Heyman: ‘Red Sox have joined the Freddie Freeman sweepstakes’
The Boston Red Sox are the latest rumored team to have interest in former Braves’ first baseman Freddie Freeman. According to Jon Heyman, “Red Sox have joined the Freddie Freeman sweepstakes as things get more interesting.”
Boston will join the Dodgers, Yankees, Blue Jays and Rays for the World Series champion services.
Boston has top prospect Triston Casas as their future first baseman. The addition of Freeman doesn’t block Casas either. At the end of the season Martinez is a free agent and Freeman could slide into the DH role long term.
Red Sox chief baseball Officer Chaim Bloom met with the media on Monday and was asked about the club’s payroll flexibility. Boston is projected to be around $201 million, the tax threshold is set at $230 million.
“It opens more options for us maybe than we’ve been working with the last couple of years,” Bloom said. “I don’t think we should worry about the size or the Q-factor or the splashiness of the move. We should be trying to use all our resources to be as great as we can every year whatever that means. But especially looking ahead, the more flexibility you have, the more options you can consider. That is part of why that flexibility is important. Because it does give you access to the whole menu.”
Boston has $94 million coming off the books next season. The club will have to decide if some of that money will go towards Bogaerts who is expected to opt-out of his contract.
“You can talk about payroll flexibility, future flexibility all we want. Sometimes that flexibility comes because you’ve got some players who are really good players and key contributors whose contract might also be expiring,” Bloom said.
Freeman is still looking for his future home after the Braves traded of first baseman Matt Olson. It’s likely that Heyman’s tweet is the Boston doing their due diligence on Freeman and possibly driving up the price for Toronto and New York. If Bloom lands the prized slugger, it will be the biggest free agent commitment by the Red Sox during his tenure.
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