BoSox Injection
Fansided

Red Sox: Five non-tendered players to target in free agency

By Tim Starr

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 11: Blake Treinen #39 of the Oakland Athletics pitches in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 11, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 11: Blake Treinen #39 of the Oakland Athletics pitches in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 11, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
MIAMI, FLORIDA – AUGUST 28: Kevin Gausman #46 of the Cincinnati Reds delivers a pitch in the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on August 28, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA – AUGUST 28: Kevin Gausman #46 of the Cincinnati Reds delivers a pitch in the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on August 28, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Kevin Gausman

The Orioles former top prospect has found himself on three teams the last two years as he has played for Baltimore, the Atlanta Braves, and most recently the Cincinnati Reds. Kevin Gausman will strike a deal and try to rebuild his value, as he got non-tendered and has now entered free agency.

While he posted a combined 80 ERA+ in his miserable 2019 season, there have been some encouraging numbers in the past to suggest he still has talent. To close out the 2018 season, Gausman was dealt to the Braves and he had a 2.87 ERA in 10 starts. Apart from that, he has never had a season with an ERA under 3.50, but he has struck out a ton of batters – 10 SO/9 in the 2019 season.

Rick Porcello‘s services are open on the free agent market and could leave the Red Sox this offseason. Chaim Bloom now finds himself searching for a fifth starter and Gausman is a perfect fit. He pitched in the AL East exclusively until the end of the 2018 season so he has some familiarity in the division.

Similar to Porcello, he is coming off a down season and will likely sign a low AAV pillow-contract. Because of that, the Red Sox won’t have to make a long-term commitment to another starter as those haven’t worked out as of late. All the while, Boston won’t have to break the bank to obtain him which means he won’t have impacted the payroll too severely.

Even if he continues to pitch at his lowly 2019 level, he will still eat innings. This will be critical to 2020 success as the health of Chris Sale, David Price, and Nathan Eovaldi is sketchy, to say the least.

Home/Red Sox News