As the Boston Red Sox prepare for their first spring training game against the Northeastern Huskies at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida, most fans and media agree that the team had an outstanding offseason. However, one key position remains unaddressed: closer.
The Red Sox have several in-house options, but each comes with concerns. Former White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has thrown only five innings since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and a battle with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Meanwhile, newly signed Aroldis Chapman, a 15-year veteran with 335 career saves (16th all-time), has become too inconsistent at age 36 to be relied upon as a full-time closer. Another possibility is 27-year-old right-hander Justin Slaten, who emerged as a top setup man for Kenley Jansen in 2024 after being acquired via the Rule 5 draft. Slaten recorded two saves last season, but it’s unclear whether the Red Sox are ready to entrust him with the closer’s role permanently.
Pat Brown of the “Play Tessie” podcast suggested a potential solution: trading for San Diego closer. The 33-year-old saved 36 games for the Padres in his first full season as a closer, making him a strong candidate to fill Boston’s bullpen void.
Brown suggests that the Red Sox trade two of their top prospects to acquire Suarez: 22-year-old Venezuelan outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and 21-year-old shortstop Mikey Romero. Garcia, an international signing in 2019 for $350,000, is currently ranked ninth among Boston’s prospects by MLB Pipeline. Romero, a 2022 first-round pick (24th overall) from Orange Lutheran High School in California, is ranked 12th but could be expendable with Trevor Story entrenched at shortstop and Marcelo Mayer ahead of him on the depth chart.
“The thought process here: The Sox finally add another high-leverage arm to the bullpen, something Craig Breslow has been talking about for over a year,” Brown said on the Play Tessie podcast.
San Diego’s farm system has been depleted by recent trades, and Brown believes Romero could comfortably fit into the back end of the Padres’ top 10 prospects. Meanwhile, Suarez is owed $10 million in 2025, and shedding his salary appears to be a priority for San Diego. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune previously identified a Suarez salary-dump trade as the most likely move for the Padres.