The Boston Red Sox find themselves in a precarious spot with their roster. They have a full 40-man roster and need to make a spot for new signing Ranger Suárez.
The Red Sox have yet to make the Suárez signing official, giving them some time to make that roster move, but they can't wait too long. Craig Breslow is likely scouring the trade market to make a move to open the space for the new starter.
There aren't many options to remove from the 40-man that make much sense at this point in the offseason, with most of the players being starters for 2025, key depth pieces, or prospects not worth giving up on.
This list of players won't include players like Jarren Duran or Brayan Bello. There is another move coming to fill the hole in the infield, and if they are moved in a deal like that, it would be a one-for-one swap of players on the 40-man. It also won't include Masataka Yoshida or Jordan Hicks. Boston hasn't shown a willingness to eat that money, and nobody is trading for their contracts.
3 Red Sox players most likely to lose roster spot when Ranger Suárez is activated
Patrick Sandoval
Even before the Suárez signing, the Sox found themselves overflowing with starting pitching depth. After signing Sandoval to a two-year deal last offseason, with him rehabbing from Tommy John all of year one, he is now completely buried. If he starts the year on the major league roster, he will be in the bullpen.
Sandoval is cheap for a starter, and another team could see him as a solid No. 5 or swing-man in the bullpen. He would cost any team just $12.75 million, and in the two years before he went down with elbow issues, he averaged 27 starts and 146 innings a season. He would likely cost a low-level prospect, but is a serious option to sent out after signing Suárez.
Nick Sogard
Sogard has become a favorite utility man for Alex Cora. That being said, he is 28 years old and only produced 0.1 bWAR in 30 games last season. With the addition of Tristan Gray, the light-hitting infielder could be expendable.
With his age and little production, it's unlikely another team would trade any sort of asset for him. Boston would likely end up DFAing him, but for the same reasons, another team may not want to jam up a 40-man spot by claiming him. Of any player, he is the most likely one to slip through waivers and remain in the organization.
David Hamilton
For the same reasons as Sogard, Hamilton might be expendable now. His speed has been his calling card, but with Nate Eaton now on the roster, they could be more willing to move off of Hamilton now.
It would be a major sell-low move, especially after reports that the Red Sox were unwilling to include him in a Luis Castillo trade last offseason. He's shown flashes of at least being capable of a short-side platoon, and a rebuilding team would likely take a chance on him. It's unlikely he'd be DFA'd, but if Breslow could find a trade partner, he could be the odd man out.