Schoop is a flawed and sometimes infuriating player. He has a sub-.300 on-base percentage for his career, he strikes out too much and he’s an average defender at best.
What he does have is power. Schoop blasted a career-high 32 home runs and dove in 105 RBI in 2017 when he was an All-Star for the O’s. He won’t repeat the .293 batting average from that season but there’s no reason why the 27-year old can’t recapture that run production.
The Red Sox aren’t as starved for power as they were a year ago but they may have an opening at second base if Dustin Pedroia‘s knee doesn’t cooperate. They may be more inclined to bring back Ian Kinsler in that case, valuing his golden glove over the home run threat of Schoop. If Kinsler signs elsewhere and Pedroia is slow to recover then Schoop is a backup plan they may kick the tires on.
The Red Sox have some five-tool players in their outfield. Hamilton is a one-tool player. Speed, that’s about all he has going for him. Fine, so that speed also makes him a solid defensive center fielder, so I guess that’s two tools.
He’s a career .245 hitter with no power to speak of. His career slugging percentage is a pitiful .333 and he’s never hit more than six homers in a season. Hamilton is looking to slap the ball for a base hit, then use his legs to become a threat on the base paths.
A sub-.300 OBP means he’s not on base very often but he’s dangerous when he does get on. Hamilton stole 50+ bases in four consecutive seasons before dipping to only 34 this year. That’s still more steals than any Red Sox player had.
Hamilton could bring an element to the Red Sox that they don’t have much of on their bench. Eduardo Nunez is perhaps the biggest base stealing threat among the players who aren’t projected to be regulars in the lineup but he didn’t do much running this year after dealing with various injuries. Boston doesn’t use a pinch-runner often but when they do it’s usually backup catcher Blake Swihart. Needless to say, Hamilton would be an upgrade.
Red Sox fans know as well as anyone how valuable speed on the bench can be. Hamilton could fill that Dave Roberts role, while also providing value as a fourth outfielder with his defense. He could even pinch-hit once in a while if the team is in a position where they need someone to drop down a bunt.
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None of these players would be a flashy free agent signing. They aren’t going to drastically alter the direction of the team. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be on the radar. Each provides a skill set that could be of use and would have a clear role with this team. Considering they should be cheap to sign after their last team gave up on them, these guys may be worth a look.