Red Sox: 3 former players Boston should re-sign when the lockout ends

Former Red Sox INF: Kyle Schwarber

Did ya’ll think I wasn’t going to talk about Kyle Schwarber in this thing? Saving the best for last and who I think could be the best former player that Chaim Bloom could bring back to the Red Sox ahead of 2022. Fans scoffed at the idea of Bloom trading for the injured Schwarber at the deadline but the man in the front office knew what he was doing and everyone should put respect on his name.

Once Schwarbs was healthy he was an instant impact player for the team and the culture and discipline at the plate changed right away. There were two things that Kyle loved doing with the Red Sox in 2021, smacking bombs and taking walks. My guy had an OBP of a million for a while there because he wasn’t swinging at junk and just took his free passes.

While Alex Cora didn’t use him much in the outfield it was a process to watch him learn a new position at first base. He and Bobby Dalbec would form a pretty tight tandem and working with Schwarber also helped Bob immensely at the plate. We’ve heard all offseason that the Sox were the leading candidate and I think that’d be a wise move for Bloom, and the slugger seems to be all-in.

His versatility makes him a great fit anywhere in this lineup and if anyone embraced the Boston culture from day one it was Kyle from Waltham. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone have as much fun as he did while he was here. Look no further than the celebration at first base against the Rays. Bring him back, Chaim.