3 free agents who would have been better for the Red Sox than Tyler O'Neill

Michael A. Taylor

Michael A. Taylor has a similar story to Kiermaier's. He's 32, ranked in the top 50 of position players by fielding run value, and has a weak bat that teams continuously forgive because of his defensive capabilities. He won a Gold Glove in 2021 and, despite the usually unexceptional bat, hit .333/.391/.619 in the 2019 Nationals' postseason push to win the World Series. Unlike Kiermaier, whose arm value has seen a heavy decline in the past few years, Taylor's remains elite. He can also still run, with a great sprint speed in 2023 and 13 stolen bases for the Twins.

Taylor drew interest from the Red Sox at the same time they were looking into Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (who — spoilers — we'll get to in a second) and Martin Maldonado, and as far as outfield options go, he would've been probably come cheaper than Gurriel or Kiermaier. He's come with quite a bit of interest around the league, perhaps because he'd be cheaper and more likely to sign a lower-commitment contract, including the Blue Jays, who are looking to replace Kiermaier, and the Reds. If this becomes yet another signing that the Red Sox let slip to the Blue Jays from right under their noses, the front office should really sit quietly with themselves and think about their actions.