The Red Sox have released INF Eduardo Nunez, Chris Cotillo of masslive.com was among those to report. Nunez was designated for assignment Monday after a dreadful (.228/.243/.305, 36 wRC+) start to the 2019 campaign, and is now eligible to sign with any team for the pro-rated league minimum.
Long a productive utility player, if defensive liability, over the course of his ten-year MLB career thus far, Nunez’s recent output, on the heels of a -0.3 fWAR 2018 campaign, may relegate him to minor-league duty if he’s to latch on with another club this season. The longtime Yankee posted three consecutive 100 wRC+ or better seasons from 2015-17, but the current campaign marked the fourth season in which he’s checked in beneath the replacement-level fWAR baseline.
Nunez’s ineffectiveness, coupled with Dustin Pedroia’s injury issues, spawned an unlikely Brock Holt/Michael Chavis platoon at the keystone, the latter of whom – a converted corner infielder – shouldered the bulk of the early-season load. It’s been a mostly productive mix thus far, with each player posting above-league-average offensive totals through yesterday’s games; Chavis, for his part, has acquitted himself well defensively in his first professional crack at the position.
Noon time! Best of luck Nuney!
He should find a job somewhere but if not, he’ll be great to stash at AAA where he can play every day and see if he has anything left. He seemed to enjoy Boston as evidenced by his exit statement and if he has to go to the minors, my guess is he’ll go to Pawtucket with an out agreement should his agent find him an ML job.
He has been released from the organization. He’s not going to Pawtucket
Unless it’s a vacation.
He’s going to be picked up by the Mets. Why?
They love free players.
They love inadequately defensive players. He can replace Cano in August when Robbie has rented a house in the Hamptons.
Many players rejoin the organization that released them when no better offers are received.
i would rather see him over Sean Rodriguez. then again, Id only think a prorated portion of $1 mil would be worth it.
$1M??? … he is being paid $5M by the RS this season… any team that signs him is only responsible for a prorated portion of the league minimum.
Obviously the poor guy is a Phillies fan. It isn’t exactly rocket science that when a team finally releases a player that another club who signs him only had to pay the prorated amount of the league minimum.
It’s seems like The million dollar commenter was unaware. Relax
I hope to see him back in a Giants uniform
I wouldn’t object too much. As long as Longoria is out.
Could never play defense and now cant hit either ? Pass. Solano has been hot and can barely buy a start as is.
Is four years a long time?
I noticed that, too.
A team in need will not look at fWAR. His knee medically is the main issue. His big pinch hit HR against the Dodgers is more influential than saber stats.
Apparently not.
???
“longtime Yankee” is a bit of a stretch. He was only really with them for 2 full years and had 2 years mostly as a minor leaguer. Journeyman might be more appropriate at this point.
LOL as you are right. Because I live in the NYC metro area though, I do consider him having Yankee roots.
He lost his roster spot to Yangervis Solarte. Who up until that point had been a career minor leaguer the Yankees picked up as a minor league free agent. I wonder if the Yankees would have been better holding onto Nunez even though the majority of Yankee fans wanted him gone. Solarte was shipped out for Headley a couple of months later. Headley had me pulling my hair out way more than Nunez ever did.
Headley will always hold a special place in my heart…for helping the Yankees get rid of Bryan Mitchell.
C’mon Tigers. He’d probably hit 5th in this dreadful lineup.
I like Nunez but his base running mistakes and lack of discipline at the plate caught up to him. He is talented enough to get his ducks in a row. Red Sox are clearing the way to activate people and maybe call up someone from the minors. I wouldn’t mind seeing Dalbec get a shot. We will know a lot about how this season will turn out after they play 14 games in 13 days against the Rays and Yankees.
Where does Dalbec play. Not this year or at least not until September. Pitching is keeping the team down.
LMAO they released Nunez because of his poor performance this season, but the previous two seasons he was their great utility player.
The based on performance this season other then Devers and Bogaerts, the rest of the team hasn’t been performing with any consistency.
Bring him back to the Giants AAA team…he loved SF….maybe he could be a decent backup in the event of an injury
Bobby Evans, is that you ?
The first sentence of the second paragraph is a mess.
Meh, good luck to you Nunez…$17 million in the bank and a beautiful wife and kid, that’s pretty good money for a career 1.7 war player
-1.3 WAR. Had to do it. I wonder where he goes from here. Perhaps wait until there’s an injury and sign with that team. He’s still in his “prime” years so someone might take a chance on him.
Thanks Nunez for the solid performance (at first) and helping win a WS title. I hope he can rebound somewhere else.