Rumored Red Sox Target Reportedly Has Five Offers; Decision Coming Soon

Boston could use some added power
Rumored Red Sox Target Reportedly Has Five Offers; Decision Coming Soon
Rumored Red Sox Target Reportedly Has Five Offers; Decision Coming Soon /
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The Boston Red Sox have yet to make a notable move with spring training underway but impact free agents remain up for grabs in one of the strangest offseasons in recent memory.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been outspoken about his desire to add a starting pitcher and right-handed bat with positional versatility. 

Without much money to spend, the former appears to be a difficult pursuit but the latter has many affordable options, including first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper, a player the Red Sox have deemed as a "fallback option" if outfielder Adam Duvall heads elsewhere.

It turns out, Cooper could sign ahead of Duvall, and there's a good chance the Red Sox remain involved.

"Looks like about five teams in the market for Cooper," the Miami Herald's Craig Mish reported Monday. "Could make a decision soon."

Cooper hit .251 with 36 extra-base hits including 17 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .724 OPS in 123 games between the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres last season. 

The 33-year-old has a career 109 OPS+ and excels against left-handed pitching -- which could aid Boston's left-handed dominant lineup. 

It's unclear how interested the Red Sox are in Cooper but he could provide some depth to both the lineup and first base behind Triston Casas.

Duvall still makes the most sense at this juncture but Cooper would be a solid addition as well.

More MLB: Red Sox Hurler Reports To Camp With Injury Amid Trade Rumors


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Scott Neville
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