Red Sox: Familiar faces in free agency could bolster Boston’s lineup

BOSTON, MA - JULY 26: Kevin Pillar #5 of the Boston Red Sox hits a solo home run in the fifth inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on July 26, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JULY 26: Kevin Pillar #5 of the Boston Red Sox hits a solo home run in the fifth inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on July 26, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
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Red Sox Mitch Moreland 3-run homer
BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 20: Mitch Moreland #18 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with J.D. Martinez #28 after hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 20, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Red Sox can find value in familiar faces

This offseason has been a long and drawn out snore-fest as teams are waiting to pull the trigger on making signings. I understand why, as the longer they wait the more desperate the players will be which will swing the negotiating power back to the teams. Chaim Bloom and his team can avoid much of the headache in that arena by going after players that the organization knows all too well.

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None of the players I mentioned here should be offered long-term deals but they could all help the Red Sox better their current position in the present. Each player has their pros and cons but considering how Boston finished in 2020, a lot of those cons can be ignored if it means even one more check in the pro column. If Bloom really wants to keep the budget low and work this team into a contender, he has options on the board.

Where this goes from here is hard to see as I think many of us are trying our best to block 2020 out of our collective memories. Ending the season fourth from the absolute bottom is not acceptable from a team that dominated the league and won the World Series just two years prior. Going back to the well and re-signing former players may not be as sexy as bringing in a George Springer or Trevor Bauer, but it could be what’s best for business.

Now that the CBT penalty marker is reset and Boston has themselves back in the good graces of the luxury tax, they won’t be in a hurry to trigger it right away. A handful of bargain bin deals for players that were successful for the Red Sox in the recent past can be a win-win for the team. It gives the organization good PR, and we all know these owners love them some good PR, and it keeps the bank account nice and full for better free-agent classes down the road.

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