Buyer beware for the Red Sox when it comes to these free agents
Halloween is approaching but there is something scarier at this time of year than the ghouls and goblins lurking in the dark – MLB free agency. The Boston Red Sox will be active on the free-agent market as they aim to upgrade a roster on the verge of championship contention but they must be careful not to get tricked into spending on players who aren’t the treat they appear to be.
Chaim Bloom has shown a knack for finding underappreciated players. It’s not that he’s cheap, he simply recognizes value. Kike Hernandez and Hunter Renfroe weren’t splashy names when they signed bargain deals last offseason but where would the Red Sox have been without them this year?
We expect more of the same from Bloom as he tinkers with this roster. Not every move is going to pan out but his track record shows he can be trusted to get most decisions right. If he swings and misses at a few low-cost options, we can live with that.
When an expensive free-agent signing backfires, it can be crippling to an organization. The Red Sox have a history of spending on the top free agents in an effort to “win” the offseason. Remember Pablo Sandoval? Signing a big name grabs headlines that excite the fan base but it can be disastrous when they don’t work out.
This year’s crop of free agents is loaded with those big names but the bust potential for some of them is terrifying. The nightmare scenario of overpaying a player based on name value is what the Red Sox must steer clear from this offseason.