Could the Boston Red Sox's release of Kevin Plawecki cost them one of the top pitchers in the upcoming free-agent class? Maybe someone the team is quite familiar with?
The former Red Sox backstop officially was released Monday after being designated for assignment last Wednesday. He's now expected to sign with the Texas Rangers but will have to wait until Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET to do so.
While the Rangers could be simply adding a veteran catcher to both mentor young pitchers and see if Plawecki is a viable option behind the plate next season, they also could be positioning themselves for the next part of their rebuild.
Plawecki's former battery mate Nathan Eovaldi is on an expiring deal and would be a logical fit to join the Rangers as they attempt to rise up the standings after investing half a billion dollars to upgrade their middle infield last offseason.
If Plawecki's time in Texas extends to next season, he'd be largely involved in the pursuit of the hard-throwing right-hander should the team decide to pursue him.
Eovaldi was surprisingly outspoken regarding the release of Plawecki, while bringing up some other players he was not happy to see go as well -- namely Kyle Schwarber and Hunter Renfroe.
Regardless of whether the release of Plawecki and decisions not to retain the other pair of aforementioned sluggers fractured Eovaldi's relationship with the Red Sox's front office or not; you can expect the Rangers to be involved in the Eovaldi sweepstakes.
The Red Sox will have plenty of payroll flexibility but have a plethora of pitchers on expiring deals including: Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, James Paxton and Eovaldi. It would benefit the Red Sox to at least retain Eovaldi and Wacha as they head toward a pivotal offseason.
The Rangers could get in the way of one of those pursuits.
More Red Sox: Two Reasons Why Rafael Devers Makes More Sense To Extend Than Mookie Betts
More must-reads: