Red Sox offseason plan Step 5: Clear more payroll space
We need to cut some payroll in order to make one more big slash in free agency without crossing into the second-tier of tax penalties.
The Red Sox have a $6.85 million team option for Martin Perez next season. Simply declining the option is an easy way to free up payroll space but his salary is a relative bargain based on how he produced this year. Teams in need of a No. 4 or 5 starter would certainly be interested in acquiring him at that price so declining the option would be a waste of a valuable asset.
Boston might prefer to keep him but if they end up signing Bauer, Perez is a bit more expendable. If they can flip him for a middle reliever on a cheap contract or who is still pre-arbitration eligible, Boston could save money and upgrade over one of the several failed bullpen options they cycled through this year. Two birds, one stone.
The Red Sox have several non-tender candidates that could create a path to more savings. Cutting the cord on Jose Peraza, Zack Godley, Austin Brice, and Ryan Weber frees approximately $6 million. Boston is going to have to trim their 40-man roster anyway to make room for free-agent signings plus prospects they want to protect from the Rule 5 draft.