The Red Sox are reinstating trade deadline acquisition Kyle Schwarber from the injured list, manager Alex Cora announced to reporters Friday (Twitter link via MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo). In order to clear roster space for Schwarber, who’s making his team debut tonight, Boston has designated infielder/outfielder Marwin Gonzalez for assignment.
Gonzalez, 32, found a rather frigid market for his services in free agency this past offseason, lingering on the market until inking a one-year, $3MM deal in Boston on the heels of a poor 2020 showing in Minnesota. The versatile switch-hitter posted just a .211/.286/.320 slash in 199 plate appearances with the Twins last year and hasn’t been able to improve upon that in 2021, batting just .201/.282/.285 in a larger sample of 271 trips to the plate.
Gonzalez has, at times, been an average or better offensive contributor, but his lone standout season at the plate came during the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in 2017. Gonzalez posted a massive .303/.377/.530 batting line with a career-high 23 home runs in 515 plate appearances. He’s hit just .240/.310/.376 in nearly 1500 plate appearances since that season.
Defensively, Gonzalez has played solidly around the diamond in Boston, where he’s logged time at all four infield positions and both corner outfield slots. Gonzalez has more than 1000 career innings played at all four infield positions and in left field (plus another 402 in right field).
Given that he’s still owed about $839K of this year’s $3MM base salary and has produced a lowly .206/.284/.300 batting line in his past 470 MLB plate appearances, Gonzalez is a lock to go unclaimed on waivers. He’ll become a free agent at that point and be able to sign with any team for the prorated league minimum. Any pay he receives from another club would be deducted from the remainder of the salary still owed to him by the Red Sox.
Schwarber is now in line to make his team debut. The slugger rode an absurd month of June to a .253/.340/.570 line over 303 plate appearances with the Nationals. He suffered a significant hamstring strain in early July and landed on the injured list. Washington fell out of contention not long thereafter and traded away a huge swath of players before the deadline — including Schwarber, who’s an impending free agent. Now that he has returned to health, Schwarber figures to get plenty of run at first base, a position he’s never played in the major leagues, with Boston.
BlooBengal
So is he going to play 1st base or nah?
rhswanzey
They are still going to work him out there, but Cora spoke before yesterday’s game as if he was going to see some DH time with JD in left and (probably) Verdugo getting time in center.
bobtillman
Wonderful. Now not only can you roll the ball through the Sox infield, all Texas League popups will increase your OPS. Sale might go back to Worchester.
thatsright
Yeah good thing they can put up 20 runs on offense.
blueblood1217
Worcester
Monkey’s Uncle
Martinez in left will help take the focus off of Schwarber at first, fans can use the time between innings to debate which is worse in the field.
Brody McBroseph
They will shoot some videos of him playing and see what the sabermetrics and algorithms say about his range and footwork.
bobtillman
Thank God the Orioles are in town…but they’ve lost so many in a row, the odds make them a serious threat. Could be an ugly weekend.
JoeBrady
Could be an ugly weekend.
==========================
Perhaps you’re one of those people that hates weekends?
Mlb1971
Joe Brady – Bob just enjoys bad mouthing the Red Sox
downsr30
Crazy how much Marwin fell off after the cheating scandal in Houston. A what-should-have-been fringe MLB player made millions and took a spot and money from someone else all because of a trash can.
jjd002
Try again – he hit better on the road in 2017.
tribepride17
Yeah, I’m sure they cheated on the road too.
Deleted User
Sign stealing has, is, and always will be a part of the game. Change my mind.
syndergaardshair
Sign stealing is one thing, using cameras and banging on trash cans is a whole other thing
coupofthecentury
prove that they did cheat in the road. change my mind.
william-2
It has been, and will be, but when caught the punishment should be severe. There is a difference between a 2nd base runner trying to tip location or try to guess pitches, and what we have seen from some teams in my lifetime. Having people staffing the relaying of signs to hitters using technology is out of hand. Knowing what is coming is an unbelievable advantage. You can take a .200 hitter and make him league average, or better. Give a premiere hitter the pitches and they can bury another team. Now do that over and over in a game. I was so sick and tired of living in New York and watching every opposing catcher look like they were landing an airplane at JFK with no one on, let alone a man on because everyone knew the Yankees relayed pitches. Jason Varitek looked like he was signing the Magna Carta every pitch, and no one in the MLB office took two seconds to want to find out why.
bhambrave
Cheating is always wrong. Change my mind.
Murphy NFLD
Ive changed my mind about you changing my mind, so change my mind
IronBallsMcGinty
People like to say all teams cheat and that it’s always been part of the game. That may even be true. However, it’s not a reason to keep doing it. Nothing wrong with trying to clean things up.
johnsilver
“””” but when caught the punishment should be severe”””
Kind of used to be. Sure, sign stealing by runners has gone on as long as they have been used, then when caught by the opponent players, generally a nice warning was issued that it was known what they were doing, the tipoffs given and to stop.. Or else.. Or else was laying flat on your back at the batter’s box of course a few times.
That teaching lesson has been removed for years now unfortunately. it was good for policing the game within itself. That is before big crybabies.. Players and fans wouldn’t stop whining about how dangerous it was. Players wear helmets with guys having half their face covered, yet ppl still cry.
Add back the tight one and the game will clean itself up on a lot of issues.
Mystery Team
@Murphy I’ve changed my mind about changing my mind about you changing your mind regarding me changing my mind, change my mind.
PutPeteinthehall
Syndergaard, You forgot to mention the under jersey buzzer…..
Yankee Clipper
Yeah, it’s amazing how willing Altuve was to “disrespect “ the jersey in his walk off home run this year… ya know, the excuse he made for telling his teammates not to take his shirt off (because the buzzer under it); which was of course after they got caught banging the trash can 4,392 x per game.
MLBTR should take a poll on the next type of cheating scandal Cora will be unwittingly a part of.
Get Off My Mound
Try again – to assume they didn’t cheat on the road is ignorant.
jjd002
So it is ok to assume it happened on the road, but ignorant to assume other teams did it?
njbirdsfan
This sums up the perfect state of affairs currently in this country…when it’s your team or group, there’s no shortage of excuses why it’s ok for you to cheat or take something you’d deny to others.
raft
You are assuming others didn’t cheat.
jjd002
Never said it was ok
Speak da Truth
You hit the nail right on the head. When it’s your group doing the cheating it’s okay, even if you got help from Chinä to win. We will all be speaking Chinesë soon if people don’t wake up.
prf999
Actually, the trash can “study” indicated that Marwin benefitted the most from the trash cans…..yes someone studied their cheating and figured out how well the cheaters did.
jjd002
So if he’s the one who benefited the most, who had a lower OPS at home – how much did it actually help Houston?
roguesaw
World Series?
Yankee Clipper
Walk off against Chapman from an intense buzzer strike to Altuve’s T-Rex arms, when anyone else would understandably expect a 102MPH fastball.
BuyBuyMets
As I Twins fan I knew something stunk when a decent hitting Twins team suddenly shattered the single season home run record in 2019.
All summer long it was ridiculous, and I kept saying,”I have no doubt Twins hitters know what’s coming”.
They did and I suspect Marwin brought some version of rhe “system” with him.
CluHaywood
Absolutely not a Twins fan, and I have said the same. Solid ownership being it’s your home team tho. That isn’t easy to do.
iverbure
You two buffoons realize the ball was juiced in 2019 right?
roguesaw
It was juiced for everyone, but not everyone was setting home run records. I doubt Marwin brought over a “system”, but bringing up juiced balls all players had access to doesn’t discredit him.
mcmillankmm
It’s not like 2017 was his rookie year
GreenWood Porter
What is really crazy is how the Red Sox were caught for cheating right after Houston was, yet for some strange reason people are completely obsessed with “trashing” the Astros for what they did but give the Red Sox a free pass when they are just as guilty. Why is that?
Redsoxx_62
Let’s go! Good riddance Marwin
pasha2k
Marwin can take Cordero, Santana, n Robles n Davis with him.
chaim bloom
how dare you question my acquisitions
soxfan1
Franchy ain’t going anywhere mf
thecrocusesareinbloom
Just fist-pumped, cheered, and put on my Red Sox hat.
Nervehammer
If he hits free agency, Astros may want to take a look at him on a minor league deal. Houston will still give him love.
Get Off My Mound
Kyle Schwarber for NL Comeback Player?
Deleted User
Probably going to be Anthony Descalfani, Alex Wood (until his last two starts) or Jon Gray,
Get Off My Mound
But Schwarbs hit .188 last year, Wood and Desclafani were hurt. Gray is good competition though.
JoeBrady
Good. Now we just need Arroyo back so that Duran can go down for some additional coaching.
sdfriarfan
Padres need to sign this guy and release Jake Marisnick.
butch779988
You haven’t t seen him at the plate then…
sdfriarfan
no, but I’ve seen Marisnick and O’Grady. Tell me about Marwin
For Love of the Game
Marwin Gonzalez’s OPS is halfway between Fernando Tatis Jr. and mine, but that doesn’t make him middle-of-the-road!
sdfriarfan
Marisnick is batting .214 while Brian O’grady is batting .163. I’ll take my chances with Gonzalez over O’Grady. Marisnick has had flashes of consistency as recent as 2020 with the Mets.
thecrocusesareinbloom
sdfriarfan, for the love of all that is holy, for the wellbeing of yourself, your family, and your friends, for the love of baseball itself, abandon these pretenses; they, and the man they are attached to, will lead you only to ruin. I will pray on this
CluHaywood
Friars just traded for Marisnick at the deadline. He’s gonna need to be replaced by someone hitting a lot better than Gonzalez is currently.
sdfriarfan
Thank you for your concern. I think the Padres offense have been in such dire straits in recent games that a change is needed soon. If not Gonzalez then somebody else but changes must be made. We really don’t lose anything with either of the players I suggested..
sdfriarfan
Off the waiver wire? Not much to choose from.
30 Parks
Another one of Bloom’s roses clipped. Schwarber is not what this team needs, he’s a one dimensional player and there’s a big difference between playing first and being a first baseman.
thecrocusesareinbloom
I mean, he’s a left-handed power bat who was in the midst of one of the most gargantuan offensive runs in recent memory before he got injured. If he can produce anything like that, I’d argue he’s more or less exactly what this team needs.
30 Parks
… pitching and defence.
JoeBrady
Rotation will be Sale, Eovaldi, ERod, Houck and Pivetta. The rotation should be no issue.
30 Parks
We have different understandings of the phrase “no issue.” Sale needs to be brought back slowly. Eovaldi is a #4, ERod is a #3, Houck is entirely unproven and Pivetta is a #5.
KD17
JB – E-ROD is a huge issue and Pivetta needs to improve to be #5. E-ROD based on this year is a #7 SP.
SP is desperately needed. Why isn’t that obvious? Did Bloom send you his blinders? Can you see a need at closer or do his blinders work at that position too?
You need to let go for 2021. It’s over. 4th is inevitable. Thank goodness Baltimore is so far back to save face and not finish 5th.
KD17
30 Parks – I believe Eovaldi is a #2 or #3, Houck is a #4 and should move up from there in 2022, Pivetta is a #5 and E-ROD is a DFA/released because his number don’t justify his pay. He’s a #5 at best making millions more than Pivetta but not pitching as well. He should have been DFA’d last December. Nobody should pay $8M or more for a #5 SP.
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
As bad as ERod is, I think he’s better than a 7. More like a #3 or #4. He has an FIP in the 3’s.
Mlb1971
KD = troll
JoeBrady
I’m cherrypicking here, but:
ERod 3.62 over his last 8 starts
Eovaldi 3.71 over his last 10 starts
Houck 2.60 over his last 4 starts
Pivetta 3.96 over his last 9 starts (incl tonight)
I’m guessing Sale will be sub-4.00.
I’d have had no problem trading real prospects for Scherzer. The difference between Scherzer & Pivetta is fairly large. But I wouldn’t give up much for anyone that wasn’t going to be a serious upgrade. Berrios is real good, but TO paid a king’s ransom for him.
Who else was out there that would be an upgrade over even Pivetta?
GASoxFan
I saw a compilation that compared houck to sale, how they’re somewhat mirror images of the same style pitcher.
Pitch selection was about the same. How far their respective pitches drop or sweep were about the same. Arm strength was about the same. Release point and difficulty to pick up the pitch about the same. Spin rates, etc.
Idea being, they should see similar success, excluding all those intangibles such as ability to perform under pressure in the clutch, working from the stretch, etc.
Salvi
KD17: DFA because he’s paid too much? You do know the money is guaranteed, so $$ shouldn’t play into the decision at all. Just can’t believe thought process for these comments.
Most every team has an SP that stinks or is having an off year. Lets look:
Comparison: Bos #5 Starter, TB #5 Starter
ERod: ERA+ 88, WHIP 1.38 — Last 5 games: 9 Earned Runs
Fleming: ERA+ 79, WHIP 1.32 — Last 5 games: 38 Earned Runs
Not seeing any difference, other than one of the players plays in Boston, and haters gotta hate.
Salvi
30 Parks: ” there’s a big difference between playing first and being a first baseman.”
Cute comment, but completely false.
Its well known First Base is the easiest position to play. Countless players, have been shifted there over the years, when they were too old, or not talented enough in the OF, IF, C. Basically its the default position, when you can’t put a player at DH.
Maybe, you’re confusing Little League with MLB.
ChunkyMonkey
Bang bang!!
Rsox
Wonder if Marwin would accept an assignment to Worcester and be brought back on September 1st.
Cora tried giving Gonzalez every opportunity to perform. Since August 3rd Marwin has started 6 games going 4-22 with 1 walk.
Lets see how Schwarber does. Hopefully he brought his power bat with him from Washington
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
I can’t see Shwarber being worst. Even if he hits around .200, his power alone will give him leverage above Gonzalez.
bobtillman
Schwarber at 1B…..ancient Sox fans will remember the infamous Dick Stuart, aka “Doctor Strange-Glove” from the early 60’s…..or, as later-manager Dick Williams said, “Ya, George Scott’s a better defensive 1B than Stuart…but then so’s my grandmother”.
Monkey’s Uncle
Dick Stuart was just a bit before my time but I’ve enjoyed all of the stories about his misadventures at 1B, possibly the worst with a glove ever. Dick Williams’s quote is a classic, although without context it sells “Boomer” Scott a bit short. George won 8 Gold Gloves and looked good compared to most guys in the field at 1B.
bobtillman
Oh ya, I didn’t mean to disparage “Boomer” at all; he was an artist at 1B, Keith Hernandez before Keith Hernandez (tho not quite as “pretty” as Hernandez was). Scott was amazing; probably ate 12 pizzas before every game, and looked like a gazelle working around the bag.
One of my favorite Stewart stories was when he kept shaking his head when the pitcher wanted to toss over the first. You could actually see him shaking his head. Needless to say, it resulted in a stolen base.
KD17
Monkey’s Uncle – Scott was excellent!! People will be telling Devers stories like they tell Dick Stuart stories. This may be hard to believe, but Stuart is the better defender according to the numbers!!! That’s how bad Devers has been!!!
Roberto Gee
George Scott was actually a pretty good defensive first baseman.
He broke in at 3B and was moved to first in order to get another rookie, Joe Foy, into the lineup.
KD17
Roberto Gee – I love when I read a comment that mentions Joe Foy!! When hanging out with friends I loved asking baseball trivia and my favorite was name the 1967 World Series infield for the Red Sox. Most got Petrocelli, many got Andrews, a few got Scott but next to nobody got Foy!!
Great reference and thanks for the stroll down memory lane!
bradthebluefish
Someone has to start learning 1B in the clubhouse. Schwarber, Martinez, somebody.
KD17
bradthebluefish – Great point!! Devers is the logical player to DH because the team defense improves immediately but who plays 3B then. I say move JD to 1B and Schwarber to 3B (he can’t be worse than Devers!!). That way the same starters play and the defense is better. It’s not good but it’s better.
It’s been two years with Bloom and the defense is worse than ever this year. Bloom sure is doing a great job!!
rocky7
wow, you just believe that major league players can play any position you want them too and actually excel …..move JD and Schwarber to positions they have never played and you actually believe that improves the Sox D?
iverbure
Just move Schwarber to 3b he says! I’d pay good money to watch mlb react live to some of these idiotic suggestions. That way when these peoples hero’s laugh in their faces they can have a huge reality check.
JoeBrady
Just move Schwarber to 3b he says!
===============================
After a while, one becomes inured to these types of comments. There is a limit where, after a while, you hardly even notice how crazy some of the comments are.
SpendNuttinWinNuttin
This dude benefitted more than anyone from the sign stealing
LordD99
Desperate times call for…
Bi Soxual
If you watched yesterday’s game,you seen this move coming.Marvin played literally disinterested.Get rid.
JoeBrady
Yup, we need a few guys swept out, Cordero is not supplying much either. I’d suggest Dalbec or Duran, when Arroyo returns, but Dalbec might still make a passable platoon partner with Schwarber against tough lefties.
KD17
JB – With the season over why would you sit Duran or Dalbec. They are two key parts of the future Red Sox? Arroyo has no future unless he’s replacing Hernandez at 2B. Bench guy for Arroyo? OK but don’t sit your future stars for a scrap heap guy like Arroyo. That’s Bloom=like thinking or non-thinking.
The GM didn’t act at the deadline so he showed the world that he understood the season is over as far as the playoffs. Everyone needs to face the facts and point toward the future with the playing time for this roster. The future includes Dalbec, Duran, Houck, Pivetta and it shouldn’t include guys that Bloom picked up that are utility players. He went cheap and he got what he paid for.
Salvi
Why no future for Arroyo? 26yo, 112 OPS+. decent glove, plays multiple positions. I see him as Brock Holt 2.0.
Bloom didn’t go cheap, the owners did. Unless, you think he got complete reign of financial spending. They gave him an allowance and sent him to the grocery store. Fans eat spam for 2 years, so that Filet Mignon will be back on the menu in 2022 and beyond. This was all planned BEFORE the season, the fact that they were fortunate enough to compete for 4 months was great. Nothing happened at the trading deadline, that wasn’t planned by owners and GM in advance of the season.
JoeBrady
dennyd2 hours ago
Why no future for Arroyo? 26yo, 112 OPS+. decent glove, plays multiple positions. I see him as Brock Holt 2.0.
Bloom didn’t go cheap, the owners did.
============================================
1-The reason KD hates Arroyo is because Bloom picked him up. If were DD’s guy, KD would think he was a future AS, and then blame Cora for not making it so.
2-That is the beauty of dealing with the RS haters. They know so little about baseball that ridiculing them is easy pickings. As I’ve pointed out to them numerous times, Bloom doesn’t set the budget. If Henry said ‘spend $300M’, Bloom would spend $300M.
mpmks
Someone will certainly sign Marwin as he has versatility and experience and hope he can run into a few pitches. Mets or Phillies or Astros i see as options
phenomenalajs
I could see the Mets giving him a shot with Javy Baez going on the IL to join Lindor, Peraza and Guillorme.
GarryHarris
Even though he seems to have lost something, someone will pick Marwin Gonzalez up. He’s so versatile. A contender such as ChiSox, Mets, or even the Yankees plus the non contenders could need to upgrade. There’s too many players on the IL.
whyhayzee
Undefeated with Schwarber. And the killer D’s at the bottom of the lineup are starting to mash. Look out.
JoeBrady
I think it’ll take him a week to get into hitting shape, and maybe another week before he plays 1B regularly, but I was thrilled to see a player taking some walks. We’re 9th in walks. The last time we were that low was 2012.