Craig Breslow and Co. have talked a big game in the weeks since the Boston Red Sox were eliminated from postseason contention. The 2025 season had plenty of bumps and bruises. But a return to October baseball for the first time since 2021, with some truly terrible play at times in the interim, is something to celebrate. More importantly, it’s something to build on.
Breslow has noted his intention to chase a high profile starting pitcher, and much talk has swirled around a righty power bat, including bringing Pete Alonso to New England and resigning Alex Bregman. With plenty of high quality free agents available alongside numerous interesting trade options to pursue, a big swing or two may be in the works to keep Boston competitive heading into 2026.
Yet, plenty of exciting free agents don’t actually fit with the Boston way of baseball in its current form. These three free agents are truly high quality players, but we’d prefer if the front office didn’t even entertain them as options for 2026.
3 free agents the Red Sox should avoid at all costs this offseason
Michael King
In seasons passed, Breslow has shown a penchant for seeking turnaround candidates on the mound. He’s often excited about pitchers that offer good upside but lots of setback potential, too. He signed Lucas Giolito ahead of the 2024 season to what has essentially become a mixed bag when considering the entirety of his tenure with the team. Last winter, his reclamation project was Walker Buehler.
Michael King offers excellent pitching value, but is coming off a season with multiple, sustained injuries and was a Tommy John surgery candidate a few years prior (although he ultimately avoided needing the procedure). King has great stuff, but all signs (hopefully) point to a legitimately aggressive offseason — the front office should avoid pet projects this winter, aside from internal resigning options like a low-risk extension for Dustin May.
Boston should be after big names only: Seeking starters like Joe Ryan, Sandy Alcantra, Dylan Cease, or even a whale like Paul Skenes or Tarik Skubal should be a genuine possibility given the recent reporting of a huge divide in contract talks between the Cy Young winner and Detroit.
Adding an impact No. 2 to the rotation will take the pressure of that role off Brayan Bello, with two more primary slots to allow the Sox’s deep organizational depth to compete for or develop a sub-rotation to fill. The new young guys and trusted workhorses like Kutter Crawford can give the offense a solid platform to work from.
Framber Valdez
Valdez is tabbed as perhaps the most exciting free agent among this year’s starting pitcher options. Valdez was seemingly singularly responsible for slamming the door closed on the Sox’s magical 2021 postseason run, sucking the oxygen out of the offense in a devastating 9-1 loss in Game 5 of the ALCS that made Boston's Game 6 loss feel almost inevitable.
Valdez didn’t end this season on a high note, pitching to a 6-plus ERA in his final 10 starts, but his history of eating innings and frustrating batters will yield plenty of interest. A different black mark on his record should have the Sox taking a pass on the lefty, though. Early in September, Valdez was visibly frustrated with his catcher and seemingly crossed him up on purpose, nailing César Salazar in the chest with a fastball gunned at 93 and then turned away from his teammate.
With the Sox shipping Rafael Devers off to San Francisco in a value-negative deal ostensibly to cull a clubhouse problem and amp up the team’s vibes, adding a guy that acts out publicly while standing on the rubber doesn’t fit with the club’s new-look.
Luis Arraez
Arraez is a hitting wizard — the guy just doesn’t know how to miss baseballs and owns what has to be the shortest swing you’ll see in the batter’s box. But that’s where Arraez’s value ends.
Even as a utility infielder with notable time lining up at first and second base, Baseball Savant lists his fielding range in the 4th percentile with -9 outs above average. His whiff, K rate, and squared up percentage are all in the 100th percentile, but every other aspect of his game is woefully underdeveloped. Bat speed is in the 1st percentile, his chase rate and walks are lousy, as is his sprint speed, hard hit rate, and more. Arraez is a one trick pony that doesn’t strike out, but lacks impact everywhere else on the field.
The Red Sox should be in the market for power, and as interesting as Arraez might be in filling a right side infield gap that Boston hasn’t been able to manage long term for a few seasons, his defense and gameplay style aren’t a good fit for what the organization is trying to achieve.