As soon as the World Series ends, the clock will start ticking on the first couple of decisions of the Craig Breslow administration in Boston. Fortunately for Breslow, the Red Sox have a couple easy ones due five days after the conclusion of the postseason (which would be Monday if the Rangers win Game 5).
Unlike in previous years when the club has had tough calls to make on club options, this year’s crop of decisions won’t cause Boston’s new chief baseball officer to lose any sleep. While Justin Turner’s contract situation (which we covered at length Tuesday) is totally in the hands of the player, the Red Sox hold club options over two pitchers — righty Corey Kluber and lefty Joely Rodríguez — for 2024. Those options are certain to be declined, adding Kluber and Rodríguez to a group of Red Sox free agents that will also include Turner (assuming he opts out), starter James Paxton, outfielder Adam Duvall and infielder Adalberto Mondesí.
The calls on Kluber and Rodríguez should be simple. Neither pitcher gave the Red Sox much last season.
We’ll cover Kluber first. The two-time Cy Young winner signed a one-year, $10 million deal in December that also included an $11 million club option for 2024. If he pitched well, the Red Sox could have brought him back for a reasonable rate. But that did not happen. Kluber, who served as Boston’s Opening Day starter, logged just 55 innings over 15 appearances (9 starts) for the Red Sox, posting a putrid 7.04 ERA while allowing 69 hits and walking 21 batters in that span. After being demoted to the bullpen in late May, he struggled in a mop-up relief role before hitting the injured list with shoulder inflammation on June 21. He made multiple attempts to rejoin the Red Sox but was unable to get back to the majors and ended up going home weeks before the season ended.
It’s unclear if Kluber, who turns 38 in April, plans on pitching again in 2024. If he does, he’ll likely have to sign a minor-league deal (or major league deal with a low base salary). His future, however, is not in Boston.
Rodríguez was another failed free agent addition by ex-chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom last winter. The first move of the winter for the Sox, the veteran lefty signed a one-year, $2 million deal with a $4.25 million option for 2024. According to baseball sources, that was a re-worked version of a previously agreed-upon deal that was revised once balky medicals came back. Health then became a major issue for Rodríguez, who along with fellow failed addition Richard Bleier, was supposed to provide a lethal left-handed arm for manager Alex Cora out of the bullpen.
Rodríguez suffered an oblique strain during an outing in spring training then didn’t debut until May 17. He was tagged with eight earned runs in four innings over five games in May before hitting the injured list again with shoulder inflammation at the beginning of June. He returned right before the All-Star break and was actually good for the Sox in July, striking out nine batters in seven shutout innings in six games. Then, in late July, he suffered a hip injury that ended his season. In total, Rodríguez gave the Red Sox 11 innings of 6.55 ERA ball. It’ll be an easy call to cut him loose by declining his option (and paying him a $500,000 buyout).
Rodríguez’s service time situation is a little confusing because he spent two years (2018 and 2019) in Japan but he will be a free agent again if the Sox decline his option, a source confirmed this week. The Red Sox won’t keep him as an arbitration-eligible player despite him having fewer than four years of big league service time. Left-handed relief help will be a priority again this offseason.
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When the World Series ends, the Red Sox will have some 40-man roster managing to do. They’ll have to add back anyone who’s on the 60-day injured list and is not a free agent (Wyatt Mills and Jarren Duran). The Sox currently have 44 players for 40 spots but will be down to 38 when Kluber, Rodríguez, Paxton, Duvall and Mondesí all hit free agency. Further cuts like the move to waive Kaleb Ort last month will happen before the Nov. 14 deadline to protect Rule 5-eligible prospects by adding them to the roster.
