5 2024 playoff studs Red Sox need to target in free agency

Departing free agents and needs for the next season have created roster holes the Boston Red Sox will need to fill, one way or another.

Luckily for the Sox, they can get plenty of offseason inspiration from the postseason. There are dozens of impending free agents posting standout performances for their teams in the playoffs.

Starting pitchers, righty bats and bullpen reinforcements will be high-priority finds for Boston this winter, and a few have posted noteworthy performances this postseason. Here are a few impending free agents the Red Sox could target to fix their most pressing needs — and maybe a few others.

5 2024 playoff studs Red Sox need to target in free agency

Juan Soto

Let's get the most delusional choice out of the way first. Juan Soto would look great in the Red Sox's outfield — or, in reality, any outfield. It wasn't always crazy to believe Boston would be a frontrunner for a top-tier free agent, and Red Sox Nation hopes the front office returns to the days of old.

Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with a .988 OPS over 157 games for the Yankees this season. He posted 31 doubles, four triples, 41 homers, 128 runs, 109 RBI and an unmatched 129 walks.

Soto would be yet another lefty added to Boston's southpaw-heavy roster, but his outstanding ability to get on base would help far more than his left-handedness would hurt. He'll likely earn one of the largest contracts in MLB history wherever he signs, and it'll be worth every penny.

Corbin Burnes

Boston needs an ace to take its 2024 rotation from good to great. The Red Sox have already been named as a landing spot for free agent righty Corbin Burnes, and he'd be an ideal addition to their pitching staff.

Burnes pitched to a 2.92 ERA with 181 strikeouts and 48 over 194.1 innings with the Orioles. They were eliminated early in the 2024 postseason run, but Burnes performed well in his only playoff outing this year. He posted eight, one-run innings with a walk and three strikeouts against the Royals to open the Wild Card round.

Burnes has previously shared that he hopes to "elevate" a young pitching staff that is well set up for the future. Tanner Houck posted a breakout season for the Sox and Brayan Bello's pitching greatly improved toward the end of the campaign. The Red Sox may be as good a fit for Burnes as he would be for them.

Teoscar Hernández

The Red Sox tried to sign outfielder Teoscar Hernández before the 2024 season. But, as has happened multiple times, the Dodgers swooped in and signed him after Boston made an embarrassingly low offer. The Sox's need for righty bats could drive them to try and sign Hernández again this winter.

Hernández batted .272/.339/.501 with 32 doubles, three triples and 33 homers in 154 games for LA. He's come through in big spots in the postseason for the Dodgers, including a grand slam in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Padres.

Kyle Higashioka

Reese McGuire recently elected free agency, and Danny Jansen will do the same once the postseason concludes. They'll leave the Red Sox with Connor Wong as their most experienced catching option with no certainty that catching prospect Kyle Teel will be MLB-ready by Opening Day. Impending free agent backstop Kyle Higashioka could be a good fit for Boston as Teel adjusts to the big leagues.

Higashioka, a former Yankee, posted one of the best seasons of his eight-year career in San Diego this season. He slashed .220/.263/.476 with 10 doubles, one triple and a career-high 17 homers over 84 games. He opened the postseason with two homers to lift the Padres over the Braves in the Wild Card.

Tanner Scott

The Red Sox sought top-tier relief pitching to bolster the bullpen before the 2024 trade deadline and unfortunately, their acquisitions didn't pan out. The Padres got to former Marlin Tanner Scott before Boston could — or before it met their likely outrageous asking price — and now he's tearing up the postseason.

Scott pitched to a 1.75 ERA with 84 strikeouts, 36 walks and 22 saves over 72 innings of work this season. He's pitched four scoreless innings with six strikeouts for San Diego in the postseason.

Scott is a lefty and the Sox's pitching staff is low on lefties, in complete contrast to their batting order. If Boston signed him, he would instantly tidy up the back of the bullpen and could become a closer candidate after Kenley Jansen's departure.

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