The Boston Red Sox were said to be one of the teams that was in on the Jose Abreu sweepstakes.
In fact, he was their top target from outside the organization and was a potential fallback option in the event that Xander Bogaerts departed via free agency.
Abreu ultimately signed with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros.
The Red Sox were also interested in right-hander Zach Eflin, who recently signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on a three-year, $40 million deal.
Boston had actually offered the 28-year-old the exact same deal that the Rays had.
Unfortunately for Boston, Eflin chose Tampa Bay.
Eflin is from Orlando and chose to be closer to home.
Sox Miss Out On Another Free Agent
The Red Sox have simply had some bad luck in free agency to start the offseason.
This is certainly not the way the Red Sox had envisioned their offseason would begin.
In addition to losing out on two key free agents, they also have two key pieces that have entered the free agent pool.
Obviously, retaining Bogaerts remains the team’s top priority, but designated hitter J.D. Martinez is also a free agent and could very well depart this offseason.
So naturally, the Red Sox may have a little extra work to do if they want to return to where they were in 2021.
That season, Boston won 92 games and captured the top American League Wild Card spot, reaching the ALCS.
But so far, things have not gone according to plan for the Sox.
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