Red Sox: Five non-tendered players to target in free agency
With a numerous amount of players getting non-tendered on Monday, the Red Sox can target these five players as they can greatly benefit the team.
As nearly every team made a notable subtraction or two on Monday, that widens the players available on the free agent market. From higher-end cuts like Oakland Athletics reliever Blake Treinen to lower-end players such as Cleveland Indians catcher Kevin Plawecki (who got non-tendered because of the Red Sox-Indians, Sandy Leon swap).
Boston also lost players, which opens up new spots on the 40-man roster. Players cut also can save money on the payroll which allows for more flexibility to upgrade in key areas of the team.
With Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce departing, there is a hole at first base, the bullpen needs some extra depth, and there is a void at the back-end of Boston’s rotation. With the transactions being made on Monday, there is a new pool of players entering the market that can help fill in the holes of Chaim Bloom’s roster.
With some newly available options for the Red Sox to sign, let’s go over five players that the Red Sox could ink to better their team weaknesses.
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.
C.J. Cron
The Minnesota Twins non-tendered first baseman C.J. Cron as they already have enough power in their lineup; they broke the MLB home run record in 2019 with 307. With the powerful first baseman entering the market, he could peak the Red Sox interest.
As previously mentioned, a new hole at first has formed as power-bats Moreland and Pearce have entered free agency. The Red Sox can fill the shoes left by the duo by inking Cron to a deal. The powerful first baseman has averaged over 20 home runs the last 5 seasons and he could help mentor one of Boston’s top prospects, Bobby Dalbec.
Cron hit for a 103 OPS+ last year while also swatting 25 home runs. He is in the middle of his prime as he is only 29 years old, so a 1-year deal could guarantee a solid, productive season. He could platoon with Dalbec (even though they are both right-handed) and fill the foot-prints left by the Red Sox departing first base duo.
He shouldn’t come too expensive as he is likely going to receive a 1 or 2-year deal with an AAV around $5-7 million per year. He won’t cost Boston too much money but could add some extra thump to the lineup while also filling in at first base.
Aaron Sanchez
Aaron Sanchez had an ERA above 6.00 with the Toronto Blue Jays to start 2019. The Houston Astros acquired him at the trading deadline in an effort to revitalize the former ERA leader. After his first start, it appeared as if they had.
In his first start with Houston, Sanchez fired 6 no-hit innings before getting pulled from the game. His value took a nosedive as he only ended up making three more starts with a 7.38 ERA. He made his final start on August 20 against the Detroit Tigers.
With his health being a question mark nearly every season, the Astros chose not to deal with his drama. They non-tendered him on Monday. Much like Gausman, the Red Sox could have interest in the right-hander as he could slot in nicely at the back-end of the rotation. However, there is a clear distinction between the two starters.
Gausman is more reliable to take the ball every fifth day as he is a much healthier pitcher. On the other hand, Sanchez is a much more high-upside starter. He isn’t overly reliable to throw 150+ innings a year which could make him undesirable to the Red Sox.
Despite that, he has shown that when he is healthy he is an elite pitcher. For example, he finished 2016 as the ERA leader and seventh in Cy Young voting. He made 30 starts that season, putting his injury woes behind him that season. Ever since, he has averaged less than 20 starts the last three seasons, although he tossed 27 mediocre innings in 2019 (97 ERA+).
If the Red Sox were interested in buy-low candidates than Sanchez could make a lot of sense for them. If he can find his 2016 form he could become a dangerous weapon at the back-end of the Red Sox rotation. He should only receive one or two-year offers with an average annual value of about $5 million.
Remember Travis Shaw, the star sent to Milwaukee in the Tyler Thornburg trade? After two stellar 2017 and 2018 seasons, he was ineffective in his 2019 campaign. While Shaw is a third baseman, he could play first in a return to Boston.
He could be a more appealing option than Cron since Shaw hits left-handed. This means he could platoon nicely with Dalbec because they would be a lefty-righty combo, similar to the 2018/2019 duo of Moreland/Pearce.
Shaw is also 29 years old which means he is in the midst of his prime. He has had two star-caliber seasons (121 and 119 OPS+ in 2017 and 2018) and he can lengthen out the Red Sox lineup. A one or two-year deal could be wondrous for Boston. If he can find his previous form, he can be a force for Boston at a relatively cheap price.
Shaw may want to hit the free agent market next year as the third base class will be significantly weaker. Anthony Rendon, Josh Donaldson, and Mike Moustakas (who recently signed with the Reds) dominate the third base class of 2019.
If Shaw is willing to take a one-year deal, Chaim Bloom should jump all over that. Familiar with Boston as he played for them from 2015 and 2016, the Red Sox and the third baseman could reunite for the 2020 season.
Lastly, Blake Treinen got non-tendered by the Oakland Athletics. While Billy Beane would’ve likely wanted to keep him, the payroll constraints forced him to cut ties with the reliever. The righty had an ERA pushing up towards 5 in 2019, but he only gave up seven earned runs in 2018.
Rumors have linked him and the Yankees, but the Red Sox clearly need to upgrade their bullpen. If Treinen can find his 2018 form, he can take over the closer role for Boston and stabilize the back-end of the bullpen.
#Yankees one of teams interested in #Athletics’ Blake Treinen, sources tell The Athletic. Wrote Tuesday about OAK’s willingness to move Treinen and other non-tender candidates. https://t.co/f5wHdir05C
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2019
The key for him to reverse his 2019 woes is to decrease his home run and walk rates. In 2018, he posted a 0.2 HR/9 and 2.4 BB/9 while in 2019, they were 1.4 HR/9 and 5.7 BB/9. He was walking more batters in 2019 and his ERA indicates they scored often.
The number of homers he gave up in 2019 was the same number of earned runs he gave up in 2018. Overall, the key for Treinen is to get him to figure out what went wrong this past season, then he can go back to being a dominant late-inning reliever.
He is relatively old, 31 years old, so he may look for a longer-term deal because a bad season could derail him from making any serious money. If he can find his prior form, he can be one of the best relievers in MLB at a cheap cost.
Four internal closer candidates. dark. Next
If he is looking for a 3-year deal worth a total of around $20 million, the Red Sox should be all over that. He would be a cheap addition to their bullpen and could be the nail to close out games. Out of all of the relievers left on the market, Treinen probably has the most potential. If the Red Sox can acquire him, they better thank the A’s for non-tendering one of the better relievers in baseball.