The Boston Red Sox don’t see their roster as a finished product, but finding that last move is proving to be a challenge.
After losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency, the Red Sox were left with a gaping hole on the infield. Fortunately, Marcelo Mayer can play second or third base, so there’s some flexibility in terms of how they can fill that hole.
However, the trade market is proving to be an imperfect solution, or at least a slow-moving one. And one insider believes that eventually, the price tags for players like Nico Hoerner and Isaac Paredes will bring the Red Sox back to the free-agent sphere.
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Will Red Sox sign former Mariners slugger?
Oct 17, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28) hits a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning during game five of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
On Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive projected the Red Sox’s opening day roster, and in his projection, he had the Red Sox signing two-time All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez to fill the void Bregman left behind.
“The perfect scenario for the Red Sox would be (adding) a pretty good starter at either second base or third base in a sizable trade,” Cotillo wrote. “At some point, though, it becomes a value proposition and it’s clear Breslow doesn’t like the asking prices, at least to this point, on the guys he’s targeting.
“Running parallel to all of that is what seems to be a slow market for Suárez. … A rival agent speculated this week that he thinks Suárez’s deal is going to come in much lower than initial projections suggested, meaning the Red Sox might see the value in getting the slugger on a very palatable deal.”
This is an estimation, not a suggestion that we know what’s going on behind closed doors, but if the price tag on Suárez fell below $20 million per year, the Red Sox may simply have to take the plunge.
At that point, they’d have to shift into salary-saving mode and trade away players like Patrick Sandoval and Masataka Yoshida — both of whom Cotillo predicted would be gone by opening day. They’re making $27 million combined for competitive balance tax purposes.
Suárez is a known commodity at this point: big home run totals, lots of strikeouts, and questionable third-base defense. Are the Red Sox willing to stomach the latter two to receive a huge boost where they need it?
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