The Boston Red Sox have several holes to fill as they try to rebound from a last-place season in 2014. While a trade or two is likely, the Red Sox will also look to bring in free agents to shore up their roster.
Far and away, the biggest need Boston has is starting pitching. A potential ace like Jon Lester, Max Scherzer or James Shields is the primary target, but the Red Sox should bolster their rotation with additional depth as well.
Third base is also an area of concern. Boston appears ready to move on from Will Middlebrooks, and none of its top prospects are quite ready for the majors. Pablo Sandoval is the biggest name out there, but if that doesn't work out, the Red Sox will explore other options.
And finally, backup catcher is a position that must be addressed. Boston could use a quality veteran to help guide 24-year-old newcomer Christian Vazquez.
The following are lesser-known free-agent candidates available to fill each of Boston's needs—sleepers.
Starting Pitcher: Chris Young
Chris Young recently won the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award for his 2014 season with the Seattle Mariners. He finished 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 29 starts. After sitting out all of 2013, the 165 innings Young pitched last year represent the most he's thrown since 2007, when he was an All-Star with the San Diego Padres.
However, the 35-year-old Young does not fit the profile of a typical oft-injured and aging pitcher.
Young missed substantial time throughout his career with an undiagnosed condition called thoracic outlet syndrome that caused pain in his throwing shoulder. Once he finally discovered what the problem was, Young underwent surgery to fix it last year and was able to pitch pain-free in 2014 for the first time in almost a decade.
In May, Jim Caple of ESPN.com wrote a piece detailing the pitcher's saga, including a quote from Young saying:
It's been a big blessing for me and I don't take it for granted. I was at a point where I was basically ready to walk away. 'I've done what I can and my shoulder just is not meant for this.' And so, after having surgery, I woke up and I knew the pain was gone. Ever since, it's just continued to get better and better.
It stands to reason that Young should be fully capable of putting up similar numbers in 2015 as he did this past season.
Last month, Young indicated that he might like to stay in Seattle, telling MLB.com's Greg Johns, "I absolutely love it here. … There's not a negative here. This place is unbelievable." But if the Red Sox are interested, they should have no trouble offering Young more money or a longer contract than the small-market Mariners can come up with.
Third Base: Jed Lowrie
Jed Lowrie played primarily shortstop for the Oakland A's the last two seasons. The 30-year-old has taken the field at third base on 83 occasions over the course of his career, though, all with Boston between 2008 and 2011. Is it possible the Red Sox might give Lowrie another shot in 2015?
In a recent evaluation of free-agent infielders, Andrew Simon of Sports on Earth listed Lowry under the category of "Potential Bargains," writing:
Advanced metrics also paint an unflattering picture of Lowrie's defense at short over the past couple of years, and a move to second -- where he's played 55 career games -- could be beneficial. Lowrie battled various injuries in 2014, another problem he's faced throughout his career, and couldn't match his stellar production from the previous two seasons…
A transition to third base rather than second base could well accomplish the same thing for Lowrie defensively. Last year, he batted just .249 with six home runs and 50 RBI over 136 games with Oakland. But the season before was the best of Lowrie's career, as he hit 15 homers and drove in 75 runs with a batting average of .290. In 2012, Lowrie slugged 16 home runs in just 97 games with the Houston Astros.
If the Red Sox believe 2014 was an anomaly for Lowrie, he might be an affordable option at third base while the club spends the majority of its free-agent dollars on pitching.
Backup Catcher: Gerald Laird
The list of free-agent catchers is not very impressive, especially now that Russell Martin agreed to terms with the Toronto Blue Jays. But in Boston's case, that's not necessarily a bad thing. All the Red Sox are looking for is a veteran who can give Christian Vazquez an occasional day off and help him learn the ropes on the major league level.
From Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe:
[Red Sox general manager Ben] Cherington said no decision has been made on how many games the Sox want Vazquez to catch.
But Cherington and [manager John] Farrell have said they view him as the primary catcher.
David Ross, the team’s backup for two years, is a free agent. The Sox appear to be seeking an upgrade, although Cherington said there is a chance Ross, 37, could return.
Considering Ross is going to be 38 years old before the start of the 2015 season, the Red Sox may choose to find a slightly more youthful alternative. Gerald Laird fits the bill.
Laird just turned 35 and, like Ross, would come at a cheap price. Oddly enough, both players had exactly 152 at-bats last year, with Laird hitting .204, Ross .184. Ross has more power, but Laird should be a modest upgrade defensively. Laird made just two errors last season and threw out 27 percent of potential base-stealers. By comparison, Ross committed seven errors and nailed runners at a 22 percent clip.
While the difference between the two catchers is negligible, don't be surprised to see Boston move on from Ross in favor of a younger and likely more durable player like Laird.
Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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