Red Sox reportedly connected to Adam Duvall, 3 other outfielders
Randal Grichuk, Michael A. Taylor, and former Red Sox Tommy Pham are among the others named as players Boston has reportedly shown interest in.
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With just a few days until pitchers and catchers report to the Red Sox’s spring training facility in Fort Meyers, Fla. (Feb. 14), the team is reportedly showing interest in several free-agent outfielders.
Boston is “in the market” for Randal Grichuk, Michael A. Taylor, and former Red Sox Adam Duvall and Tommy Pham, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Seven other clubs, including the Orioles, are also connected to these players, per Rosenthal.
All four are MLB veterans and would not require a hefty contractual commitment beyond the 2024 season.
Grichuk, 32, has been in the league since 2014 and is a serviceable player. He began his career with the Cardinals and played for the Blue Jays from 2018-21. Since then, Grichuk has bounced around with the Rockies and Angels.
The right-handed bat logged a .267 batting average in 2023, the third-highest mark of his career. Grichuk owns a career .989 fielding percentage across the diamond; he has regularly played all three outfield positions in his 10 years of service.
As for Taylor, also 32, he is primarily a center fielder. The righty possesses a .990 career fielding percentage, though he is not as consistent offensively compared to Grichuk. Taylor hit just .220 last season, although he did hit 21 home runs.
If Taylor had played for the Red Sox in 2023, he would have been tied with Duvall for the team’s fourth-most homers behind only Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, and Justin Turner.
Duvall, who has 10 years of playing time under his belt and played for the Red Sox last year, seems to be a candidate to return to Boston in 2024. The 35-year-old had a red-hot start offensively last season before a wrist injury sidelined him for two months and derailed his year.
Duvall ultimately played 92 games for Boston and slashed .247/.303/.531 at the season’s end.
Lastly, Pham, another familiar face, played for the Red Sox in 2022 after the team acquired him at the trade deadline. The 35-year-old did not re-sign with Boston and instead signed with the Mets before the 2023 season.
In 53 games for the Red Sox two seasons ago, Pham batted .234 and played left field. He most recently played for the Diamondbacks and played in the World Series.
As of Saturday, the Red Sox have six outfielders on their 40-man roster: Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Tyler O’Neill, Ceddanne Rafaela, Rob Refsnyder, and Masataka Yoshida.
Last month, Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey reported that the Red Sox were open to trading Yoshida after just one season in Boston. Yoshida remains with the team, but whether or not he will continue to play as an outfielder or perhaps shift to a designated hitter role if he stays with the Red Sox is unclear.
If the Red Sox agree to terms with another outfielder, the club would seemingly have to part ways with one of those six currently on the roster.
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