REPORT: Red Sox signs top Relief Ace just after Shipping Out Former 1st-Round Pick
As the Boston Red Sox gear up for their first spring training game against the Northeastern Huskies at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday, the general consensus is that they had an excellent offseason. However, one key position remains unresolved: closer.
The Red Sox have a few in-house options, but each comes with concerns. Former White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has pitched only five innings since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and a battle with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Aroldis Chapman, their $10 million offseason acquisition, boasts 335 career saves—16th all-time—but at 36, his inconsistency makes him unreliable as a full-time closer. Then there’s 27-year-old righty Justin Slaten, who emerged as Boston’s top setup man in 2024 after being acquired in the Rule 5 draft. While he recorded two saves last season, it’s unclear if the Red Sox trust him to handle the role permanently.
On Thursday, Pat Brown of the “Play Tessie” podcast suggested a solution: trading for Padres closer Robert Suarez. At 33, Suarez saved 36 games for San Diego in his first full season as a closer. Brown proposed that Boston send two top prospects—22-year-old outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and 21-year-old shortstop Mikey Romero—to San Diego in exchange.
Garcia, a $350,000 international signing in 2019, is ranked ninth among Red Sox prospects by MLB Pipeline, while Romero, a 2022 first-round pick (24th overall), is ranked 12th. With Trevor Story entrenched at shortstop and top prospect Marcelo Mayer ahead of him in the pipeline, Romero may be expendable.
Brown argued that the trade would address Boston’s need for a high-leverage reliever—something chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has prioritized but not yet delivered. Meanwhile, the Padres, whose farm system has been depleted by recent trades, could benefit from restocking their prospect depth. Suarez is owed $10 million for 2025, and Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune has identified a salary dump trade involving him as a likely move.
This potential deal could provide Boston with much-needed bullpen stability while helping San Diego clear payroll and rebuild its system. Whether the Red Sox pursue such a move remains to be seen.