Bastards of Boston Baseball (Red Sox) · Red Sox Podcast

Part 5: MLBTradeRumors free agents ranked 1-10

December 1, 2025·50 min·3 clips

Alex Bregman’s projected deal is six years and $160 million, but none of the four beat writers picked Boston.

1. Bastards of Boston Baseball reviews MLB Trade Rumors’ top free agents list from 10 to 1 through a Red Sox lens. 2. Nick, Charlie Smith, and Jeremy Schilling guide the discussion because they each weigh Boston fits, contract projections, and roster needs. 3. The episode asks which free agents Boston should pursue and which names are effectively off the table. 4. Ranger Suárez opens the countdown at projected five years and $115 million, and the hosts call him a possible number two starter. 5. His back-to-back 12-win seasons, sub-4 ERA, and age-30 status are all cited as reasons he should be a target. 6. Charlie and Jeremy also point to his 42.2 postseason innings and 1.48 ERA as evidence of October value. 7. Kyle Schwarber comes next at five years and $135 million, with the group debating whether Boston would pay for his bat. 8. The hosts cite his 162-game season, his 46.8 home runs, and his 108.5 RBIs over the last four years. 9. They also revisit Schwarber’s 2021 stint in Boston, when he helped the team’s playoff push and even played first base. 10. Cody Bellinger is discussed as a five-year, $140 million option, but the Red Sox fit is questioned because he is an outfielder. 11. The conversation notes that Bellinger hit 29 home runs, drove in nearly 100 runs, and played 152 games for the Yankees. 12. One host also points out that his hard-hit rate and average exit velocity ranked in the 20s by percentile. 13. Tatsuya Imai appears as a six-year, $150 million pitcher from Japan, and the group focuses on the difficulty of translating NPB success to MLB. 14. The hosts mention his 1.92 ERA, 10-5 record, 163 innings, and 178 strikeouts as the raw projection case. 15. Framber Valdez at five years and $150 million becomes a hard no for all three hosts because of the price, his Astros history, and the catcher cross-up incident. 16. They contrast his 85 postseason innings and 4.34 playoff ERA with Ranger Suárez’s cleaner October résumé. 17. The tone is argumentative and roster-focused, with the three hosts interrupting each other and revisiting the same Red Sox budget constraints. 18. The format is a countdown debate built around projections, stat lines, and Boston-specific fit questions. 19. Listeners who follow Red Sox offseason strategy and free-agent market debates will get the most out of this episode. 20. Listeners wanting game recaps or a single-player interview can skip it.

As heard by us

A plainspoken Red Sox pitching debate that keeps the focus on risk, money, workload, strikeouts, and fit.

This Red Sox discussion keeps its focus on the baseball case for and against adding a starter. It works best when it stays grounded in the fit: a 27-year-old with shaky command asks for a lot, especially when the price tag is high and the innings question is still open.

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Want a no-nonsense Sox free-agent argument that actually names the risk?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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