The Boston Red Sox appear to have been asleep at the wheel throughout the majority of the free agent signing period. An agreement with former Dodgers 3rd baseman Justin Turner does not mean they have awakened.

While they have also signed reliever Kenley Jansen and added Japanese import outfielder Masataka Yoshida, they let superstar Xander Bogaerts get away when he signed an 11-year, $280 million deal with the San Diego Padres.

The Bogaerts loss has many Red Sox followers seeing red. Coming to an agreement with Turner is not about to turn those negative feelings around.

Turner looks like the new DH

Turner and the Red Sox are in agreement on a two-year contract worth nearly $22 million, according to MLB insider Jeff Passan. Turner will be able to opt out of the deal after the 2023 season, if he chooses.

The deal comes a day after former Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez signed a 1-year, $10 million contract to play for the Dodgers. So, if the Red Sox have signed Turner to fill the DH role, it's a deal that at least makes sense.

The 38-year-old was limited to 128 games last year as the aging process is having an impact on his ability to stay in the lineup. He would appear to be a solid designated hitter for the Red Sox.

Turner slashed .278/.350/.438 with 13 home runs and 81 RBIs last year. He has a slash line of .270/.370/.460 with 13 home runs in 86 career postseason games.

But it must still make Red Sox fans uneasy, given the state of the team. All-Star 3rd baseman Rafael Devers is entering the final year of his contract, and there are no guarantees that they will be able to sign him to a new deal before he becomes a free agent next year.

Not only did the Red Sox let Bogaerts get away, they traded Mookie Betts prior to the 2020 season. Betts is arguably one of the top 5 players in the sport, while Bogaerts is easily one of the best shortstops in baseball.

Devers remains unsigned

The Red Sox and team president Chaim Bloom say they would like to make sure Devers remains with the team by getting his signature on a new deal, but is that really the truth? If they couldn't see themselves keeping Betts and they let Bogaerts get away, why would things be any different with Devers?

Both Betts and Bogaerts were still in their prime when they left Boston, and Devers is entering what should be his best years at the age of 26.

No team lets their best players get away like the Red Sox, and until they prove differently, it seems unlikely that the power-hitting 3rd baseman who is a threat for extra bases every time he is up to bat is any different than his predecessors.

So, signing a 35-year-old reliever in Jansen and bringing in Justin Turner are not deals that will turn this team around.

Remember, the Red Sox finished last in the American League East last year, and they still have major holes to fill in the outfield, at 1st base and on the mound. Teams like the Yankees, Blue Jays, Rays and Orioles don't have to worry about the Red Sox at this point.

This is a team that has won 4 World Series titles since 2004. No other team in baseball can make that claim. The mighty have indeed fallen.