Some baseball teams embark on a youth movement to bring in young talent. The Boston Red Sox seem to be heading in the opposite direction.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported Tuesday the Red Sox have slugger Adam Duvall and utilityman Josh Harrison on their radar. Duvall, 34, a former All-Star, clubbed 38 home runs in 2021 before slumping to a .213/.276/.401 slash line last year.
The 35-year-old Harrison, a two-time All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates in his prime, has played everywhere but pitcher and catcher on the field, and is still around league average at the plate, slashing .256/.317/.370 for a 94 OPS+ last season.
The veterans definitely fit Boston’s offseason trend, who have brought in several players who are in their twilight years. The club has signed third baseman Justin Turner (38), starter Corey Kluber (36), and closer Kenley Jansen (35), among other moves.
Of course, the Red Sox also brought in Japanese superstar Masataka Yoshida, a relative youngster at age 29.
Heyman’s report noted there’s still a huge void at shortstop following the departure of Xander Bogaerts in free agency. Among the free agents Heyman notes as still available are Andrelton Simmons, Elvis Andrus and Jose Iglesias. They seem to fit the Red Sox 30-something template. Andrus is 34, while Simmons and Iglesias are 33.
