3 former Red Sox players that could return to Boston this offseason
The Red Sox could turn to some familiar faces to help them turn things around.
The Boston Red Sox are a team trying to get back on track. They've finished at the bottom of the AL East in three of the last four years and have missed the playoffs in four of the last five.
New Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has a lot of work ahead of him in his quest to put Boston back in contention. There are some nice core pieces on the team, but the ones surrounding the core could sure use an upgrade.
One way Boston can find the upgrades they need is by finding players they've had in the past and have had some success with. These players have worked in Boston before and would be solid fits on the 2024 team as well.
1) Eduardo Rodriguez
The most obvious reunion candidate on this list is obviously Eduardo Rodriguez. The southpaw spent six seasons in Beantown and had some memorable moments. He wound up playing a role out of the bullpen in their 2018 World Series run and finished sixth in the AL Cy Young balloting in 2019.
Rodriguez has spent the last two seasons in Detroit, but opted out of the five-year contract he signed with the Tigers in the 2021 offseason. The reason he walked away from the three years and $49 million he was owed was because he, when healthy, was one of the best pitchers in the American League this past season.
Rodriguez posted a 3.30 ERA in 26 starts and 152 2/3 innings pitched this past season for the Tigers. The Red Sox could sure use that kind of production at the top of their rotation.
While Boston might prefer to ink pitchers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, or Jordan Montgomery to contracts, they'll all require a much larger financial commitment. Signing Rodriguez would allow Boston to bring in a plethora of other free agents, helping them build a more complete roster as a whole.