Boston Red Sox

Free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa has received interest from the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency.

Mark Berman of Fox 26 noted Correa previously received a five-year, $160 million offer from the Houston Astros.

Major League Baseball is preparing for a lockout to begin Thursday at midnight ET, meaning Correa would have to get a deal done by 11:59 p.m. ET. No contracts will be able to be agreed upon once the lockout begins, which would leave Correa and the other remaining free agents at a standstill with no obvious end date.

Fellow shortstops Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million) and Javier Baez (six years, $140 million) agreed to megadeals late last month as agents and teams scrambled to get deals done. While MLB free agency has regularly been a waiting game in years past, legitimate concern over CBA negotiations has led to urgency around the league.

Correa is coming off the best season of his career, which saw him hit .279/.366/.485 with 26 home runs and 92 runs batted in while playing Gold Glove defense at shortstop. He finished fifth in the AL MVP voting and made his second All-Star team.

Matthew Roberson of the New York Daily News previously reported Correa was looking for a deal that approaches the $341 million pact signed by Francisco Lindor with the New York Mets during last season. 

It doesn't appear likely that any team will match that price, which may explain why Correa is still on the market while other high-profile shortstops have already signed.  

The Boston Red Sox and pitcher Rich Hill reportedly agreed to a one-year contract Wednesday ahead of the expiration of the MLB collective bargaining agreement.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported the deal, which will mark Hill's third stint in Boston.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the deal was worth $5 million, and included incentives. 

“[The Red Sox] do things right. I’ve been around 14 organizations. … If I tell you that they’re in the upper echelon [of franchises], they’re doing pretty good,” Hill said last month. “There is an interest [in the Red Sox], without a doubt. … There’s a need on the other end. [But] the need for starting pitching is very apparent throughout the league — not just in Boston. It’s also many other clubs that that need it.”

Hill, 41, split the 2021 season with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets. He went 7-8 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.21 WHIP while making 31 starts, his highest total since 2007 and second-highest of his career. The oft-injured lefty has topped 25 starts only three times in his career.

The Red Sox already signed Michael Wacha and James Paxton earlier this offseason as they look for high-upside, short-term options in the rotation. Wacha, a former highly regarded prospect who went on to make the 2015 MLB All-Star team with the St. Louis Cardinals, has a 5.11 ERA over the last three seasons. Paxton is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is not expected to join the rotation until midway through the 2022 season. 

All contracts must be completed before 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday when the collective bargaining agreement expires. A lockout is expected to begin when the CBA expires. 

The Boston Red Sox and starting pitcher James Paxton reportedly agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract in free agency Wednesday.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the contract also includes s two-year club option.

Paxton appeared in only one game last season for the Seattle Mariners before undergoing Tommy John surgery in April. Passan noted that Paxton is expected to be back some time during the 2022 season.

The 33-year-old lefty has spent seven of his nine MLB seasons in Seattle and experienced his greatest success with the M's.

From 2013 to 2018, Paxton went 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 617 strikeouts over 582.1 innings pitched.

Paxton seemed to be trending toward All-Star status and perhaps even Cy Young Award contention, which prompted the New York Yankees to send the Mariners three players, including starting pitcher Justus Sheffield, in exchange for Paxton in November 2018.

While Paxton had some up-and-down moments during the 2019 season in New York, he went 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 186 strikeouts in 150.2 innings.

Hopes were high for Paxton entering the 2020 season, but a back injury limited him to just five starts and led to the Yankees allowing him to leave in free agency and go back to Seattle.

Injuries have limited Paxton to just six starts combined over the past two seasons, and he has long had durability issues.

Paxton has never made 30 or more starts in a season, and aside from 2018 and 2019 when he made 28 and 29 starts, respectively, his career-high in starts for a season is 24.

The Canadian southpaw's injury issues undoubtedly played a big role in the Red Sox being able to sign him at a relative bargain price when compared to top free-agent pitchers such as Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman and Robbie Ray.

Boston has not hesitated to go shopping for pitching in the bargain bin this offseason, as it signed Michael Wacha to a one-year, $7 million contract last week.

Starting pitching was Boston's biggest issue last season and likely the main reason it didn't advance beyond the American League Championship Series despite having a top-flight lineup.

Nathan Eovaldi was the ace last season with a 3.75 ERA, while Chris Sale had a 3.16 ERA in nine starts after returning from Tommy John surgery. However, the quartet of Eduardo Rodriguez, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards and Martin Perez all possessed an ERA of 4.50 or worse.

Paxton should be an improvement over most of last season's rotation if he can get healthy, but that has been a huge "if" for Paxton over the course of his career.

The Boston Red Sox and Rafael Devers have made "zero progress" in negotiations over a long-term extension, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

Spotrac estimates Devers will earn $10.8 million in 2022, and he has one more year of arbitration before hitting free agency in 2024.

The two sides still have time to strike an agreement, but it may not be as much time as one would think.

NBC Sports Boston's John Tomase argued Devers could serve as a bellwether for whether ownership is willing to pony up and pay market value for star players:

So what's the holdup? It's possible that Devers is intent on reaching free agency, though if that's the case, he hasn't been nearly as explicit about it as Betts was before being traded to the Dodgers in 2020. Betts felt comfortable going year to year and setting records in arbitration, at least until signing a massive $365 million extension that will keep him in Dodgers Blue through 2032.

We're less clear on what Devers wants, but the choice for the Red Sox should be easy. Better to pay him $200 million at age 25 than $300 million on the open market at age 27. The fact that the two sides haven't come close to a long-term agreement to this point should be a giant red flag for fans worried that ownership believes it can win with a mid-market model despite large-market resources.

The Red Sox and Mookie Betts were unable to hammer out a new contract heading into the 2020 season. Boston traded Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers rather than seeing out the final year of his deal.

It stands to reason the front office would be willing to do the same with Devers if the 25-year-old digs in his heels like Betts did.

Re-signing players before they hit free agency is a way for a team to potentially save money down the road. That's not to say Devers is likely to provide Boston with a hometown discount.

He finished with 38 home runs, 113 RBI and a .279/.352/.538 slash line en route to earning his first All-Star nod and winning a Silver Slugger. His 4.7 WAR trailed only Jose Ramirez among third basemen on FanGraphs.

The Red Sox typically had one of MLB's highest payrolls in recent years. Per Cot's Baseball Contracts, they were in the top five on Opening Day every season from 2004 to 2020.

Trading Betts followed a concerted effort from ownership to lower its financial burden. What the franchise does with Devers and Xander Bogaerts, who can opt out in 2023, will likely show if that cost-conscious approach was only a blip or a more permanent strategy.

Free-agent starting pitcher Marcus Stroman reportedly has a long list of suitors this offseason.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi confirmed a report from Tim Dierkes, saying the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels are among the teams interested in pursuing Stroman. Morosi added that the Seattle Mariners should be included in that list.

Stroman established himself as a dependable starter for the New York Mets this past season. He led the team with 10 wins, his first double-digit win season since 2017. The 30-year-old finished the year with a 3.02 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 179 innings pitched for one of the best statistical seasons of his seven-year career.

The Mets have already lost starter Noah Syndergaard and reliever Aaron Loup in free agency. If Stroman were to sign with another team, it would be a big blow to a New York team that lacks rotation depth behind ace Jacob deGrom.

Stroman would be a strong addition to any team's rotation. The Angels, who landed both Syndergaard and Loup, are clearly looking to improve their pitching this offseason. The Giants have also been aggressive in the arms race, re-signing starter Anthony DeSclafani to a three-year deal Monday and finalizing a deal to bring back Alex Wood.

The teams in need of a top starting pitcher have many top options to choose from. In addition to Stroman, this year's free-agent class includes high-profile starters Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Kevin Gausman.

The Fenway Sports Group, which currently owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC and 50 percent of RFK Racing, is reportedly interested in purchasing an NBA team, per Dan Primack of Axios. 

That pursuit would take place after the company's reported purchase of the Pittsburgh Penguins for $875 million. 

Per Primack, Fenway Sports Group is expected to "seek out [an NBA] target in 2022."

It's all part of the organization's reported plan to buy up "marquee franchises in different geographic markets," though Primack reported the ownership group was interested in purchasing the Boston Bruins had they been made available before entering negotiations with the Penguins. 

One interesting wrinkle in the group's reported interest in owning an NBA team is that the group has invested in SpringHill Company, which was founded by Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and agent Maverick Carter. Both James and Carter own small stakes in FSG. 

Given that James is a current player and Carter represents a number of NBA players, it could be a violation of the collective bargaining agreement for James to be an owner and a possible conflict of interest for Carter. 

Granted, James is 36 and only under contract with the Lakers through the 2022-23 season. It's possible he will retire before FSG is able to complete the purchase of an NBA team. 

The other possibility is that James would have to divest from FSG.

Another interesting factor: Perhaps James, as part owner of the Penguins, might help influence the NBA into putting a franchise in Pittsburgh:

However the situation plays out, it's appears Fenway Sports Group has broad ambitions to expand its ownership stake in the world of sports. 

The Boston Red Sox announced Monday they have exercised their option on manager Alex Cora to keep him under contract through the 2024 season.

Cora's contract signed before last season was a two-year deal with a two-year option for 2023 and 2024, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

After leading the Red Sox to the American League Championship Series, the manager earned two more guaranteed years.

Cora initially joined the Red Sox in 2018, leading the squad to 108 wins and a World Series title in his first season.

After Boston missed the playoffs in 2019, Cora and the team parted ways in the offseason because of his involvement in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. The former infielder was the bench coach in 2017 for the Astros, who illegally used technology to steal opposing signs on their way to a World Series title. MLB suspended Cora for the 2020 season.

Boston fell to last place in the AL East during the shortened 2020 campaign under manager Ron Roenicke, paving the way for Cora's return last November. 

The Red Sox improved immediately, going 92-70 during the 2021 regular season to earn a wild-card spot. After defeating the rival New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Game, Boston beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS before falling to Houston in the ALCS.

Boston will look to remain in title contention behind Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and others in one of the top lineups in the majors.     

The Boston Red Sox "remain in touch" with free-agent left-hander Steven Matz, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. 

Matz has a strong market, Cotillo added. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly among teams interested in him. The New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays also remain interested, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Matz spent the 2021 season with the Toronto Blue Jays after six seasons with the New York Mets to begin his career. The 30-year-old went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 150.2 innings across 29 starts. 

The Red Sox are in need of a starting pitcher after losing Eduardo Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers in free agency. 

In addition to having a strong 2021 campaign, Matz has been a solid rotational arm throughout his career. In 141 games (136 starts), he is 45-48 with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. 

If Matz were to sign with the Red Sox, he would join a rotation that includes Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houck. 

Even if the Red Sox don't land Matz, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom is set on acquiring a starting pitcher this winter. 

“We certainly want to have more guys who are capable of starting games in the big leagues and doing it well,” Bloom told reporters Wednesday, per Cotillo. “We’re not too focused on how famous they are. It’s more about what we think they can do. With that said, certainly a lot of the guys who could do the job well are also well-known. We’re focusing on those guys, too. We need to cover the whole map here and make sure we’re involved in everything that could help us.”

The Red Sox sat in the middle of the league in 2021 with a 4.26 ERA. 

It's unclear which other pitchers the Red Sox might be targeting. However, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman are still available.  

The Boston Red Sox are among the "many" suitors for free-agent infielder Javier Baez, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Between his time with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, Baez had 31 home runs, 87 RBI and a .265/.319/.494 slash line in 2021.

Shortstop (486 games) has been the 28-year-old's most frequent position in MLB, per Baseball Reference. But he has logged 320 games at second base and spent the majority of his time with New York there because of Francisco Lindor's presence.

Xander Bogaerts isn't going anywhere for now—he has an opt-out after this season—so he'll be Boston's everyday shortstop in 2022. The Red Sox are presumably looking at Baez to replace Christian Arroyo at second base, and he could serve as cover if Bogaerts bolts next winter.

Beyond what he'd bring on the field, his arrival would signal a slight shift in ownership's recent attitude toward the payroll.

Per Cot's Baseball Contracts, Boston had the highest Opening Day payroll in 2019 ($236.2 million). Then came the belt-tightening best symbolized by Mookie Betts' trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers. When the 2021 campaign opened, the Sox had the eighth-highest payroll ($180.1 million).

Watching Eduardo Rodriguez sign with the Detroit Tigers wasn't a great way for the Red Sox to kick off the offseason. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the southpaw will get $77 million over five years, which wasn't a significantly higher sum than one would've expected.

That arguably raises questions over Boston's continued interest in Baez if a bidding war begins and his price tag begins climbing toward or north of $100 million.

The Boston Red Sox had Kyle Schwarber on their roster for less than a full season after they acquired him from the Washington Nationals via trade in July, but they reportedly saw enough to want to bring him back despite plenty of competition.

Robert Murray of FanSided reported Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said the plan is to re-sign the slugger even though there are "a lot of teams" who are interested in Schwarber.

Schwarber is a free agent after he declined a mutual option on his contract for the 2022 season earlier this month.

The 2021 campaign couldn't have worked out much better for him before hitting the open market. While he hit just .188 during the 2020 season with the Chicago Cubs, he slashed .266/.374/.554 with 32 home runs and 71 RBI with the Red Sox and Nationals.

He helped lead Boston to the American League Championship Series and provided important power from the left side in its lineup. It is not surprising the Red Sox are interested in bringing him back after his performance.

While his final year with the Cubs was relatively disappointing, he spent the first six seasons of his career on the National League Central team. He will forever be remembered in Chicago for his 2016 efforts when he returned for the World Series despite tearing his ACL and LCL in April and hit .412 as the designated hitter during four games in Cleveland.

The Cubs may not have snapped their championship drought that dated back to 1908 without his individual efforts.

Murray noted there is plenty to like about Schwarber when compared to the rest of this free-agent class, including the fact he has more 30-plus home run seasons than Nick Castellanos, Michael Conforto and Carlos Correa combined.

He is known for his bat, but he also led all left fielders in assists in 2018 and 2019.

Schwarber is just 28 years old and is someone who can play designated hitter, first base or left field. Boston apparently wants to bring him back, but those attributes that make him appealing to the Red Sox also stand out to other teams around the league.