The top 5 Boston Red Sox players acquired in January during the last 20 years

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For Boston Red Sox fans, the end of 2022 was a rollercoaster ride. Though the team strengthened its bullpen and signed outfielder Masataka Yoshida, fans also watched franchise cornerstone Xander Bogaerts leave in free agency after bungled negotiations.

As 2023 starts, New Englanders are bracing themselves for the annual stretch of perpetual darkness between New Year and the start of spring training. As we pass through the armpit of the year, Red Sox Nation should remain optimistic that the team can make significant additions to the team in the coming months. In fact, history has shown that multiple significant players joined the Red Sox in the month of January. The following are the Top 5 players acquired by the Red Sox in January in the last 20 years.

5. Miguel Bleis ,1/15/21

It might be sacrilegious to put a player in the lower levels of the Minor Leagues in the company of the others on this list. This demonstrates how highly the 18-year-old Bleis is regarded as a prospect. He may be the most intriguing prospect in a Red Sox Minor League system that ranked 11th in baseball by Baseball America (subscription required) in 2022.

He is a legitimate 5-tool player that has fans and scouts raving. Since signing in January 2021, Bleis has soared on the field and in prospect rankings leading Jim Callis of MLB.com to call him the best Red Sox international prospect since Rafael Devers. Some feel his potential has made him untouchable in trade discussions. It will be fun for Red Sox fans to follow Bleis’ ascent through the system.

In addition to Bleis, the Red Sox have made a flurry of international signings in January over the last several years. Fans should keep a close eye on these international signings in the coming months as the Red Sox try to find the next Bleis or Devers. At the very least, these signings will strengthen the farm system to help with future trades.

Adrian Beltre #29 of the Boston Red Sox bats against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on July 22, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

4. Adrian Beltre, 1/8/2010

In January 2010, Beltre signed a one-year, $9 million contract with the Red Sox. At the time, he was coming off of some average years by his lofty standards and was looking to rehabilitate his value. Given this, he signed a one-year prove-it contract with the Red Sox and that is exactly what he did.

During his single season with the Red Sox, he hit for a .919 OPS with 28 home runs and 102 RBIs. He was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger Award. As expected, he was able to parlay this great season into a multiyear deal with the Texas Rangers. He would go on to put up terrific numbers over the next eight seasons with the Rangers cementing himself as a future Hall of Famer.

His brief pitstop with the Red Sox has many fans wondering what if the Red Sox had re-signed him. For many Red Sox fans, he will always be the one that got away. Going forward, Beltre is a lesson that free agency comes with uncertainty and it is possible to hit the jackpot with some players who may not be at their peak value.

3. Mike Napoli 1/17/2013

Mike Napoli initially signed a three-year, $39 million deal with Red Sox but the deal fell through due to medical concerns. Fortunately for the Red Sox, he would eventually sign a smaller one-year incentive-laden contract with the team in January 2013.

He delivered beyond expectations on this contract. Napoli had a .842 OPS with 23 home runs and 92 RBI helping the Red Sox win 97 games on their way to a World Series Championship. In addition to his on-the-field contributions, Napoli and his facial hair was a key member of the Band of Bearded Brothers. Some lucky fans were able to celebrate with him after the World Series win demonstrating the mutual admiration between the city and the player.

Boston Red Sox batter Bill Mueller, right, and New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada watches Mueller ball leave the park for a home run at Fenway Park in Boston. The Red Sox won, 11-10, with a 9th-inning game winning home run by Bill Mueller. (Photo by J Rogash/Getty Images) /

2. Bill Mueller, 1/14/2003

Bill Mueller signed a two-year contract with the Red Sox in January 2013 after spending seven solid but not spectacular years with the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs. He thrived with the Red Sox. In his first season with the team, he won the American League batting title and helped the Cowboy Up Red Sox come within one win of making the World Series.

In his second year, he would deliver key hits throughout including most importantly in the American League Championship Series. With the Red Sox down 3-0 in the series and three outs from elimination, it was Mueller facing off against the best closer in baseball history, Mariano Rivera. Mueller delivered the clutch hit that drove in Dave Roberts with the tying run.

The rest is history as the Red Sox would come back to beat the Yankees in the series and then beat the St.Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series Championship since 1918. Bill Mueller is a Red Sox legend and will never have to buy a beer in Boston again.

Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz #34 reacts during his jersey retirement ceremony before a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Fenway Park on June 23, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

1. David Ortiz, 1/22/2003

On January 22, 2003, the Red Sox signed David Americo Ortiz for a modest one-year, $1.25 million contract after he had played his first six seasons with the Minnesota Twins. Words cannot do justice to what David Ortiz has meant to the Boston Red Sox since that January signing.

Big Papi became the heart and soul of the team for the next 14 seasons while establishing himself as the greatest Designated Hitter in the history of baseball. In addition to regular season accolades, he became the definition of clutch with multiple game-winning hits in the postseason helping the Red Sox “reverse the curse” and win their first World Series Championship in 86 years. For good measure, he led the team to another two World Series Championships in 2007 and 2013. He was a 1st ballot election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022. David Ortiz went from a pedestrian January signing to one of the greatest Red Sox players in franchise history.

It is impossible to make a list like this and include everyone. Several players just missed the top five. One honorable mention goes out to Enrique Hernandez who signed a two-year deal on 1/22/21.

Hernandez was a vital cog for a team that was just two wins away from the 2021 World Series. Another player on the cusp of this list was Coco Crisp who was traded to the Red Sox alongside Josh Bard and David Riske for Andy Marte, Guillermo Mota, and Kelly Shoppach in January 2006. He spent 3 seasons with the team and was a key contributor to the team’s 2007 World Series Championship.

One of his most memorable moments was a catch to clinch Game 7 of the American League Championship that most fans will never forget. More recently, the Red Sox signed promising reliever Zack Kelly to a minor league contract in January 2021.

Red Sox fans should remain optimistic that the team can improve its present-day and future fortunes in the coming months with international signings, trades, and free-agent signings. Though these moves may not always be flashy, they can be significant. It is naive to think that the Red Sox will sign the next David Ortiz this January.

To paraphrase Rick Pitino, David Ortiz is not walking through that door, fans. However, history has shown us that some of the players acquired this January could be the backbone of the next great Boston Red Sox team.

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