The 2024-25 offseason has been yet another year of the Boston Red Sox coming in second place for their free agent targets. Lately, the Los Angeles Dodgers most often beat everyone to the punch.
The Dodgers not only signed Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, two of the Sox's most coveted starting pitching candidates, but they also inked Tanner Scott and, reportedly, Kirby Yates, two of the most talented relievers on the market. Boston had interest in both Scott and Yates, along with Jeff Hoffman and Andrew Kittredge, who signed with American League East rivals in early January.
Few top-tier relief candidates remain, and the Red Sox need to get a move on if they hope to sign any of them. Kenley Jansen remains unsigned, but a reunion is likely off the table completely after the way his tenure in Boston ended in 2024.
Carlos Estévez is one of the best-remaining arms Boston has been linked with. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported on Jan. 7 that the Red Sox had not been "aggressors" in his market, but that he expects the veteran to sign a multi-year deal. Estévez posted a 2.45 ERA, a 0.909 WHIP, 50 strikeouts and 12 walks over 55 innings between the Angels and Phillies last year.
The Red Sox have a few options remaining after Dodgers sign reliever targets Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who already have folks screaming about their payroll, have reached a tentative agreement with free-agent closer Kirby Yates, pending a physical. The deal comes on the heels of signing Tanner Scott to a 4-year, $72 million contract.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 21, 2025
David Robertson is another one of the top options left on the market. The 39-year-old resides in Rhode Island and may like an offer to pitch for Boston, near his home. Despite his age, Robertson had a great season with the Rangers in 2024, during which he pitched to a 3.00 ERA with 99 strikeouts and 27 walks in 72 innings of work.
The Red Sox have also checked in with Tommy Kahnle this winter, whom they've tried to sign on multiple occasions. Kahnle posted two great seasons in his second stint with the Yankees, to the tune of a 2.38 ERA with 94 strikeouts and 38 walks over 83.1 innings between 2023-24.
Jakob Junis, Kyle Finnegan and Andrew Chafin are also still available and would be solid fallback options if the Sox don't sign one of the top players available. Boston is running out of excuses for whiffing on elite options, though, and its next pitching acquisition should be one of the best arms left on the market to bolster the back of the bullpen with hot talent.