Winter Meetings: All things Roki Sasaki
DALLAS - The second dagger of the Winter Meetings for the Red Sox surfaced just before the Boston media boarded the elevator on the way to Craig Breslow's suite for its daily debriefing.
Max Fried had agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees.
According to a source, the Red Sox bid to secure the starter was "significantly" lower than where New York ended up, leaving Boston with the same sort of narrative it had promised to leave behind this offseason. The Sox weren't willing to get uncomfortable enough to actually finish first in this sort of pursuit.
Considering the emotions that came with losing out on Juan Soto two days earlier, the frustration wasn't difficult to find. It was coming from social media. It was coming from those believing the shock-and-awe Red Sox were back. (One person familiar with the negotiations believed if the Sox matched the Yankees, Fried would have chosen the Red Sox.)
Just before the media entered into the room to meet Breslow, a group consisting of president Sam Kennedy, manager Alex Cora and senior advisor Theo Epstein exited, having just been forced to find a Fried-less path to viability.
Then came Breslow.
"I think my general approach here is that in order to attract free-agent talent, you kind have to be willing to get uncomfortable," he said. "And don't think it would be fair to speak about any individual pursuits or deals outside of saying that I think that is the sentiment of our room, and we recognize as we're trying to improve our team, this can't be about doing what feels perfectly comfortable."
He's right.
But at some point the Red Sox will need to put their discomfort on display. The Mets did. The Yankees did. The Sox haven't. The good news is there is still time. But, make no mistake about it, the clock is ticking. It was a reality they were reminded of almost immediately after Breslow's 20-minute get-together with the media, with another potential target, Nathan Eovaldi, coming off the board thanks to a three-year, $75 million deal with the Rangers.
So, what does this message look liike?
The obvious salvo involves the last remaining true top of the rotation pitcher on the free agent market, Corbin Burnes. If a deal with the 30-year-old pitcher was struck, belief would be back. It will, however, likely cost more than Fried.
There are other avenues to pay off on the promises. Dylan Cease. Garrett Crochet. One of the Pittsburgh or Seattle young aces. But it will also probably involve a level of uneasiness that hasn't been reached. Even getting a shorter-term option such as Walker Buehler would be the kind of positive step that offers the fan base some much-needed hope.
Then there are the likes of Teoscar Hernandez, Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado.
According to sources, Hernandez's asking price was being influenced by the perceived post-Soto desperation. It was making some of the outfield's potential suitors - including the Red Sox - investigate other options to fill the role of a lefty-torturing right-handed bat. Angels outfielder Taylor Ward has suddenly gotten on the radar of more than one team. Seiya Suzuki (who has a no-trade clause) also fits into this category.
As was reported by WEEI.com Sunday night, Bregman has been a priority for the Red Sox. In many ways, he is a perfect fit for a team that needs stability at second base, a presence from the right-handed batter's box and leadership quality in the clubhouse. But it's going to cost them, particularly considering some of their chief competition may be coming from the Yankees and the only team Bregman has played for, Houston.
Arenado would be an interesting - and somewhat outside-the-box - option, with the 33-year-old signed through 2027 thanks to his nine-year, $275 million deal. According to MLB.com, the infielder has listed the Red Sox as one of the six teams he would agree to be dealt to, joining the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Phillies and Mets. A former teammate, and good friend, of current Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story, Arenado would likely be moved to first base, paving the way for a trade involving Triston Casas, who could also become the team's full-time designated hitter.
Talking with the media Tuesday at the Winter Meetings, Arenado's agent Joel Wolfe said regarding his client's potential position switch, "The way he phrased it, ‘I’ll play first,’ sometimes [teams] don’t want to ask a player to do that. So he wanted to offer it and say, ‘I’m happy to play first, I can move around and play third.’ Nolan was like, ‘I’ll play shortstop, I’ll do whatever, but I’m not insulted to go play first, and I can win a Gold Glove over there, if that’s what it takes.'"
"We need to remain aggressive and convicted in our decision making," Breslow added after the Fried news.
More aggressive. More convicted. Better results. Those are the realities the Red Sox have to start embracing before it becomes too late.