The Red Sox and impending free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer look like an “ideal” match as the offseason draws closer, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe opines. The 28-year-old Hosmer is coming off a career season (.318/.385/.498 in 671 plate appearances) and may price himself off the Royals in the coming weeks. On paper, he’d easily upgrade a dreary-looking first base situation in Boston. Red Sox first basemen combined to hit a mediocre .248/.326/.430 in 2017, and the club will enter the winter without an obvious solution at the position.
More from Cafardo:
- Former Boston general manager Ben Cherington has emerged as a potential GM candidate for the Braves, according to Cafardo. Cherington, who has been Toronto’s vice president of baseball operations since September 2016, was atop Boston’s baseball operations from October 2011 until the team hired Dave Dombrowski in August 2015. The Red Sox won a World Series during the Cherington era (in 2013), though that stretch also included multiple sub-.500 seasons and a few questionable big-money signings (Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and Rusney Castillo, to be specific).
- The Rockies are still deciding whether to give impending free agent outfielder Carlos Gonzalez a qualifying offer, per Cafardo. It’s difficult to imagine the Rockies taking a $17.4MM chance on Gonzalez, though, considering he’s fresh off the worst year of his career. Despite playing his home games at Coors Field, the 32-year-old Gonzalez hit just .262/.339/.423 with unspectacular power numbers (14 home runs, .162 ISO) across 534 trips to the plate. As has typically been the case, the lefty-swinger struggled against same-handed pitchers and away from Colorado.
- There’s a “feeling” that Pirates third base coach Joey Cora could become the Red Sox’s bench coach, Cafardo writes. The 52-year-old is the brother of Boston’s new manager, Alex Cora, 42. The elder Cora has only been on the Pirates’ big league staff for a year, but he brings significant major league coaching experience – including as Miami’s bench coach in 2012.
Anyone remember that one time Cafardo wrote something that wasn’t completely pulled out of his ass and had some merit? Nor do I.
agreed! Carfardo is a clown.
Hosmer does seem like a player that DD would drop a bundle of cash in his lap.
Why is that? He really looks more of an all around skill player without being spectacular at any one, and that is not what DD has paid for in the past. Santana is more his fit.
Adrian Gonzalez 2….
Better off resigning your Moreland….better metric all around.
I couldn’t agree more
I don’t really pay much attention to his articles because he usually writes about teams I don’t follow. What’s the story with him? Does he make stuff up? Any examples?
Oh please not Cherington. We already had Frank Wren and his terrible contract signings.
Cherington is great at building a farm system, and tbf, no one really expected Hanley and Pablo to go down hill so quickly. I think hes a fairly solid GM.
People seemed pretty optimistic about Sandoval. However, Hanley was signed (and he and Cherington said as much) to play left field originally, which I’m pretty sure left everyone scratching their head and feeling like Cherington just signed him because he knew him.
I mean, at the time, Hanley was a SS, a bad one, but a middle fielder nonetheless. Thinking he could potentially play LF until Papi retires wasn’t completely negligent. It just didn’t work, shrug. Defining the guy who build a large portion of their current contender by one signing that really isn’t awful at the end of the day is kinda unfair.
Who? The Sox fans I talk with and listen to on the radio were all pessimistic about the Sandoval signing, especially at the same time as Ramirez. Worst signing ever.
Plan was for Ramirez to only play LF for a year then ortiz retire, then he’d take over as the DH. Nothing showed his bat was slowing down, unlike hacker Sandoval, who had his best year 3y before becoming a FA and was putting up pedestrian numbers since and an OBP .320-.340 with a below average glove.. His WS games got that contract, nothing more.
One of those all hype, no action FA deals, just like BJ Upton and Heyward. GM’s and fans have those guys for some reason. i love to laugh at them both, only boston got stuck with this one.
It was obvious those two signings would fail the day they were made.
How can the Braves hire anyone as GM when no one knows who will be in the rest of the FO, including who his bosses will be? Asinine to speculate, but after all, it’s Cafardo……
So fresh off of firing their GM for violations of MLB’s international signing rules, the Braves are looking at hiring the GM who was responsible for the last group of signings that violated IFA rules?
That was Dombroski, not Cherington with international signing issues.
Except – it was Cherington. The issues that resulted in violations occurred during the 2014-2015 signing period when Cherington was Boston’s GM.
Actually it was during the 2015-2016 signing period and Cherington left before MLB began their investigation. The infractions occurred under his watch, however. There’s no indication he was disciplined. It is an odd message to send to MLB, however. You’d think they’d want someone squeaky clean.
My thoughts exactly. Not a good look. May as well offer Bowden the job then
If the Rockies don’t extend a QO to Gonzalez, the O’s should try to sign him (if he isn’t too expensive). Him and Hays/Rickard could platoon in RF and it would give the O’s a left handed bat they desperately need and want.
The only way Boston signs him is if they trade Price, or Porcello
For 6-7 million for one year I wouldn’t be opposed to that.
Out of Hanley, Pablo, and Rusney, Hanley has been the best, simply because of his fantastic 2016, and that’s about it.
Hosmer going to be too expensive for the Sox who are up against the lux tax. I see Carlos Santana as a better fit.
Yep!!Santana!!!!
If the Luxury tax is an issue, then it won’t be Santana. I expect him to get more than Hosmer.
Hosmer will at least double what Santana gets this offseason.
Santana would be worth any dollars and give better offensive and defensive numbers. Would be a great fit, but Cleveland would be crazy to let him leave….great fit in the lineup.
Hosmer will kill you on a long term contract for 5 years, 3-4 years from now with his metrics.
I agree fully …rocky7
Hosmer is basically an Average Ballplayer that has been hyped into some star caliber 1B. I just don’t see it. Some GM is gonna get fleeced…..
I guess they lowered “The Standard” enough to make him look that good…???
The Red Sox have reset the penalties by going under last year they could easily go over this year without an issue.
I don’t think they should go after Hosmer though.
I agree man. Reasons above.
While that’s true, the Red Sox may plan on going over with a big signing or two in the 2018-2019 period and might not want the penalties of going over the tax in back to back years. They are about in arbitration years on Bogaerts, Betts, Bradley, and a bunch of other players.
You are right, Hosmer sucks, the Red Sox need Stanton and Votto end of story
The Red Sox and hosmer are peefect matches because they consistently overpay for players and hosmer is destined to be overpaid. That’s the only connection I see. They need power, and that’s something he doesn’t bring to the table
As a Yankees fan, if the RedSox want to sign Eric Hosmer for Scott Boras money…..go to it. Hosmer is a perfectly fine player (in odd numbered seasons) but he’s not worth that kind of an economic commitment.
7y deal is my thinking of what boras will target and how many of those come close to looking half way ok in the end? The Adrian gonzalez one maybe? Tex’s was close and that’s about it. I can’t think of any other besides tex’s boras had that were anything short of ugly. Think Choo and Ellsbury in particular.
as a Yankees fan, I try not to think of Ellsbury. He actually reminds me of Hosmer–solid player, not worth superstar money. FWIW, I didn’t think either Ellsbury or Choo would so quickly descend to being just being ok.
Sox already have Hosmer-like bats. No thanks, focus should be on fixing the power outage. DD will be dealing.
I think dumbo will try to trade for Stanton
Stanton would be great addition for Sox but not at any cost.
Cafardo will write anything to try to push himself into the elite MLB writer conversation. Week in and week out, his column is WWE-style fantasy booking at its finest.
Exactly. Why does MLBTR continue to tout Cafardo, when there are so many other writers who actually have sources and insight?
Oh Nick……..
Hosmer and either J. D. Marteniz or Stanton would make a great 3-4 combination for the Cardinals. That’s what it would take to make them a World Series contenders.
Funny how everyone forgets to mention all those years Joey Cora was bench coach, 2007-2011, for the Chicago White Sox.
Perfect fit. The 1B Skill Set article yesterday said he sprays the ball more and that will work well in Fenway. Homerun numbers could very well increase too with his new home park and the other hitter friendly AL East parks
I prefer Santana 2-3 years at 15-18m!! Hosmer will cost arond 25/ for 5 or 7 years!trade Bradley for a good pitcher and then Nunéz in case ( peddy)! Sing freed agent Jd Martinez ( he will not cost a draft pick)
Good time to trade Porcello while he still has value
If Cherrington becomes GM. Look for Braves to sign Darvish and go after Otani. Dream staff of Otani Darvish Gohara Teheran Newcombe Folty could be closer. Same as Smoltz was.
Hosmer’s represented by Boras, so the Red Sox would have to overpay to sign him. I’d rather trade Jackie & Chavis to Atlanta for Freddie Freeman. Then dump Hanley like they did with Sandoval & sign J.D. Martinez.
2018 Lineup
Benintendi CF
Pedroia 2B
Betts RF
Freeman 1B
Martinez DH
Bogaets SS
Devers 3B
Castillo LF
Vazquez C
Castillo LF?? Please!! Trade Bradley and 2 or 3 more for Ozuna!! Sing Santana for first! Hanley dh for 2018!! after that bye bye Hanley ! You want to pay big money for JD Martinez for dh?
Bogarts-Peddy-Betts-Santana-Ozuna-Benitendi-Hanley(dh)-Devers -de Leon or Vasquez!! Thats my lineup 2018