Some notes from around the American League:
- The Red Sox don’t appear to have any intent to move Rafael Devers off third base in 2021, writes Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. The 24-year-old has been a strong hitter but garnered shaky defensive ratings. By measure of defensive runs saved, Devers has been below-average at the hot corner in each of his four MLB seasons. (Statcast’s outs above average was more bullish on his 2019 work but has pegged him as a negative in three of those years). Since the start of 2017, DRS estimates Devers has been 35 runs worse than the average defensive third baseman, a mark that handily dwarfs the rest of his positional peers for worst in the league. There could be some merit to playing prospect Bobby Dalbec at the hot corner and moving Devers across the diamond. Nevertheless, Cotillo notes that the plan seems to be for Devers to remain at third, with Dalbec the favorite for first base reps.
- The Blue Jays are generally viewed as one of two frontrunners in the race to sign George Springer (the Mets being the other). With that in mind, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith examines the outfielder’s free agent market. The general expectation entering the offseason had been that Springer would receive a five-year deal in the $100MM – $125MM range. (The MLBTR staff forecasted five years, $125MM). However, Nicholson-Smith feels Springer’s eventual price point may come in well north of those initial estimates. As he points out, Springer’s productivity with the Astros isn’t dissimilar from that of Anthony Rendon with the Nationals. Nearly two years older than Rendon was at this time last year, Springer won’t match the latter’s seven-year term. But Nicholson-Smith speculates that an average annual value approaching Rendon’s $35MM per year salary could be in play for Springer on a five-year contract.
- Should the Twins pursue a long-term extension with outfield prospect Alex Kirilloff? Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic makes the case for that, examining potential contract terms in a piece that figures to be of interest to Twins’ fans. Extensions for players who’ve yet to make their MLB debut are rare but not unheard of. For instance, the White Sox and Mariners pulled off deals last winter with Luis Robert and Evan White, respectively. Kirilloff played in one of Minneosta’s postseason games last year but still has zero MLB service time, having been added to the roster after the regular season concluded. The 23-year-old ranks as the Twins’ best prospect at Baseball America.
When Raffy plays third he sometimes looks terrific n occasionally he has a run of errors. I do think he will be more terrific than not in his future.
He is still young and definitely has time to improve. I don’t see Dalbec being a good defender at third so no reason to move him.
Dalbec has tremendous reviews on his arm and his defense.
For some reason I thought scouts had pegged Dalbec as a first base only type player, guess I was wrong.
Steve, you have no idea what you are talking about, Dalbec is a great defensive player! Get a clue.
Steve you should read the scouting reviews on Dalbec before commenting. Nearly all scouting services think he will be an excellent defensive third baseman.
Steve did read the scouting report. And he literally said the same thing as you. dalbec has rave reviews at third defensively!!!
Ok it was Casas I had read that about! I knew I had read that about some bosox prospect and I always get those two confused because Casas was drafted as a 3rd basemen. Glad I was just mistaken instead of crazy lol.
He looked good in what MiLB games saw him in previously. I’m sold on his defense moreso than his bat.
I do understand tho why Steve and others make these mistakes on articles, taking a single source and writing it up as if it’s factual, correct or not.
It’s nearly impossible to be up to date on thousands of kids floating around professional, HS and collegiate baseball and know everything about them. U think any of the writers, or even scouts knows about them all? Of course not.
Picking on the writers over these errors like this publicly is as annoying as the woke grammar police… In the immortal words of Alvin “blackie” Dark. I say to all those types.. Take a hike son, just take a bloody hike.
Wait, am I crazy or can a bunch of y’all not read?
Lol, they just got mixed up on who wrote what. Lol. You got it correct Steve
Ok my bad meant Mrtwotone and not Steve. Sorry Steve.
Biggs was horrible at first and worked his butt off to be a good 3rd baseman. I’m just not sure Raffy will work at it. in today’s game most work on their hitting more. Only reasons not to move him are a) he would be worse at first, b) you have someone in the minors you don’t want to block or after JDM, he’ll be moved to DH. The last choice is my guess.
Guess you haven’t seen Dalbec play third…
I came here to say the same thing. Can’t give up on him at 3B yet.
Devers is a dreadful defender and I think you will be disappointed if anyone expects a significant improvement.
2017 DRS -5 UZR -4.6
2018 DRS -14 UZR -4.5
2019 DRS -10 UZR 2.7
2020 DRS -6 UZR -5.6
He has never posted a single good defensive season after 4 seasons. We have a reasonably lengthy time period so that we can say we know who he is.
Devers will be the DH after JD leaves….
JD will be gone after 2022 for sure after his 5 year contract is complete, or if he rebounds and the Red Sox are not in contention at the trading deadline, then JD could be traded this July. (The acquiring team would be on the hook when he does not opt-out of the 2022 $19.35 million though).
Devers either starts as DH in 2022 or 2023 which is more likely. That means either this or next year would be his last at 3B. Casas is left handed and will take over at 1B late this year or could split time with Dalbec while Devers is still at 3B.
At times Raffy looks tremendous at third. I think he still has a lotta time to grow into a fantastic defender, maybe at first one day, but third is great for his growth.
is Dalbec at 3rd and Devers at 1st really a good bet to be better then the other way around when Dalbec is the only one of the two with tangible experience at 1st?
My point precisely!
I mean, if Dalbec has better reactions, more range, etc, then lack of experience shouldnt matter
Given Dalbec’s defensive ability, it would make more sense in the short term to play him at 3rd and move Devers to 1st. However, if the Red Sox do not see Dalbec as a major piece, then they shouldn’t shift a guy who is a key piece off their natural position if they think he can stick there.
I guess you’re kinda right there, given they did just move him so he could play in the same INF as Devers.
Also keep in mind Dalbec had a .394 babip and a 40% K rate. Fangraphs has him projected to be a below average offensive player. So he isn’t exactly a must start stud.
I can see the switch. Just take a look at his DRS and UZR’s. This guy has a career -35 DRS in four seasons which is the entirety of his career so far. He has never once NOT posted a negative DRS. I understand why the Red Sox are trying this.
Dalbec is a place holder for Triston Casas
Dalbec needs to prove he can hit consistently before Devers would ever be moved off 3B.
Dalbec is a big kid, as he matures he’s going to loose some natural flexibility, and so I don’t see him as an immediate option at 3b long term. If he cuts down on his k rate, he’s a scary bat at DH or 1st, or a decent trade piece if Casas becomes what they think he will.. Our entire infield defense is meh, Bogey is steady, with the range of an air rifle, we don’t even know who is playing second yet, 1B is likely a platoon as is 2b until proven otherwise.
I don’t worry so much about the offense, but up until last year, we could point to the OF as elite defensively, this next year is going to be interesting.
Hope Springer signs with Mets this week.
I think if anyone offers over the 5 year 125 Mil mark the Jays should be out on Springer. He is simply a “want” not a “need”. Turner for third(we have young guys soon to be ready with the team) and pitching is where the Jays need to spend this offseason. But as with Springer, anything over a 34 Mil AAV for Bauer is a hard pass also. I would hope the Jays would look to the trade market Gray for one should then become a priority.
On a 1 or 2 year contract, Bauer is worth well more than $34M/yr. On a long term contract, he’s worth far less than that.
You’re sounding like me on the want v. need regarding Springer. Unfortunately Bauer is a need, and the Jays should be prepared to pay $35’ish per year for 6 years and be happy the Jays are looking to win. Not against the Gray or Turner idea. They’d be good additions.
At 35 million a year the back half of that springer contract could be really painful to have considering his age and how most center fielders age.
Springer’s production is similar to Rendon’s, but was it achieved the same way? Look how badly the Twins got burned by Marwin Gonzalez’s contract when he couldn’t replicate his banging
During his clearly non-assisted seasons Springer’s average OPS+ was about 125. Still really good, but not the 140-150 range he achieved in 17-19.
So if you figures he’s probably really a 125ish guy who is going to decline from there due to age, do you really give him Rendon type money?.
Is Springer really worth that amount? He might have a good year this year then I think his career starts going down
I wouldn’t sign Kirilloff to a long term deal yet. He is a contact first corner OF/1B type. If he winds up like Freddie Freeman, then great, but he is far more likely to be James Loney which is not gunna bust bank in arbitration.
Hard to tell what Kirilloff will become as a major leaguer, but he’s been pretty impressive as a young player at each level.
so was Vlad 😐
Idk, Kiriloff has really good power grades on FanGraphs. He also put up some really good batted ball numbers in the minors.
i think his injury issues make a long term deal now risky
It’s simply a risk most clubs are willing to take. If they can get him locked up on a cheap deal and he does turn into a Freddie Freeman type, that can change a franchise. I would take a chance on the kid. He can rake!
No way Springer will, or should, get over $30 million a year, unless he wants 3 year deal.
Says you. But if that’s what he wants, all it takes is one team to make that happen. Now, we can debate the “should” vs the “will” – I agree with you that he should not get 35M AAV; however, you can’t say no way “will” he because again, all it takes is one team.
‘Love of the game’ does make a valid point that Rendon did not sign in this years’ pandemic economy. We’ll see what happens.
Please no Jays… no if it’s north of 25MM.
30MM on a 3 year term fine but paying premium dollars and premium term for an aging CF in a slow year spending wise just seems silly.
The news item bombs when comparing Springer to Rendon. Does Anthony not see the elephant in the room? Payrolls are going to be down broadly this year. Bidding wars are less likely – not impossible, but less likely. Rendon wouldn’t likely get $35 mill. in this offseason.
Toronto will have to overpay for a FA. See Mariners Robinson Cano deal. If money is equal, then FA will not choose Seattle or Toronto over LA or NY. Toronto will have to overpay to attract a frontline FA so you either want him or you don’t!
Players who are already good at defense but weak hitters often improve and vice versa. It’s rare for a player to come up and have every aspect at a top level. Also, hitting requires adjustments, fielding requires reps. Generalizing of course, but I think Devers can get better.
This is a nice problem to have if you’re the Red Sox.
$35M PER YEAR for springer? bruuuuuuh
The only reason I’m ok with sticking with Devers at 3rd is because of Cora coming back. Coras been tough on Raffy in the past, and I’m sure they’ll be working with him this offseason.
Don’t quite understand because Cora has certainly worked with him in the past as Red Sox manager, yet almost every post above this one pegs Devers as a pretty bad defensive player according to metrics…so what impact can you expect with Cora being manager and being “hard” on him…hasn’t worked in the past why would it in the future?
It worked quite well in 2019. Devers vastly improved his defense and was a monster at the plate. The key to Devers is his conditioning. Cora challenged him to get in better shape and he did just that in 2019. With Cora gone and the pandemic in full swing, Raffy came into the ‘second’ spring training woefully out of shape and it showed both at the plate and in the field. Cora is going to whip Devers back into shape this year and without the excess weight, he’ll move better at 3B. Also, a lot of Devers errors are on his throws. That can be corrected. He has plenty of arm strength but he tends to lose focus on his throws, especially routine ones. Cora will have a positive impact there for sure.
If Springer wants more than 4 years at $25 per the Mets should drop out of the running and sign JBJ & DJ instead , he can play 2b, Jimenez at SS and McNeil at 3b, when DJ needs a day off McNeil goes to 2b and Davis at 3b and Davis plays 3b when McNeil gets a day off. Hopefully the DH stays and can than alternate Alonzo and Smith at 1b and DH. Trade for Carrasco ( Rosario,Mauricio,Szapucki and Matz) and sign Odorizzi. A rotation of deGrom, Carrasco,Stroman,Odorizzi and Peterson will be fine till Syndergaard comes back.
It’s really all up to Dalbec! If he can make himself a star and cut way down on the strikeouts, then he can take over third. Then Devers plays first and then is traded when Casas is ready. If Dalbec stays so so, then he’s just a placeholder until Casas is ready. And Casas is a first only option so Devers remains at third.
That’s a lot of ifs.
Devers won’t get traded once Casas is ready. He’ll slide right into the DH role and play 40-50 games in the IF as well. Devers is not going anywhere; they love him in Boston.
As a Jays fan I’d be ok with Springer at 4/$120M and Bauer at 6/$180M.
Good as a Mets fan I wouldn’t do either for those amounts, both players would be stupid because of the taxes they would have to pay In Canada. As a Mets fan I would offer Springer 4/$100 and Bauer 4/$120 lol.
jvent, Foreign Pro athletes playing for a Canadian team are taxed on the games played in Canada so 81 games and the federal tax rate between Canada and the US is very similar 37% in Canada and 33 % in the US for Athletes making above 300K , An athlete playing for a NY team is also paying state taxes plus the City of New York has a professional athlete tax
Then you apparently would not get Springer.
Taxes are cheaper in Toronto than they are in LA.
Actually they should move “X” to 3B and Devers to 1B. X is OK at SS (nothing more), but would be superb at 3B. Devers, no matter how you cut it, is a catastrophe at 3B.
Kirllihof? Sign a young guy to a long term deal, and what exactly does he have to play for? And are you ready to project he’s going to be a top-10 performer? Sure, the guy LOOKS good…LOOKS ain’t achievin’….Let him get his feet wet, see how pitchers adjust to him, and IF (many cannot) adjust to pitchers. And yes, you’ll probably save some money in 2025….let 2025 worry about 2025.
Blue Jays? They’re “in on” Ty Cobb.
What does he have to play for? He has to play for his next contract which will be the biggest one of his life. If Minnesota locks up Kiriloff to a “long term” contract, we are only talking 4-5 years, with a 6th year option (maybe). That puts him at age 28-29 when he’ll hit free agency. If they believe he is the real deal then they should lock him up much like the White Sox did with Eloy. It gives them cost certainty on a player through his potentially high playing Arb years (years 4-5) and it gives Kiriloff guaranteed ‘big money’ for the first five years of his MLB career, even if he could potentially make more going year to year. One major injury and he’ll wish he’d signed a LT contract (if MN is willing to offer him one).
And if he has a huge year in year #5, he’ll get the same big deal as a Free Agent. And we’ll hear the same usual bushwah….”I’m finally healthy”!!!!
Long Term deal are justifiable in the RAREST of instances. I don’t know the guy, and make no aspirations about his psychology. But let’s be realistic. A young man in his position is going to make A LOT of money no matter what happens (unless he’s a total wash out, which is definitely possible). And you pay for production, not promise.
Rendon is far superior than Springer
“Far” superior? I don’t know about that.
I don’t think teams should sign players to long-term extensions until they see the player play a bit at the MLB level. The Astros locked up John Singleton early and he was a huge bust. Scott Kingery hasn’t lived up to any of his hype. Granted it is too early on Robert or White as they haven’t played a full season yet i think guaranteed money too soon takes away some of the players motivation
35m AAV seems like a lot in this market. Although I’ve been saying the high end talent guys haven’t and likely won’t feel the pinch quite the same way as average players. Bullpen pitchers will really feel the pinch(see Brad Hand)
The Phillies extended Scott Kingery before his MLB debut and appear to regret that decision
Phils rolled the dice there and so far have come up empty. The first $1M buyout won’t be available to them until after the 2023 season.
Rafael Devers is literally the worst defensive 3rd baseman in all of baseball. Go compare his drills, his feet work, and his mentality at fielding to that of guys like Arenado and Matt Chapman and you’ll see why he is soo bad lol. I honestly cannot remember anyone in the major leagues who has posted such negative defensive ratings and all of a sudden completely turned it around. The guy has been in the league at 3rd for 4 seasons now and his numbers have only gotten worse since his debut. Marcus Semien is the only guy in recent memory who improved his fielding drastically but not once did he ever produce negative defensive ratings until this 60 gm season. Fielding defense and throwing is just not something you all of sudden learn in the Majors, by that time you either got it or you don’t. Fielding is something you build on in the minors coming up, not something you completely overhaul in the Majors, which is what Devers needs.
Not that you are wrong but plenty of guys learn defensive positions in the majors. Betts learned the OF at the major league level. Some others that come to mind, ARod learning 3rd, Cabrera moving to 1st, Biggio going to 2B, CF, etc.
Thank you ANTHONY FRANCO for stating the most overlooked aspect of the Red Sox. Worst 3B in their history. Worst 3B at his position for four years running. No backhand, inability to charge balls and bare hand them then throw to 1B, no ability to judge when to cut in front of Bogey to make a play, no ability to run left and throw to second or first, no ability to field pop-ups, plays too deep to make up for slow reaction time and an arm like Steve Sax! Yes, one throw on the money and the next one in the stands. 3 years too late on a move that won’t happen. Perfect example of what’s wrong with the Red Sox organization.
Mookie Betts could play 2B when he got moved and continued to have above average defensive skills in the OF. Biggio was a solid catcher who saved his knees by moving to 2B where again his above average defensive skills translated to 2B. AROD should have forced Jeter to 2B since Jeter was barely league average as a SS but AROD was able to move because he had the necessary skills to play 3B. Lastly, Miggy was an ok 3B who needed to move to 1B to save him from potential injury and ensure more games played. The exact same reasons could be added to Devers’ need to move but the biggest reason is he stinks at playing 3B. He stunk as a minor league player, he stunk as a major league player and he probably stunk in High School and Little League but his bat got him whatever he wanted just like in Boston. Not a good enough reason for me to force the pitching staff to deal with two dozen errors a year!
LaFlamaBlanca and Anthony Franco hit the nail on the head. The right move is to put him at 1B or DH. Think about the volume of balls hit to 3B and the fielding percentage of .928. We’d be better off playing him in CF where there are less balls hit there and if he can maintain a pathetic .928 in CF we’d still be better off than him playing 3B!! Eight full seasons in the minors and majors and the guy still can’t field. He’s not young with respect to games played at 3B so the old theory of giving him time is long past. He’s proven he can’t play the position more conclusively than anyone in Red Sox history at 3B!!!
Thanks for writing an article that points out what’s wrong with the Red Sox front office. It’s thinking like this that brings back a manager that cheats multiple times, it’s thinking like this that keeps our franchise superstar from staying in Boston to win us a World Series or two, it’s thinking like this that sends $16M a year to LA to watch David Price pitch for the Dodgers. The Red Sox have fallen off the cliff when it comes to sound decision making. It started with the firing of DD and has gone downhill ever since.
Devers’ fans can pray for the miracle of him finding defensive skills but that’s not how to run a team unless you want early draft picks like they have in 2021 thanks to their lapse in decision making. 20 years of doing mostly smart moves has built up fan support for a team in disarray. Give it a year or two and the bandwagon will be empty. Boston can’t handle miserable ownership, a front office that can’t get big names to play there and a manager who has all the integrity of your local pick pocket. It will take time for the boat to stabilize and not sink but for those of us former loyal fans, it’s time to move on to other teams until the team regains it’s perspective of how to win without cheating. Also, until the hiring practice reverts back to hiring the most qualified people not the most politically correct people early draft picks will be a way of life!! After more than 60 years of supporting the Red Sox, I am completely embarrassed to state that I’m a Red Sox fan. We either need new ownership or simply a fundamental change in the overall integrity of the organization including hiring practices, day to day operational control and public relations. Hiring a black female coach is a great thing but it’s coming after they gave away the two most prominent black players on the team. Does that really make up for the bad behavior toward Mookie that incented him to leave or the disrespect they showed David Price? Watch, the marketing department will focus on the diversity being shown but we all know better. Mookie is in LA for a reason that has nothing to do with money.
@LaFlamma – He improved considerably in 2019 when he happened to be in the best shape of his playing career. He had a positive UZR in 2019 for the first time in his career. So he has proven he can improve, but he needs to stay in shape and work on his defense (especially his throws). Having Cora back will help him a lot.
Dorothy – Head back to Kansas with that logic. As any mathematician will tell you, if you take a small enough segment of a line you can make it say anything. For every improvement you can find in the history of Devers’ fielding you can find 3 opposite segments that exceed anyone in history. He’s simply proven to be that bad.
If he made a great improvement in 2019 how did he forget it in 2020? That makes NO SENSE. He did the same thing in 2016 and 2017 and yet that led to no future improvement. In fact, every three years his fielding percentage drops to around 90% which normally gets you sent down. He sucked since he started playing professional baseball in the minors and his fielding percentage is actually higher in the MINORS!!!! Yes, the trend line may go up for a few games but the overall trend line is CONSISTENTLY DOWNWARD!!!
Having Cora back might improve his cheating skills but not his fielding skills. Cora sucked as a fielder when he played or should I say when he came off the bench to get into games. Cora is good for one thing, babying young adults who are being paid in excess of a half million a year and can’t cut it on their own. Devers needs to grow up and stand on his own two feet and do what’s best for the team, move to 1B. Can you imagine how much the pitchers must hate the guy. Two dozen errors a year which nearly exceeds the rest of the team!!
Dorothy, you are spinning a web of lies if you think Devers can field. Are you friends with Cora or a social media influencer with the Red Sox? The facts are so irrefutable that to take your stance is absurd from a baseball perspective. So why try to deceive people into thinking there is hope for this proven butcher? Don’t you want what’s best for the Red Sox? If not, maybe you are friends with the owners!! They certainly don’t seem to care anymore.
Condolences to the team that falls for Springer’s banana in the tailpipe numbers.
George Springer is a tremendous ball player and I personally think anyone who ends up signing him is going to be very happy with his production.
As the article says, Springer is a little undervalued at 25 million est. per season. The guy has corner outfield power, plays well above average defense in center field, and beats the brains out of the ball in the post season. He also does not strike out too terrible much when you look at his power.
Apparently Dalbec can throw 95 mph per Alex Cora…
Could the convicted cheater be a liar too? Would that be such a stretch? hahaha Trusting anything Cora says is a fools mistake.
He did in college as a 2 way player anyways. Not sure if he still has that velocity but he certainly has a big arm and threw 95 off the mound in college.
Does Devers go to his left better than his right? If that is the case (and I think it is so), would you want to move Devers to first base?
As for moving him to DH, is he the type of player (personality?/psychology?) to accept being removed as a full-time player?
I keep having the feeling he’s going to be a trade chip in the not distant future.
I’ve seen him make a lot of backhanded plays on the line, I think he can go either direction fine. I think a good number of his errors come on throws, usually from poor footwork. He should be fine at first, average or above average is even possible. Devers bat plays every day, I don’t think anyone is suggesting him losing any playing time.
Sorry ffrhb14Sox but I think your data is a bit misleading. Devers is a butcher at the backhand. The errors don’t show up in the books because he plays so deep since he’s got a slow reaction time and if the ball hits the heal of his glove on a backhand the scorekeeper is instructed to give the hitter a hit so his numbers don’t look so bad. OK, I have no proof they actually are told to do it but listening to ECK and REMY you can tell the politics of errors. ECK says he should have had it and REMY gives him the company line of that’s probably a hit then the score keeper gives the batter a hit and an error is overlooked and never to be accounted for during home games. So the 24 annual errors by Devers probably would be 36 if all the errors would be accounted for accurately.
I think attoc has a very valid point about him not being a good prospect for 1B.. He’s not good at short hops so he might not be able to scoop. Unless he plays near the second baseman there isn’t enough room for his range to his glove side to mean much. So maybe they should convert him to OF but we’ve all seen what a butcher he is on pop=ups so he truly does have the fielding skills of a DH!!
JD needs to find a new home on the south side of Chicago and the Red Sox need a couple of young live arms. That lets Devers move to DH and the Red Sox can use the extra money on more pitching. Moving JD to a team needing a DH with championship experience like the White Sox makes lots of sense. Even if we don’t get a big return, the money allows our big spender Bloom to get 5 more questionable players that might be good several years from now.
Devers can hit, he can’t field. We should make shirts that say that so people will stop obscuring the obvious with 20 game trends where he doesn’t make an error as evidence he can field or REMY stating how great his plays are when he does finally catch one and successfully throw it somewhere for an out. Devers can hit. Maybe leave it at that so there is no negative. Maybe something simple like a t-shirts that say DEVERS = Designated Hitter PLEASE.
Dalbec. 37hrs. Pencil it in
And 220 K’s unfortunately.
You think Devers will field in the future and Dalbec won’t reduce his Ks as he adjusts to MLB pitching? You can’t be serious. Devers had 8 years to improve and Dalbec is a power hitter whose Ks will adjust downward as he gets comfortable with the better pitching. FYI… check the number of guys in the HOF who struck out a lot and homered a lot. It’s almost a prototype for corner infielders.
I can’t tell if you are a Yankee fan trolling the site or someone who has no clue about baseball? RickED is right. He’s got monster power potential and yes it may come with some Ks but who cares if his average and on base percentage are where they need to be. He’ll drive in runs in the middle of the order and walk a lot if pitchers start to fear him. He’s got a heck of a lot more upside at hitting than Devers does at fielding.
Lol, hopefully he cuts down on his SO’S.
Devers glove doesn’t seem as bad as those numbers.. At least not from what Im watching. I know he’s not a great defender andI believe a LOT of his errors come on throws. I don’t have any numbers to say exactly how many, but. he’ll make a great grab, then chuck it into the 3rd row. Seen that happen several times.
My guess is Casas will play 1b by 2022,,,IF he’s ready. then Shift Dalbec back to 3b, his natural position. He’s got a great glove and strong arm. That should improve the all around D.
2022 could see some sharing of DH/1b/3b until JD leaves or a trade is made.. When all is said and done, I do see Devers taking over as the main DH guy when JDM leaves with Dalbec @3b and Casas @1b