Yankees Projected $20M All-Star Surprisingly Linked To Red Sox

Boston surely will be active in free agency this winter

Aug 14, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Yankees hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox clearly have a need for a new right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup.

Boston's lineup was lefty-heavy in 2024, and it has been discussed on an almost consistent basis that the Red Sox will be looking to add. Now that the offseason and free agency is here, there will be plenty of players mentioned as a fit for Boston.

The Red Sox will be linked in different ways to far more players than they actually will end up signing. This is one of the most fun times of the Major League Baseball calendar, as each team can improve. It's exciting, and there's hope for every franchise.

Boston will be no different. CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson put together a list of the top free agents with landing spots and mentioned New York Yankees All-Star Gleyber Torres with Boston.

"Torres had a disappointing walk year, finishing with the second-lowest OPS+ of his career, yet he's comfortably a top-25 free agent on the basis of his youth (he's heading into his age-28 season) and his track record (he has a career 112 OPS+)," Anderson said. "While we expect Torres will take a one- or two-year pillow contract and render these next comments moot, we do have two reservations about his long-term outlook.

"Foremost, almost all of his power is reserved for middle-middle mistakes, with him reliably struggling to do much on pitches away; additionally, he's already a below-average defender at the keystone, something that doesn't bode well for his chances of providing secondary value as he ages into his 30s. Again, those concerns are likely to be more relevant for the contract after this one, but they're worth keeping in mind as his career progresses. Potential landing spots: Yankees, (Kansas City Royals), Red Sox."

Torres would make sense for Boston from the perspective that he is a right-handed hitter who could provide a ton of power. But, positionally, a move may not make sense. Boston acquired Vaughn Grissom last year and also has top prospect Kristian Campbell knocking on the big league door. It may not make sense to plug up the second base spot by signing Torres.

The Yankees star isn't expected to get a large deal and currently is projected to get a three-year, $20 million deal by Spotrac. That isn't a large deal, but it doesn't make much sense for Boston unless it trades from its middle infield.

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