The Boston Red Sox have made a few upgrades this winter, notably to the starting rotation, but they need to continue to progress in the right direction heading into 2025.

Boston needs to add to its bullpen before opening day. The Red Sox have the money to acquire the top free agent talent, but they recently watched as Tanner Scott signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller recently  for Philadelphia Phillies free agent closer Carlos Estévez. Estévez is projected to sign for $42 million this winter, per Spotrac, but his actual deal will likely eclipse $50 million.

“With Tanner Scott off the board to the Dodgers, all eyes turn to Carlos Estévez as the most noteworthy closer still available,” Miller wrote. “Of the teams who A) look like contenders and B) could justify spending around $14M annually for a closer, the blatantly obvious candidate is the Texas Rangers.

“They’ve signed a bunch of budget bullpen arms, but they don’t have anything close to a sure thing at closer. It may well be their Achilles’ heel if they don’t address it before the season begins. The Cubs and Red Sox could also be in play, but they at least have ninth-inning options in place.”

While the Red Sox may not be the favorites to land the flamethrowing closer, they are certainly a team to look at in the race to bring the righty in.

Adding Estévez to replace Kenley Jansen as the team’s closer would be a step in the right direction for Boston. While Jansen was solid last year, the free agent righty is much younger than Boston’s former closer.

If the Red Sox want to compete in the American League East, they’ll need a dominant bullpen to do so.