Red Sox Linked To Projected $30 Million Phillies All-Star Pitcher

The Red Sox could use another high-leverage arm

May 25, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Most of the chatter swirling around the Boston Red Sox so far this offseason has had to do with the starting rotation and offense.

Boston already added Garrett Crochet and could be on the lookout for another starter as well. The Red Sox need to add one or two right-handed bats as well if they want to balance the lineup out and contend in 2025.

These are the team's two biggest needs, but the bullpen also needs to be looked at. The Red Sox added Aroldis Chapman but it shouldn't be done. Boston's bullpen wasn't great in the second half of the 2024 season and arguably is the biggest reason why the team didn't earn a playoff spot. Plus, both Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin are free agents now.

The free agent bullpen market has moved very slowly this offseason. Most of the top arms are still other there in free agency. One player who was linked to the Red Sox was one-time All-Star Carlos Estévez by The Athletic's Tim Britton, Chad Jennings, and Aaron Gleeman.

"An All-Star closer with the Angels in 2023, Estévez was even better in 2024," Britton, Jennings, and Gleeman said. "His strikeout rate dipped, but his walk rate plummeted, and he did a far better job at limiting runs. The Phillies traded for him at the deadline, and he finished the campaign with 26 saves, a 2.45 ERA, and 0.91 WHIP with 8.2 strikeouts and 2.0 walks per nine.

"Estévez leans heavily on a 97-mph fastball and complements it with a slider and the occasional changeup...Britton's projection: three years, $30 million. Best fits: (Boston Red Sox), (Kansas City Royals), (Philadelphia Phillies)."

Britton, Jennings, and Gleeman released a list of the top 40 free agents with "best fits" early in the offseason and have updated it since. Estévez spent the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Angeles and Philadelphia Phillies and had a 2.45 ERA across 54 appearances. Boston could use another reliever and Britton's projected $30 million price tag wouldn't be crazy.

More MLB: Red Sox's Chances With Projected $71 Million All-Star May Have Gone Up