Free agent SS Red Sox reportedly had ‘strong interest in’ signs with Giants
Boston had scheduled a meeting with Willy Adames last week, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
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Another free agent who had been linked to the Red Sox this offseason is off the board.
Shortstop Willy Adames reportedly agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Boston had been connected to the 29-year-old since the beginning of free agency. Last week, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Red Sox scheduled a meeting with Adames, adding that Boston had “strong interest” in him.
The team is publicly in the market for a right-handed hitter, and Adames would have fit the bill.
While the Red Sox don’t have a hole at shortstop, the often-injured Trevor Story currently occupies the position. Story has struggled to stay healthy since signing with Boston in 2022, playing in just 163 games over three seasons. On paper, it makes sense that the club would be doing its due diligence regarding who’s available on the market at SS.
Additionally, aside from the shakeup at shortstop the acquisition of Adames would have caused, the move would have certainly had an effect on the rest of the infield. Adames is reportedly open to playing third base, which could have shifted the Red Sox’ star third baseman Rafael Devers away from the hot corner. Nightengale reported that Boston had “internally discussed moving Rafael Devers off third base” within his Adames reporting.
If Devers had ultimately been moved from third base as a result of the hypothetical move, the organization could have opted to make him the team’s designated hitter or first baseman. The latter would have almost certainly prompted the Red Sox to attempt to trade first baseman Triston Casas, who has emerged as an exciting young player on the club.
It’s hard to know if such a tectonic mix-up in the infield would have been the right move for Boston at this point in time. The team’s big-league roster is filled with a plethora of young, promising players, as well as within their minor league system. It feels like the Red Sox have been putting their trust in the kids in recent years, so moving on from Casas with the intention of upgrading another position would have been a head-scratcher.
Regardless, with Adames officially off the market, that leaves the baseball world one move closer to finding out which team Juan Soto signs with. Boston is reportedly still in the running for the generational talent as of Saturday night.
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