Red Sox Reunion? Boston Reportedly ‘Likes’ This Veteran Outfielder
J.D. Martinez might not be the offensively sound outfielder who could return to the Red Sox this Major League Baseball offseason.
Boston “likes” Tommy Pham, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Pham is coming off a productive 2023 campaign split between the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who staged an impressive run to the World Series.
The 35-year-old is not a stranger to Fenway Park. The Red Sox acquired Pham in a deal with the Cincinnati Reds before the 2022 trade deadline. Pham played in 53 games across the second half of that season with Boston, hitting .234 with six home runs and 24 RBIs while seeing time in both left field and at designated hitter.
With Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Rob Refnsyder and Tyler O’Neill currently on the Red Sox’s outfield depth chart, Craig Breslow and company certainly could use some more power in the position group. Another left field option wouldn’t hurt either, as Yoshida might see more time at DH in 2024 with Justin Turner now a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.
As for potential compensation, Pham signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Mets before the start of the last season. But after playing above that contract, including on the Fall Classic stage, Pham might command a bit richer of a pact.
Further Reading:
Ex-Red Sox pitcher: Team ‘too smart’ to ‘be down long’
The Red Sox finished last in the American League East the last two seasons, and their offseason hasn’t been filled with moves that will instill much hope in fans that things will change in 2024.
Jon Lester, who won two World Series with Boston, acknowledged to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale that new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is in “a tough spot” as the new guy. But the former Major League Baseball pitcher believes it won’t be long until his former team is back on track.
“It’s tough being the new guy coming in,” Lester told Nightengale. “I’m sure Bres is in a tough spot. I’m sure it will take awhile for him to get his feet under him. But we all know the Red Sox won’t be down for long. They’re too smart over there.”
Things certainly look different with the Red Sox than when Lester was with the team. Despite coming within two games of the World Series in 2021, Boston hasn’t come close to the postseason since then. It appeared they planned to turn a corner this offseason with Tom Werner’s “full throttle” comments. But he walked them back, admitting it was a poor choice of words before president and CEO Sam Kennedy revealed 2024′s payroll will likely be lower than that of 2023.
The Red Sox still have some holes to fill — especially in the pitching department. But even with names like Jordan Montgomery still on the market, it doesn’t appear the team will try to make a run at him.
Pitchers and catchers report later this month. There’s still time for the team to add, but several other AL East teams have improved their rosters in the offseason, which will only make it harder for the Red Sox to compete in an already-tough division.
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