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Red Sox free agency rumors: Boston linked to Soler; ‘long shot’ to sign Japanese lefty
The Red Sox' search for starting pitching reportedly has hit another snag.
With spring-training workouts now less than five weeks away, the Red Sox continue to be linked to power-hitting outfielders.
After reported Boston free-agent target Teoscar Hernández signed a one-year with the Dodgers this weekend, the Red Sox are reportedly pivoting to another lineup regular with plenty of pop at the plate.
According to MLB reporter Héctor Gómez, the Red Sox have been one of the most aggressive suitors for free agent Jorge Soler, with Gomez labeling Boston as the current frontrunner for the Cuban-born outfielder’s services.
MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo added on Monday evening that while the Red Sox are in the mix for Soler — along with teams like the Diamondbacks, Angels, Marlins, and Blue Jays — sources “were not under the impression anything was close between” Boston and Soler.
Soler, 31, played in 137 games with the Marlins in 2023, batting .250 with 36 home runs and 75 RBI.
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There are some flaws in Soler’s game, as he’s not the most proficient slugger in terms of getting on base (.330 career OBP), while he’s likely better served as a designated hitter than an everyday outfielder.
However, Soler could offer some much-needed power to Boston’s lineup. Along with his 36 blasts last season with the Marlins, he led the American League with 48 home runs during the 2019 season with the Kansas City Royals.
Boston is in desperate need of more power in the heart of its lineup, especially if both Justin Turner (23 home runs) and Adam Duvall (21 home runs) leave the Red Sox in free agency. The Red Sox ranked 18th in MLB last season with just 182 home runs last season — 125 fewer than the first-place Braves (307).
Could Boston sign Shōta Imanaga?
As for Craig Breslow’s search for starting pitching, the writing seems to be on the wall that Boston is going to come up short for yet another intriguing free-agent option.
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According to Cotillo, the Red Sox are considered a “long shot” to sign Japanese lefty Shōta Imanaga before his deadline to sign with an MLB team on Thursday.
Boston has been linked to Imanaga throughout the offseason, with former MLB GM and The Athletic baseball writer Jim Bowden reporting last week that the Red Sox were one of four finalists for the southpaw.
Imanaga — who was posted by his former team, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) following the 2023 season — is currently favored to sign with the San Francisco Giants, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. He could reportedly ink a contract worth more than $100 million, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Levi Weaver.
Imanaga, 30, may not have the ace-level ceiling or pitching repertoire of a Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But he was still viewed as an intriguing candidate on the open market as a mid-rotation regular with a track record of getting batters to whiff at the plate.
Imanaga is 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA in 165 games during his NBP career from 2016-23. In 2023, he went 7-4 over 22 appearances — posting a 2.80 ERA and leading the NPB’s Central League with 174 strikeouts.
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