Red Sox Could Poach Yankees Fan Favorite To Bolster Outfield For Playoff Run

Boston could use a quality veteran in the outfield

Scott Neville | Aug 30, 2023

Red Sox Could Poach Yankees Fan Favorite To Bolster Outfield For Playoff Run /

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The Boston Red Sox suddenly have a thin outfield group after it was announced that Jarren Duran will have season-ending surgery.

While the Red Sox could let the kids play with Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela both receiving their first Major League Baseball call-ups in recent days -- Boston should at least consider adding a veteran with a strong pedigree into the mix.

"New York Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader has been placed on waivers," according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. "Bader has slumped severely as of late, but he would cost less than $1 million for the final month of the season and could be claimed by Thursday."

Bader is hitting .239 with 21 extra-base hits including seven home runs, 37 RBIs and a .640 OPS in 83 games this season. The 29-year-old has been oft-injured since joining New York but is a Gold Glove center fielder who has a tendency to rise to the occasion in clutch moments.

A fresh start could be exactly what Bader needs. With that said, there are more important needs that can be filled at the waiver wire thanks to the Los Angeles Angels recently placing nearly every impending free agent on waivers on Tuesday.

In a vacuum, Bader could help the Red Sox's final push for a Wild Card spot but they'd be better off making a claim for Angels pitchers Lucas Giolito, Matt Moore or Reynaldo López.

More MLB: Red Sox Could Add Meaningful Talent From Angels' Unprecedented Firesale

Published Aug 30, 2023

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