The Boston Red Sox have had an active winter, but that doesn’t mean they have to be done shopping.
Granted, the Red Sox have probably landed their last big-ticket item. The bookends of the Garrett Crochet trade and last week’s Alex Bregman signing took as big a toll on Boston’s prospect pool and payroll as they were likely comfortable absorbing.
However, there’s still room to add at the margins. And the obvious place for Boston to look to improve at this point is the bullpen, where they lost reliable veterans Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin and don’t have an obvious front-runner for the closer role.
On Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer projected the Red Sox to sign a very intriguing candidate for that closer role: grizzled Major League Baseball veteran and longtime starting pitcher Lance Lynn.
“What makes the Red Sox an interesting fit for Lynn is that they’re one of the only contenders in MLB that lacks a clear answer at closer,” Rymer wrote. “Kenley Jansen was that guy in 2023 and 2024, but he’s in Anaheim now. “
“The role is basically up for grabs, with Liam Hendriks, Aroldis Chapman and Justin Slaten among those vying for it this spring. There’s no downside to throwing a wild card into the mix, least of all one with as much upside as Lynn.”
Lynn, who turns 38 in May, has just one save in his entire 13-year MLB career. But he proved in 2024 that he can still be productive, putting up a 3.84 ERA in 117 1/3 innings, and there’s reason to believe his stuff could play better out of the bullpen.
Lynn’s bread and butter is the fastball, as he features a four-seamer, sinker, and cutter, and throws one of those three over 86 percent of the time. His four-seamer averaged only 92.3 miles per hour last year, but still generated a solid 28.7 percent whiff rate.
Even if he’s not a closer, what’s the risk to bringing in Lynn on a one-year deal? As long as the Red Sox are willing to spend a few more million dollars, Lynn would be a target with as much upside as any free agent still on the market.
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