Red Sox Linked To Top Free Agent Slugger After Season-Long Power Outage

Boston could use a notable addition to the lineup.

Scott Neville | Nov 3, 2022

Red Sox Linked To Top Free Agent Slugger After Season-Long Power Outage /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have a few holes to address this offseason after a last-place finish in the American League East.

One of the top free agents on the market could solve of few of Boston's problems, and he's already being linked to the Red Sox.

In a roundtable from The Athletic, Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was mentioned as a potential fit for the Red Sox, which would make a lot of sense.

"Contreras is an intriguing option because, while he is similar to (Christian) Vázquez in many aspects, he hits for more power on average, an element the Red Sox are hoping to add to the lineup," The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey wrote Thursday. "Conteras has posted an OPS+ of 100 or better in six of his seven seasons while Vázquez has done so just twice in that stretch.

"They are roughly the same age and had similar pop times and caught-stealing percentages this past year (1.94 pop and 27% for Vázquez; 1.93 pop and 31% for Contreras)."

Contreras hit .243 with 47 extra-base hits including 22 home runs, 55 RBIs and a .815 OPS in 113 games last season. He was hitting .283 with .917 OPS in his first 67 games, then tailed off at the start of July.

The addition of Contreras primarily would serve two purposes. He'd sure up the catcher position after the departures of Vázquez and Kevin Plawecki, and add much-needed power to a lineup that struggled to leave the yard as season ago.

A catching tandem of Contreras and Reese McGuire would be quite strong, and would allow a positional advantage of most other clubs as the Red Sox attempt to crawl back into contention.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom made a point to say that he will "explore additions" at catcher at his end-of-season press conference.

As McCaffrey noted, the biggest issue would be the qualifying offer he'll have attached to him during free agency. Since the Red Sox exceeded the luxury-tax threshold last season, they would have to give up a second-round pick, fifth-round pick, and $1 million in international pool money.

The Red Sox can afford to pay Contreras, but the penalties after the fact might not be worth it. That said, the Red Sox likely will face the qualifying offer issue with a plethora of free agents and end up taking the hit wherever they choose to upgrade.

More MLB: Top Pitcher On Market Could Become Available To Red Sox After Latest Report

Published Nov 3, 2022

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