Division Rival Reportedly Signs Red Sox Free Agent Utility Man To Bolster Depth

Boston cut ties with the defensive-minded middle infielder months ago

Scott Neville | Feb 20, 2024

Division Rival Reportedly Signs Red Sox Free Agent Utility Man To Bolster Depth /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox's offseason has been underwhelming after back-to-back last-place finishes in the American League East.

Ownership was not willing to open up the checkbook to improve the roster but they did make a slew of changes -- including firing former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom as well as multiple coaches.

Meanwhile, the baseball operations department made some notable overhauls to the depth of the roster -- both on the pitching and position player fronts. That process started in the second half of last season as they aim for a brighter future.

Among the many players designated for assignment from last season's roster was middle infielder Yu Chang, who will be joining the Tampa Bay Rays organization on a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training according to the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin on Tuesday.

Chang hit .162 with eight extra-base hits including six home runs, 18 RBIs and a .552 OPS in 39 games last season.

Despite having months to put one together, the Red Sox seemingly had no plan up the middle after Xander Bogaerts left for San Diego and Trevor Story had offseason surgery a year ago.

Chang was one of the few reliable defenders on last season's woeful roster but his offensive output was next to nothing.

The 28-year-old will now head back to the Rays -- where he played 36 games in 2022 before getting claimed by the Red Sox to end the year.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Showed Interest In All-Star Infielder Before Vaughn Grissom Trade

Published Feb 20, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu