Red Sox Predicted To 'Spend Big' On $65 Million Lefty In Free Agency By Insider

How will the Red Sox address the relief pitching situation?

Jul 22, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; A fan of the Boston Red Sox wears Red Sox logo sunglasses during a MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While perhaps not the most pressing issue the club is facing, the Boston Red Sox bullpen is certainly up in the air heading into 2025.

After a second-half bullpen collapse contributed heavily to the Red Sox missing the playoffs, Boston is faced with having to retool their relief group on the fly. Veterans Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin are both hitting free agency, and most of the returners are either inexperienced or ineffective.

Without Jansen in particular, the Red Sox don't have a bullpen arm with relevant closing experience within the last two seasons. That could change if one insider's prediction comes true this winter.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive predicted recently that the Red Sox would look to invest heavily in San Diego Padres setup man Tanner Scott, who was the All-Star closer of the Miami Marlins for the first half of the 2024 season.

"The success of the 2025 Red Sox will depend on yet another step forward from the pitching staff and the bullpen, which collapsed in historic fashion after the All-Star break, will be a big part of that," Cotillo said.

"The prediction here is that they go hard after Scott and land some sort of high-octane lefty to pair with Slaten, Hendriks and Whitlock in a group that could emerge as a team strength."

Scott, 30, is likely at the top of several teams' lists this winter. He had a 2.31 ERA as Miami's primary closer in 2023 and improved on that this year, totaling a 1.75 ERA across the Marlins and Padres while securing his first career All-Star appearance.

It's tough to say what any individual reliever's market will end up being, but the smart money would say Scott lands a contract at or above $50 million, based on the megadeals relievers Edwin Díaz and Josh Hader have signed recently. Those deals both seem like enormous liabilities to their teams now, so there is definitely risk involved.

The Red Sox will soon have to decide how much to gamble on Scott. If they blink for even a moment, other teams will usurp them in the sweepstakes.

More MLB: Red Sox Could Acquire Cubs Lefty All-Star In Offseason Blockbuster, Insider Says