Red Sox: Five players Boston needs to target in Free Agency this winter

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 15: Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom addresses the departure of Alex Cora as manager of the Boston Red Sox during a press conference at Fenway Park on January 15, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. A MLB investigation concluded that Cora was involved in the Houston Astros sign stealing operation in 2017 while he was the bench coach. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 15: Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom addresses the departure of Alex Cora as manager of the Boston Red Sox during a press conference at Fenway Park on January 15, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. A MLB investigation concluded that Cora was involved in the Houston Astros sign stealing operation in 2017 while he was the bench coach. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 19: A view outside of Fenway Park on March 19, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. The NBA, NHL, NCAA and MLB have all announced cancellations or postponements of events because of the COVID-19. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Boston Red Sox need to be active and aggressive in Free Agency this winter

This season sucked, there’s no way to say it any differently. We all knew that the Red Sox were going to have an uphill battle after trading away Mookie Betts and David Price, while also losing Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez to health issues. But I can’t say that I thought the team would’ve finished in the basement of the AL East and as the fourth-worst team in the entire MLB.

As the dust continues to settle on a massive disappointment of a campaign, it’s incredibly clear that pitching is the Achilles’ heel of this team. The bats weren’t always electric but when they have to dig out of a multi-run hole right out of the gate every night, there’s only so much they can do. Most if not all of the issues this year stemmed from the arms that were trotted out by Boston.

I lost track of how many times I looked at other people in the room and said, “Who the hell is that guy?” AND I COVER THIS TEAM! Looking at the free-agent pool for this winter is like trying to pick the nice piece of fruit out of the pile at the grocery store. Some look good, some could be good, but there are plenty of stinkers around them.

I was able to narrow my list of top free-agent targets down to five though with four of them being pitchers. Are there some weaknesses elsewhere in the Red Sox lineup? Sure, but nothing is in as much need of attention as the pitching staff. With all that said let’s get to the list and see who I think Chaim Bloom should wheel and deal with this offseason.

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