Justin Turner
Arguably the biggest blow potentially to the Red Sox in terms of free agent losses is Justin Turner. Not only was he a tremendous influence in Boston's clubhouse, he can also still game as he slashed .276/.345/.455 with 23 homers in 2023. He isn't the same guy he once was, but there little sense that he doesn't have a couple good seasons left in the tank.
Turner declined his $13.4 million option for next season, but has also indicated that he would be more than willing to return to the Red Sox. Our guess is that Craig Breslow will want to have Turner's leadership and production to help shepherd the Red Sox's position players while he retools Boston's pitching staff. A guaranteed two year deal feels like it should be enough to convince JT to return.
Prediction: Returns to the Red Sox - Two years, $23 million
Adam Duvall
This free agent class stinks when it comes to impact bats beyond Shohei Ohtani which makes a guy like Adam Duvall very intriguing. Duvall posted an .834 OPS for Boston this year, but he also only played 92 games due to dealing with a wrist injury for the second straight season. Duvall is also notoriously streaky as he will look like Babe Ruth for a week or two and then completely disappear for a while afterwards.
A reunion with Boston isn't out of the question, but Duvall is going to be one of those guys that is going to get a lot of attention as a one or two year stopgap. Another former team of his, the Braves, could be an option as a right-handed outfield bat could be really useful for them, but we are going to bet on the Angels here. LA needs to get their pitching staff right especially after the expected loss of Ohtani and Duvall would be a cheap option to play left or DH while they try to overhaul their roster elsewhere.
Prediction: Angels - One year, $8 million with incentives