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Red Sox: 3 free agents to sign and 1 to avoid

By Gabrielle Starr

Oct 10, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Kyle Schwarber (18) hits a single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning in game three of the 2021 ALDS at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Kyle Schwarber (18) hits a single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning in game three of the 2021 ALDS at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Justin Verlander, Astros
Justin Verlander. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports) /

Avoid: Justin Verlander

Around the 2021 trade deadline, Chaim Bloom said that the Sox didn’t need any more players coming back from serious injury, presumably referring to their focus on Chris Sale’s recovery from Tommy John, which sidelined him for almost exactly two full years to the day. Given Sale’s struggles once he returned, that plan should not have changed, so adding Justin Verlander to the equation feels like a risk they don’t need to take.

In his prime, which felt endless, Verlander was one of the best in baseball and is absolutely a future Hall of Famer. He led MLB in innings pitched as recently as 2019 when he won his second Cy Young award.

But he’ll be 39 in 2022, and despite still throwing hard, it feels like he’ll accept the Astros’ qualifying offer and make his return where he’s comfortable, and that’s totally fine. If he doesn’t take the offer, he’ll be looking for what is likely the final big contract of his career, and the Sox don’t need to take that on when they’re finally becoming fiscally responsible.

Besides, the Red Sox have plenty of younger options either on their current roster or available to them on the free-agent market. After his heroics in the postseason, it feels like Tanner Houck deserves to at least start the season in the rotation. He was sent back and forth from Triple-A so many times in 2021 that he may as well have been the tennis ball in a Williams sister’s duel.

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