If the Red Sox are as outraged about their 2022 play as they claim to be, ownership is going to have to let Chaim Bloom spend some money this offseason — assuming he knows how to do that. One area he can absolutely spend is the outfield, and having secured Kike Hernandez for another season means Boston can focus on the corners.
Tommy Pham could earn himself a contract with the Red Sox next season at the right price, but there’s no question he, Alex Verdugo and Hernandez don’t provide enough offensive firepower in the outfield. So, here are a few free agent outfielders the Red Sox should consider signing this offseason:
Trey Mancini
Mancini is already familiar with the pressure of the AL East, and now he’s dealing with a real playoff team in Houston. While he hasn’t been able to recapture the power he displayed in 2019, Mancini is one of the few options on here who provides power and stays healthy; a battle with cancer kept him for all of 2020, but he’s logged 147 games or more in all the other years since his first full MLB season. A good way for Mancini to see those power numbers climb again would be calling Fenway his home for 81 games a year. In 39 games in Boston, he has a career .964 OPS.
Mitch Haniger
This Mariners outfielder could provide Boston with some serious pop. Haniger has a career .217 isolated power, and his home runs per 162 games played average is 32 — as is his doubles per 162 games played average.
As is the case with others on this list, the big concern with Haniger is his health. An ankle injury forced him to miss a lot of time this season, after playing in 157 games last year. He also missed over half of 2019 and all of 2020 due to a ruptured testicle. Not exactly a normal injury — and neither is an ankle injury for a baseball player. Regardless, he’s run into some issues over the years.
Brandon Nimmo
Of these first three guys, Nimmo is the best defensively and the only one you can really trust in center field. It’s not ideal to have him there, which shouldn’t be the case on an everyday basis in Boston anyway.
Nimmo also has the least power potential of this group. However, Nimmo does get on base at a sound rate. His .352 OBP puts him just outside the top 30 this season, but he entered 2022 with a .393 career OBP.
The big concern with him, as is the case with others among this group, is his injury history. This year is only the second time in his seven-year MLB career he’s logged more than 100 games played.
Aaron Judge
Of course, this is a bit of a reach. Hard to imagine the Red Sox adding him and re-sign Xander Bogaerts. But if the Yankees are seriously not going to give Judge everything he wants, Bloom needs to throw his hat in the ring. Actually landing Judge it might even help mend his relationship with the fanbase.
Michael Conforto
Conforto missed all of this season and is a bit of a health concern. But so are a few of these other outfielders. But as far as power goes, he’s a sound option. Conforto has gone for 27-plus home runs three times in his career, and he laced 20-plus doubles in each of those seasons. He also gets on base at a strong clip, posting a .356 OBP to this point in his MLB career.
