The Red Sox may have completed their trade for Adrian Gonzalez, but their offseason is just beginning. The MLB Winter Meetings only began Monday and already Boston is attached to a handful of free agents, the biggest of which may be Magglio Ordonez.
According to CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam, the Red Sox, in need of a right-handed bat in their lineup, are interested in the 36-year old.
A baseball source said the Sox are interested in the free agent outfielder as an answer to their left field vacancy. The Sox would like a righthanded bat to play left, to help balance out a lineup that, especially in the aftermath of the Gonzalez deal, leans lefthanded. Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew and David Ortiz are also lefthanded, giving the Sox as many as four lefties in the top six in the batting order.
Ordonez only played in 84 games last year with the Tigers because of an ankle injury, but managed to hit 12 home runs with a 130 OPS+. Perhaps more importantly, he hit .371/.457/.714 against lefthanded pitching, meaning he could play left field and also DH in place of David Ortiz, who struggles against lefties.