Red Sox Free Agent Slugger Signs Elsewhere Despite Reunion Rumors Swirling

Boston lost out on an impactful bat

Scott Neville | Mar 14, 2024

Red Sox Free Agent Slugger Signs Elsewhere Despite Reunion Rumors Swirling /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox brass were vocal earlier in the offseason regarding their desire to upgrade the offense with an impactful right-handed bat that could also provide defensive versatility.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow sought after the aforementioned need following the losses of designated hitter Justin Turner and outfielder Adam Duvall.

With just a couple of weeks until Opening Day, Breslow appears to have completely punted on that need. There was a lot of talk about Duvall potentially coming back after a strong showing at Fenway Park last season -- albeit in a limited sample size. He appeared to fit Breslow's description and many believed his preference was to add an outfielder but a reunion is no longer in the cards.

"The Atlanta Braves today signed outfielder Adam Duvall to a one-year major league contract worth $3 million for the 2024 season," the club announced.

Duvall hit .247 with 47 extra-base hits including 21 homers, 58 RBIs and a .834 OPS (119 OPS+) in 92 games last season. He missed a good chunk of the season due to a wrist injury but was an impactful bat for the majority of the time he was healthy.

The 35-year-old would have been a strong right-handed bat to bring onto an offense full of question marks from the right-hand side. For that price, he would have basically come free as well.

With that said, the Red Sox already have Masataka Yoshida in the outfielder/primary designated hitter role with the rest of the outfield consisting of Tyler O'Neill, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and possibly Ceddanne Rafaela. Rob Refsnyder will rejoin the mix as well once he heals from a fractured toe.

There was a logjam in the outfield, leaving no place for Duvall despite his offensive production and swing build for Fenway Park.

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Published Mar 14, 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