Liam Hendriks hoping Red Sox go 'full metal' in free agency this offseason
It was just a year ago that Red Sox chairman Tom Werner promised his organization would go “full throttle” in free agency; instead, they signed Lucas Giolito, who ended up missing the season due to elbow surgery, and spent a whopping $1 million on Cooper Criswell, who ended up being a serviceable arm for the club.
From “full throttle,” we now bring in “full metal," which is how Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks expects the front office to go this offseason, particularly in their pursuit of Juan Soto.
During an appearance on the popular “Foul Terrority” show, Hendriks talked with some optimism about the Sox’ offseason approach, basically being involved everywhere from the starting pitcher market and a viable candidate for Soto.
“From all I know, we’re going full metal, and hopefully, we can make those big moves and big splashy moves,” Hendricks said. “Because it’s the AL East. It’s not exactly a division where you can just kind of coast by."
Hendriks isn’t wrong; if the Red Sox are going to play ball in the American League East, they’re going to need to add a frontline starter and another mid-rotation-type hurler, a right-handed power bat, and Soto doesn’t hurt either.
Boston just completed a three-hour meeting with Soto on Thursday in Southern California.
The two sides first meeting was described as "productive" and was led by team president Sam Kennedy, Werner, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and manager Alex Cora. The Red Sox offered a formal presentation to Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, designed to introduce him to the organization.
Soto reportedly was impressed by the Red Sox’ presentation, which included a video of the franchise’s history of star players from the Dominican Republic. Boston laid out their plans for their future, which included their top prospects closing in on a big league promotion and outlined the ownership and Fenway Sports Group.
In return, the slugger wanted to learn more about the team’s commitment to winning (so do Red Sox fans), player evaluations, and Fenway Park and facilities.
For Hendriks, the Sox’ sales pitch should come down to two things.
“The big things for anyone is always clubhouse vibes and then amenities. ... That would be my pitch to him, just the way we go about doing things and how much fun this team had as a whole,“ Hendriks said. ”It was a great team to be a part of, because they all mesh well. The good thing was, we all ripped on each other, and everyone can take it, which is the best part.”
Let’s be honest, it’s going to come down to cash.
If the Red Sox are able to make a historic deal with Soto this offseason, Hendriks thinks the 2025 club can come together quickly.
“You look at it from a roster breakdown point of view; does it make the most sense?” said Hendriks. “No. But how many times does a guy of Juan Soto’s caliber—at his age—come up on the free agent market? And when you’ve got pockets enough to be able to delve into it, you may as well check it out.
“He’s a generational player that you can build around, and I don’t think there’s ever going to be anybody that stops him in a lineup,” Hendriks added. “So you may as well try and go out there and do what you need to do to meet him and see what his demands are and see if it aligns with where we’re going.”
