Potential Red Sox Free-Agent Target Seeking $80 Million Contract, Per MLB Insider

Are the Red Sox out at this price point?

Sep 15, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Tanner Scott (66) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images / Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox simply cannot afford to let their bullpen tank another promising season.

For much of the 2024 season, the Red Sox looked like they had a decent shot at the playoffs. They entered the All-Star break in Wild Card position with a 53-42 record. Then, they went into a second-half free fall, and the bullpen deserved a lot of the blame for the collapse.

As if the bullpen situation wasn't dire enough, closer Kenley Jansen and setup man Chris Martin are both still free agents. The Red Sox signed aging All-Star Aroldis Chapman to a one-year contract, but further reinforcements are likely still in order.

Tanner Scott, the 2024 All-Star reliever who finished the season on the San Diego Padres, would be an ideal fit, as a lefty with super high strikeout potential. But the Red Sox may have gotten a glimpse recently into what Scott expects from his next contract, and it's not easy to swallow.

On a recent episode of the Fenway Rundown podcast, Sean McAdam of MassLive reported that a source had told him Scott was seeking a four-year deal worth at least $20 million per year.

“I had somebody from a National League (team) tell me last week that Scott was looking for four times 20,” McAdam said.

An $80 million contract would be the third-largest deal ever for a relief pitcher, behind the current contracts of the New York Mets' Edwin Díaz and the Houston Astros' Josh Hader.

There's frankly not much evidence the Red Sox would be in the running at that price point. They've never spent more on a reliever than the $32 million they spent on Jansen two years ago, and they haven't even spent more than $21.05 million on a free agent still this winter.

However, there's also no proof that such a deal exists for Scott. Free agents always want the world, but based on the early returns from the Díaz and Hader contracts, no team is likely to be eager to tie themselves to a single reliever for such a big guarantee.

The bigger the contract Scott winds up getting, the lower the odds feel that the Red Sox wind up getting him. That might be an unfortunate truth, but it's how things have trended over the past few years.

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