Red Sox make creative trade, opt to not pursue 49-HR slugger (5 thoughts) | Chris Cotillo

A very slow 10-day period for the Red Sox ended Sunday with a trade — Boston sent Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin to the White Sox in a salary dump that netted pitching prospect Gage Ziehl — and the news that Eugenio Suárez, perhaps the best position player left on the free agent market and a potential Red Sox fit, had signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Reds. Here are five quick thoughts on the developments and the Red Sox, who are exactly one week away from spring training opening in Fort Myers next Monday.

1) The Red Sox are working backwards to solve their financial puzzle, and the work likely isn’t done.

When the Red Sox signed Ranger Suárez to a five-year, $130 million contract last month, their projected competitive balance tax (CBT) threshold ballooned to a number around $269 million, which is far more than the first threshold number ($244 million) and even exceeded the second threshold at $264 million. It’s clear Boston wants to enter the season short of that second threshold and potentially lower, and there are other pathways to (smartly) shedding money.

Moving Masataka Yoshida (and his $18 million CBT) hit would likely require the Red Sox to take on a good portion of his deal while attaching a prospect like they did with Sandlin and Hicks. A much easier path, however, would involve moving Patrick Sandoval, who will certainly draw interest from clubs if healthy. Sandoval is a bit of an unknown after missing all of 2025 as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery but will enter camp on the outside looking in when it comes to the rotation competition. A couple of strong spring starts could force a pitching-needy club to offer a prospect while taking on Sandoval’s entire salary, which comes with a $9.125 million CBT hit in 2026. The Red Sox have 6-7 starters ahead of Sandoval and would likely be willing to move him.

Moving an outfielder like Jarren Duran or Ceddanne Rafaela in a bigger trade is another, albeit much less likely, way the Red Sox could move some money around. A Sandoval trade would get the club in the range of $252 million, making further additions (either in spring training or at the trade deadline) more palatable.

2) The trade unclogged the roster pipes, too.

The main objective of the trade with Chicago was obviously salary-related, as clearing $8 million of Hicks’ money (and getting relief against the CBT) threshold was smart business. But a secondary objective was also accomplished by Breslow, who cleared two 40-man roster spots with the move.

The Red Sox have strengthened the back end of their roster in recent months, leading to far fewer easy calls when it comes to who gets cut loose when a spot is needed. That Payton Tolle and Connelly Early’s big league debuts came a season earlier than expected locked up two spots that would have otherwise been open all winter. It was telling that Breslow had to trade utility man Tristan Gray, a potential contributor who was acquired in November, to free up a spot when Ranger Suárez’s contract became official on Jan. 21. Further additions would have required further tough calls.

Now, though, the Sox have two open spots and will gain a third early in spring training when Tanner Houck (recovering from Tommy John surgery) can be moved to the 60-day injured list. Moving Hicks also allows an easier path for other promising arms to contribute early in the season. Zack Kelly’s path to a roster spot is now clear and Rule 5 addition Ryan Watson is no longer blocked by Hicks, who is out of minor league options. The Red Sox also have room to make a free agent addition to the bullpen as well.

3) Boston opted for Ziehl over another package that would help the big league bullpen.

According to sources, the Red Sox and White Sox had serious discussions about a different-looking trade that would have sent Hicks and Sandlin to Chicago for Jordan Leasure, a 27-year-old reliever who had a 3.92 ERA (and 81 strikeouts) in 64 ⅓ innings in the big leagues last year. The Riverview, Florida product would have fit the Red Sox as a right-handed middle-relief option, joining Kelly, Watson and Greg Weissert as candidates in that role.

The Red Sox would have had to kick in more of Hicks’ salary to obtain Leasure, who has more value than Ziehl, who has barely pitched above High-A. In the end, the sides opted to do the deal that involved more cash and a lesser player headed to the Red Sox.

4) Craig Breslow wasn’t kidding when he said defense was important.

In his last meeting with reporters, Breslow was clear that he was prioritizing infield defense when assessing his next move. That bore out with the club’s decision to not meaningfully pursue Eugenio Suárez before he signed with Cincinnati.

In December, a source noted that the Red Sox had interest in Suárez, but only as a clear fallback option should Alex Bregman and some other targets not land in Boston. As time went on, agents around the industry speculated that Suárez’s market had not developed as expected and that he could be a candidate for a one-year deal. That’s all he got in Cincinnati, signing a $15 million guarantee that every club — including the Red Sox — could have done.

Still, even as other options fell off the board and Suárez’s market collapsed, the Red Sox didn’t meaningfully engage. As MassLive reported Sunday, they never made an offer. It wasn’t about the value or negotiations not lining up. It was simply about the Red Sox not wanting a player who, despite slugging 49 homers last season, strikes out at a high clip and is a defensive liability at third base.

5) What about Ramón Urías?

The Red Sox’ potential trade targets on the infield market are well-known with Houston’s Isaac Paredes and Chicago’s Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw having been heavily discussed on the rumor mill. But what about Ramón Urías? The longtime Oriole remains unsigned as a defense-first, versatile option who would fit the roster well, even in a limited role.

Urías regressed with the bat last year to the tune of a .675 OPS in 112 games split between Baltimore and Houston but was still a capable defender at both third base (78 games) and second (26 games). He also has historically hit very well at Fenway, logging a .326 average and an .881 OPS in 28 games in Boston. At this point, Urías can likely be had on a reasonable one-year deal. A source said the Red Sox have checked in on his availability but have shown only lukewarm interest to this point in the winter.

The Red Sox, even with Marcelo Mayer, Romy Gonzalez, David Hamilton and Nick Sogard in the mix as internal options for second base and third base, have begun to explore free agent alternatives, as evidenced by their pursuit of Dylan Moore, who they were “very involved” on before he signed with the Phillies, according to a source. Luis Rengifo is another available infielder.

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