Red Sox miss out on reunion with free agent outfielder after Braves signing
The Boston Red Sox hunted for a powerful, right-handed bat this winter to contrast their mostly lefty batting order.
One of the best remaining options was 2023 Red Sox, Adam Duvall. This afternoon, he opted for a reunion with a different one of his former clubs.
The Atlanta Braves signed Duvall to a one-year, $3 million contract to bring him back to the Braves organization for a third time.
The most recent update about the Red Sox's slow offseason pursuit of Duvall came over a month ago when MLB insider Jon Heyman named the Sox and the Angels as finalists for the slugger. Since the update, Boson's chase for external talent dwindled and internal solutions to its outfield vacancies became preferable.
The Red Sox are pretty much fixed on internal options more so than external, per source, in the wake of the Refsnyder toe fracture, which the team deems as not that significant. Names such as Tommy Pham, who had a great year last season, are unlikely.
— Julian McWilliams (@byJulianMack) March 14, 2024
Duvall got off to a hot start with the Red Sox last season. He was named American League Player of the Week in early April 2023 after going 8-for-14 with two doubles and two homers and leading the league in RBIs at the time of his selection.
Shortly after, Duvall fractured his left wrist and spent around two months on the injured list. His production never consistently returned to his first-week level and he finished the season batting .247/.303/.531 with 21 home runs in 92 games.
Former Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall signs with Braves two weeks before Opening Day
The Braves also signed outfielder Jarred Kelenic this winter after he struggled to find consistency at the plate with his former club, the Mariners. Mark Bowman, Braves beat writer for MLB.com, has reported that Atlanta plans to platoon Kelenic and Duvall in the outfield to accommodate for the former's struggles against left-handed pitching.
It's uncertain if Duvall will start on Opening Day for the Braves, as the season starts just two weeks from now and he hasn't been training with a club all offseason. But it is quite clear that the Red Sox don't have many plans to spend any more money this offseason if a $3 million contract for Duvall was out of the question.
With Ceddanne Rafaela performing well in the Grapefruit League and Wilyer Abreu beginning to find himself, Duvall may not have been a necessary signing for the Red Sox. But he has years of big-league experience and the capability to hit for power. The young Boston club could use someone with his skill set at the plate.
But, since Duvall and the rest of the outside options remaining cost money, the Red Sox are seemingly going to stick with what they've got.
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