Following an unexpected 2021 run that nearly culminated in a World Series berth, the Red Sox found themselves watching this year’s playoffs at home after finishing at the bottom of the AL East. One key area of criticism for the team was their production at first base. With four different players having at least 50 at-bats at the position, Boston struggled to a collective .210/.294/.369 slash line that ranked third-lowest in batting average, sixth-lowest in on-base percentage, seventh-lowest in slugging percentage, and resulted in wRC+ of 85, the fourth-lowest league-wide. This came only a year after Boston’s first basemen slashed a respectable .235/.310/.463, with a boosted .266/.366/.560 line during the second half of the season following the mid-season acquisition of slugger Kyle Schwarber (.291/.435/.522) and the seeming breakout of Bobby Dalbec (.269/.344/.611).
As discussed in MLBTR’s Offseason Outlook, Boston faces an interesting decision as the team looks to return to playoff contention in 2023. Currently, the Red Sox have four first basemen on their 40-Man roster: rookie Triston Casas, former top-prospect Bobby Dalbec, 1B/OF Franchy Cordero, and veteran Eric Hosmer. As free agency progresses, it’s plausible that at least one of these players loses their spot on the roster before Spring Training.
Starting with the obvious candidate to earn the bulk of playing time in Boston next season, September call-up Triston Casas. Selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2018 draft (26th overall), Casas profiles as an above-average hitter who peppers the ball across the entire field. After hitting .273/.382/.481 with 11 homers in Triple-A Worcester during the 2022 season, Casas made his major league debut. The 22-year-old showed promise in his limited at-bats, hitting .197/.358/.408 with five homers in 76 at-bats. Despite his weak batting average, he demonstrated tremendous plate disciple, walking at a 20% clip (compared to the 8.2% league average) while striking out at a slightly elevated rate (24.2% compared to 22.4%).
Casas is controllable through the 2028 season and will not be arbitration eligible until after the 2025 season, making him a favorite to potentially hold down first base in Boston for the better part of the decade.
Another front-runner to remain on the 2023 roster is righty Bobby Dalbec. Like Casas, Dalbec was a top prospect who made a promising debut late in the 2020 season, slashing .264/.359/.600 with eight home runs in 80 at-bats. Given these strong numbers, Dalbec was handed first base to start the 2021 season but struggled, hitting a weaker .219/.264/.409 during the first half of the season. His floundering led Boston to trade for reinforcement in the form of Kyle Schwarber.
However, the trade for Schwarber led to a boost in production from the youngster, with Dalbec hitting a resounding .269/.344/.611 during the second half of the season. Dalbec pointed to Schwarber as a source of his production, saying that the veteran helped him “get through the ball more” and allowed him to “pull the ball more instead of trying to force it out there” before more directly saying that Schwarber was “big for me,” per Khari Thompson of Boston.com.
On the heels of a strong end to his 2021 season, Dalbec was once again penciled in as the Red Sox first baseman and, once again, struggled. Over the first half of the season, Dalbec hit a paltry .205/.286/.344 with a high 31.3% strikeout rate. Following the All-Star break, he showed minor improvements, hitting .237/.277/.430, albeit with a mammoth 38.6% strikeout rate.
With just over two years of service time and a fraction of his 2020 trade value, the Red Sox will likely opt to keep the 27-year-old with the organization. Dalbec has two option years remaining, meaning that the Sox can send him to Triple-A Worcester without having to pass him through waivers and risk losing him to another organization.
Franchy Cordero began the 2022 season in Worcester but was called up in late April after veteran Travis Shaw began the season 0 for 19 with seven strikeouts. He spent most of the season in Boston, accruing 275 plate appearances and slashing a respectable .219/.300/.397 before suffering a right ankle sprain in early September and landing on the 60-day IL.
It was Cordero’s second season with the Sox, joining the team in the Andrew Benintendi trade with Kansas. During the second half of the season, the 28-year-old hit an interesting .191/305/.490 with two homers. MLBTR’s Offseason Outlook has flagged Cordero as a potential non-tender candidate with the six-season veteran projected to earn $1.5M through arbitration.
The last first base option currently on the Red Sox 40-Man is veteran Eric Hosmer. Acquired from the Padres along with prospects at the trade deadline, Hosmer is earning $39MM through the 2025 season, but San Diego is covering all but the league minimum MLB salary.
Since signing his now-infamous deal with the Padres, Hosmer has hit .265/.325/.410, a notable regression from his .292/.351/.449 line over his last five seasons with the Royals. He has had a poor start to his Boston career thus far, hitting .244/.320/.311 in 45 at-bats, but brings playoff experience and veteran leadership to a relatively inexperienced first base corp. Hosmer is also a four-time Gold Glove winner and could be used as a late-game defensive substitute and mentor to Casas before potentially being DFA’d later in the season if the Red Sox need a roster spot, speculatively speaking.
Returning to a general discussion, it is relevant to note that out of the four listed players, only Dalbec possesses a right-handed bat. Additionally, Dalbec has been a stronger hitter against southpaws, batting an above-average .268/.333/.522 against them (compared to .212/.278/.418 against righties) and may carve out a platoon role with the left-handed hitting Casas. Moreover, Cordero is the only player in the group that will be earning a “significant salary” (MLBTR projects him to earn $1.5MM), with Hosmer’s contract paid down to the league minimum by the Padres and Dalbec and Casas not yet reaching arbitration.
Lastly, with the Red Sox opting not to tender designated hitter J.D. Martinez a qualifying offer, Boston now has an open spot in their starting lineup. The team is expected to be active in the free agent market, but it is also plausible that they do not make any big exclusive DH addition and instead use the position to situationally rest players. If this is the case, there is a greater chance that all members of the quartet remain on the roster.
Givin that Hosmer’s salary is being paid by Padres he is a potential trade candidate for a righty 1B to compliment Casas. Dalbec should be in the minors.
Hosmer has clause that says he can no longer be trade. It activated after he got trade the first time.
It’s a full no trade clause. He has to give his approval to be traded, not a blanket ban on trades entirely.
smitty: what you describe is every ‘no trade clause’. Any player can approve a trade even with a ‘no trade clause’. I was under the assumption everyone knew this. — Many times players put teams on the list, they think they’ll get traded to, just to up the price if/when it happens.
It doesn’t matter if he can be traded or not. Sox can just DFA him. I strongly suspect they will. They owe him nothing.
The point is that Hosmer has trade value because his new team wouldn’t have to pay him anything as long as he accepts the trade.
But he would never accept the trade, at least. not without more money. Why would you accept a trade, unless he was compensated. He doesn’t owe the Red Sox anything. Just take the release and go where ever you want.
Why on earth would they DFA him? He’s a professional MLB player and costs them virtually nothing. Keep him as Plan B if Casas needs more seasoning in Worcester, or trade him to a team that has little money but a need at 1b and prospects to offer.
possibly to protect a player from rule 5 selection. DFA Franchy while their at it.
He might accept the trade to play closer to where he wants to be. Nothing indicates that Boston is just going to release him. When he declined the trade to DC, San Diego didn’t release him. They just traded him to a different team.
teachdad: Are you following the conversation. ‘cgallant’ thinks he has trade value, and that theres some chance of a trade. There is NO CHANCE of a trade. So in the event the Red Sox want to get rid of him (he sux or they need the roster space). He would decline any trade attempt and wait for a DFA. Wow, this is a sad thread.
“When he declined the trade to DC, San Diego didn’t release him. They just traded him to a different team.”
Because he didn’t have a full no-trade clause at that point, he had a ‘limited-trade clause’. After the trade, it kicked into a ‘full-trade clause’. He couldn’t say no to Red Sox trade.
Ask yourself this, why would the Red Sox want to trade him? (he sucks, roster space)? Then pretend you are him, why would you want to accept any trade in that event, when the obvious next step would be your release.
HE IS NEVER BEING TRADED.
Because you can’t get more money if you are DFA’d and still under contract
How do you know? His tax bill would dramatically drop if traded to numerous teams. Maybe he doesn’t like Mass. maybe he thinks he gets more playing time.
“How do you know”
1) Because the previous July trade shows he has almost no trade value.
2) The team would want to get rid of him, hence his production would be low.
3) He would want to go to that team, above all others.
4) He would have to feel like theres no chance of being released. Because as a FA he can go anywhere, and has more leverage in negotiating (I know the ‘pay’ would stay the same) But there are other points he could leverage, before signing the deal.
5) He would have to prefer going right back to work, over taking time off/resting any injuries.
Not going to happen. I give it a 99.99% chance he is released before he gets traded.
Do you mean like the Rays? Always looking for a bargain.
There is a reason they might DFA Hosmer and that is a 40 man slot. If they feel they might lose a guy they covet then they could release him but they might just want to keep him for insurance.
I’d have to like that #40 guy a whole lot to punt on Hosmer. In my 50-60 years of watching the RS, I don’t remember that #40 slot ever being a real contributor.
BoSox ought to trade for Rhys Hoskins. A fly ball hitter, he might hit 40+ HR at Fenway. Probably would be a candidate for 40 doubles, as well
If they did, I’d used Hoskins at DH and platoon Hosmer/Dalbec at 1B. Both are better defenders than Hoskins.
Moot point if Triston Casas wins the 1B job in ST.
I would almost never trade for a DH. I would platoon Dalbec & Hosmer for minimum wage before I would start Hoskins at $11M. Same with Abreu. These guys are over-the-top type of hitters.
I hope Dalbec learns the corner outfield spots. I can see him bringing some value with defensive versatility as a righty platoon if he does.
halcylon – The last thing the Sox need is another jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none dropping easy fly balls, getting bad jumps, misjudging the flight of balls, and injuring themself crashing into walls. And where do you expect Dalbec to play in Fenway with Hernandez in CF? Not RF I hope, and Dugie is locked in as the LF’er because he can’t handle RF either.
This “anybody can play any position” mentality is ruining the game, all because the mentally challenged managers can’t get by with less than 14 pitchers on the team. Sad.
Hell the whole league needs to get rid of this whole rosters of jack of all trades. Put rosters at 28 with only 13 pitchers on roster. Less jack of all trades on rosters makes for better quality position players and better play. Hell 30 player rosters and these owners can handle paying it.
You’re right. The starting lineup will all play 162 games for us this year. Silly me.
Never heard of Duran Cordero Refsnyder eh
Duran is the same. Ton of hype he didn’t live up too. Looked absolutely lost in center field. Cordero has nothing either really. They’re all below average insurance guys. Refsnyder had a good year for sure. Solid bench guy. I hope Duran can come around but I was aboard that hype train before it crashed. Lol
Dugie graded out as above average in RF in ’20. They moved him to accommodate Renfroe and then JBJ. He put on weight to try to hit for more power but the team expects him to return in ’23 in his slimmer format. My point is that if they keep Alex he can handle RF at Fenway.
Boy did you misread his post. Or misunderstand it. Or fail to comprehend it.
Managers just need to stop enabling all these injured players. A player asks to go on the IL, just say “No. Bad player. Bad. Bad!”
Then hit him on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper. He’ll learn.
Am I the only one thinking “Casas to 1b. Dalbec and Hosmer platoon at DH.”
Ketch – I agree! LOL!
Better yet, the manager should send them to each of their “Mental Skills” coaches. Pretty sure most teams have at least two or three. How on earth did players function for over a hundred and twenty years without them?
Because life is tough enough on players. The team shouldn’t expect grown men to be able to cope on their own before they are 40 years old.
Playing baseball isn’t a piece of cake like factory workers, firemen, police officers, engineers, Wall Street analysts, doctors, teachers, etc.
Ketch – I don’t think I want my DH and 1B to produce a combined .640 OPS on the season. Those slots are supposed to be reserved for the best hitters, not the worst (unless Casas blossoms into a ML hitter very quickly)
teach – I agree Dugie is a decent OF’er, but then why did Arroyo/Refsnyder/Cordero/Duran play RF for a combined 78 games this year?
I still have visions of Arroyo’s deer-in-the-headlights look as he lost track of an easy fly ball in RF against the Yankees that cost 2 runs.
Seriously? Dalbec career OPS vs lefties .855, Hosmer career OPS vs righties ,810. Casas .858 in the minors, and .766 in limited ML play. Where are you getting ,640?
Did you decide to just ignore Dalbec’s numbers against lefties or something? Why would you trade for someone to fill a role that he’s nearly perfect for? That makes literally no sense.
Dalbec will be 28 in June. It’s his time now. Either play him to the point were you release him, or trade him to someone who will. And keep in mind that he’s out of position at 1b….
Hosmer has a full no trade clause! He is not going enywhere unless he agrees to it!!!!
That said, I think he will agree by mid-season as his playing time continues to decrease.
Hosmer bats left-handed
T.C. Tristan Casas a.k.a. “THE BIG BAD” should start every game he can out of spring training. Keep Bobby D. He just needs eye to ball, ball to barrell drills and to stop peeking for an HR that isn’t there because he missed the pitch. Hosmer is league min. He can stay. Trade Cordero, the D just is not there & has power just not enough. Please stop saying we need a Catcher…McQuire & Wong & the #1 org prospect is fine there. (Don’t spend on Contreras) Spend on #1 Aaron Judge! Fits a RH Power Bat & RF/OF we need with HR’s down…perfect fit & crushes NY for 5 to 10 years. Let Arroyo take over 2b & move story to SS or Sign Turner 1st then Correa and keep story at 2b BUT ARROYO should then play every day resting infielders and corner outfielders (4 to 5 games a week) he is errorless at 2b and a extremely good player top to bottom. Get him 450 to 550 ABs and he’ll prove it! Lock him up for 6 years 12 to 14 mill 1st though or it’ll cost us big time. Grab 1 of (deGrom, Verlander, or Bassitt, ((Rondon maybe))…fix the Bullpen/Closer…& lets win another ring in 23!
Casas is a keeper, Hosmer is retired in place with a no trade clause, and the other two have no trade value.
Dalbec actually has a small amount of trade value. He has a great glove, great arm and has the potential to hit 30+ HRs if he can fix his swing. I can see Dalbec being a small part of the trade package to Oakland to get catcher, Sean Murphy. Oakland is the perfect, no pressure environment for Dalbec to play every day and try to recapture his power swing. There are 8-10 clubs who would welcome Dalbec on their team so I won’t be surprised to see him get traded this offseason. I wish him the best!
As we know we must wait further developments.
wind – I’m waiting for Maury to correct Franchy’s second half numbers.
He had a .196/.305/.490 slash, seems like he erroneously pulled the “.592 SLG” from Franchy’s Road OPS.
I don’t get all the hype around Dalbec. Don’t get me wrong, he’s had a fine milb career. But, beyond that it’s projections and rally caps.
I would trade him.
Don’t think his value is anywhere right now unfortunately. I get the hype after his 8 hr in 80ab debut. I even understand that there was hope after his solid second half the following year, but offensively he provided nothing last season. I’ll admit I thought we were gonna have a solid backup/platoon 1b/3b at worst but that appears to be the ceiling if he can get some consistency.
I would argue that Bobby D has not (yet) had what most would call a “fine MLB career.”
No one is arguing that.
“I don’t get all the hype around Dalbec. Don’t get me wrong, he’s had a fine milb career. ” isn’t arguing that?
Minor League Baseball (MiLB)
Might want to try reading, bro.
Might want to try reading glasses, more like it.
I missed the i in the milb.
My bad.
Tired of the marginal Talent the Red Sox are leaning on and this is just first base. Bobby Dalbec has been given the chance and he should be done and sent to the minors.
Spring training should be about Casas getting ready to be the starter. Let’s see how he does the first 3 months. Franchy should be kissed goodbye immediately. Tired of giving him chances.
Bottom line.., if Casas falters, trade for a legitimate first baseman, or plan to send Casas back down to train in the minors now and sign Anthony Rizzo next week. Quit fooling around here.., we need baseball players not projects.
You think Rizzo will be a free agent in spring training
Because that is a ridiculous take lol
Holden: You didn’t follow, he said give Casas “the first three months”, then if it doesnt work. Build a time machine and come back to “next week” and “sign Rizzo”. So simple, can’t believe I didn’t think of it.
Sorry I’m a scatterbrain but I think my last paragraph makes sense on the timeline when I read it again. Too late to change it if it’s wrong.
He’s saying they might want to PLAN on Casas being in Worcester for the start of the year and given that they could pursue Rizzo and sign him next week.
Not saying that this makes a lotta sense but it’s rational.
Anthony Rizzo received a Qualifying Offer (which would receive draft choice competition. He is simply not worth it. Rizzo probably re-signs with the Yankees.
Yeah you’re right but he was the first name I could think of that’s a legitimate first baseman and he hit 32 home runs last year. Okay not him but someone else. A legitimate major league baseball player would be nice.
This isn’t even really an issue. Casas and Hosmer can share 1B/DH against righties and Dalbec against lefties. Dalbec’s ability to play all 4 Infield spots (perhaps expand his versatility to the corner OF as well) means the Sox can carry all 3 on the 26 man roster (assuming Dalbec isn’t traded). Cordero is probably the odd man out unless he somehow works his way into a starting OF job, which would mean the offseason has gone horribly wrong…
How many Dalbec’s do you need that can play all 4 infield positions? Personally, I would prefer Arroyo as my “all 4 position backup” if not the regular 2 B. If they don’t sign Xander–Story will play SS with Kiki waiting for Story to be injured and miss 1/2 the season.. There are way too many if’s. I’d love to see a solid interview with Bloom if they lose Xander, JD signs elsewhere, Sale falls off a bike in FL, Whitlock can’t pitch 6 innings, etc, etc.
Jose Iglesias should be signed to play SS if Xander leaves.
Dalbec or Cordero even up to Colorado. for Iggy. .Keep Story at 2 B, Iggy @ SS and Kiki in CF.
If you trade for Murphy or re-sign Vazquez you will have a strong middle of the diamond.
1. Iggy is a FA. No need to send anyone anywhere for him.
2. Iggy’s career OPS+ is 88 and he’s going to be 33 so it’s not gonna head north even in Fenway but maybe they will take a look at him as a stopgap?
Got any extra pitching ? Old friend Dave D might have a RH first baseman for trade. Dalbec could reunite with Schwarber in a package….
Philly might trade a 1B but it won’t be Schwarber.
I meant Hoskins to Boston, DarkSide… send back Dalbec to the Phils in a package . Boston could Put him at DH if they wanted with Hosmer’s glove at 1B. But not sure what they could send back in addition ….
I dont see what the Phillies would use Dalbec for.
I don’t see why the Red Sox would trade 4 years of control with Dalbec for one season of Hoskins
Tremendous plate disciple
Lots of ‘ifs’ for these guys. Casas is arguably the most valuable to the Red Sox so he gets the most time if he plays well enough.
If Dalbec hits well enough, he will get time at 3B and 1B.
If there is an injury, Hosmer will get time.
If Cordero hits well, he will get opportunities again.
Predicting is complicated when you haven’t seen the results.
First base? Nick Esasky. Done.
Nah it’s gotta be Sam Horn
I don’t understand why keeping the door open for Casas to claim 1b is even an question. Guy is an upper tier prospect. Hosmer provides some insurance, Dalbec has options and is fine as long as he’s not blocking anyone decent from the 40. Corderi should be non-tendered. I don’t see any issues here.
I agree, Stud. The other option would be to play Arroyo @ 1st base when a lefty is pitching and find a trade partner for Dalbec this offseason. His value is low, but he still has enough potential to bring something of moderate value back to Boston.
Franchy has mesmerized the Red Sox with his batting practice results. The guy hits monster HRs out of the cage and has the highest exit velocity on the team, but the problem is that he can’t translate that over to games consistently and his glove is a huge liability no matter where you play him. I assume he’ll get non-tendered but wouldn’t be surprised if the Red Sox try to re-sign him for $800 – $900 K and give him one more chance to see if he can hit enough to be their DH / 5th outfielder.
Triston Casas will make a run for 2023 ROY
José Abreu would fit in very well with the Red Sox to bridge the transition with Casas. Although as Cubs fans I would like the Cubs to sign Abreu
So…you’re suggesting they should have FIVE candidates for 1b?
Abreu will be a White Sox 2/$40ml like it or not.
Casas, Dalbec, and Hosmer will all share first base/DH duties, with Franchy getting non-tendered
Dalbec is all but gone IMO
I still say pitching is our biggest concern. I would be happy with Hosmer and Casas taking the job for now and allocating money for pitching and SS.
Dalbec should have been traded long ago. Not sure what to do with him or Cordero.
Late inning defensive replacement. Do you watch baseball?
Whoever wrote that should be fired on the spot.
I like a Casas/Dalbec platoon. Let Hosmer and Cordero fight it out for a LH bat spot. They have so many other areas to … touchdown Packers! … address. They shouldn’t be worried about first base.
Dang it.
Triston Casas is the Red Sox first baseman next year barring injury.
I do like the idea of signing Jose Abreau to back up Casas at first and DH. If they do that then you designate Hosmer.
I seem to remember that Abreau almost went to Boston before signing with the White Sox I think it’s a good match.
Signing ANOTHER questionable 1bman when:
A. you have your top prospect already up and ready to continue his act at the MLB level
B. you have at least TWO backups to A (Dalbec and Hosmer)
I think they have MANY other needs to address before they worry about 1b.
Power bat is one the Red Sox needs. With the loss of JD and possibly Bogaerts, why not sign him to bat cleanup. Red Sox have the cap space, and there’s no compensation attached, and he can definitely hit. If the price is right, he’s a big step up from Dalbec.
He’s older than JD and his slugging/power stats are heading south just like JD’s. They’re most likely going to rotate guys who can play the field through the DH slot. I don’t see the fit.
Teachdad I agree that Boston has many other needs but, depending on how the off-season goes, I can see the fit. The guy can still hit and he’s a right handed bat that can be the next DH and spell Casas at first. Casas is the first baseman barring injury which by the way he has a knee injury right now and it might be a little more serious then first thought. This the only worry I have about Casas he seems to be having some leg troubles first the ankle now a knee hopefully he is fully ready to go in spring training. If he is I expect him to grab the first base position and never look back.
They do need to add a RHB and a LHB between corner OF (preferably RF) and DH. I liked Abeu until I looked at his career splits, where his OPS+ relative to his overall numbers is 75 in the 8th and 85 in the ninth, and 80 Late and Close. Using Win Probability Added vs. the expected figure based on his hitting stats, he’s lost 16% of his total value by his relative struggles to hit good pitching (obviously he feasts on the bad)..
You might live with that (if you weren’t paying for the invisible 16%) but when you run that same number for the 2022 Sox, they were a minus 5 wins of clutch hitting (which just puts a number on something everyone noticed). And that was mostly because guys who performed perfectly well in the past struggled in the clutch (Xander, previously average like most hitters, was -1.5 wins, cutting his apparent WAR by 25%.). That’s a team psychology thing: everyone is pressing to do too much.. The last player I want to add to this roster is a guy who is disappointing in the clutch by nature!
* Except Verdugo, who added 2.0 wins of clutch hitting to his official 1.2 WAR and has now been worth 37% more than his official fWAR number.
Dalbec true value is the breeze he supplies on warm summer evenings with swing and miss. He absolutely sucks and Cordero somehow is worse. Cordero is a nightmare in the field. Marv Throneberry tells Franchy Cordero jokes.
Maybe the ghost of Eric Hosmer can provide something. The Red Sox are an absolute mess with question marks everywhere.
Dalbec will be the starting SS for the Sox in 2023.
LOL…
It COULD happen!
I’m not convinced it won’t lol
Get Dalbec more acclimated with playing third and trade Devers. Then send Cordero anywhere for $10 in Burger King coupons.
Trade Triston Casas plus for Rys Hoskins. Casas’ defense looked good when I saw him. I think he’ll hit in the future. Hoskins’ RH bat will play well in Fenway.
That is a horrible trade idea let’s trade Casas who has 6 years of control and looks good has a chance to be a special hitter for a mediocre first baseman who has one year of control left.
Not even remotely close.
I think it’s funny how the article states Franchy’s numbers were ‘respectable’, while Hosmer’s were ‘rough’. How does that work when Hosmer’s were better than Franchy’s? Not saying either are good..but just weird how it was put in the article.
Also..it’s not Kansas..it’s Kansas CITY. Come on Maury..
Writing for the sake of writing, No proofreading. I also objected to”
“Like Casas, Dalbec was a top prospect”
They really aren’t comparable. Dabec topped out at #75 by BA, and wasn’t ranked by BP. Casas hit #19/44 by BA/BP. They aren’t close.
Joe – I completely agree. Besides what you pointed out, and the other person pointing out “Kansas”, and me pointing out multiple wrong stats for Franchy, it also kinda struck me as odd that Schwarber’s entire stat line with the Red Sox was grouped in as if he played 1B every day with them. Obviously, he didn’t … he started at 1B for only 9 of his 37 starts, with the remaining 28 games split between LF and DH.
Seems like some of these newbies don’t really follow baseball, and are just copying stats from FG and BR. I still can’t believe Brock’s retirement article didn’t even mention him being the only man in MLB history to hit for the cycle in the postseason. Even two minutes reading his wiki page would have allowed the writer to discover that important fact.
A lot of this stuff is wacky. How often do you see hitters advertised as “versatile”, when the fact is, the only reason they play multiple positions is because they incapable of playing any single position.
One of the absolute highlights of 2021 was when Schwarber jumped up and down to celebrate a routine play at 1st. It was all in jest, but even he could recognize how awful he was at 1st. And Schwarber was Don Mattingly compared to Franchy.
The idea that one would write an article including Franchy as one of our “four” 1Bs, is laughable.
And imo, the entire article is moot. Casas will be our 1B. You don’t have a BA #38, and a FG 55 FV, and not start him.
Agree except I’m getting a little nervous about him hauling those 265 pounds around the field as he ages. Batters need their legs under them and his seem to be questionable.
Joe – I totally agree!
I like when we are on the same side, wish it would happen more often.
It depends on the setting, but I don’t usually like easy agreements. I’ve left too many meetings where either everyone agreed to not disagree, or settled on some generic BS so as to not annoy anyone.
I can be obstinate at times, but I actually value a well-informed disagreement. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.
You gotta give mad credit to Bloom for getting 3 years of a potentially decent Hosmer for like 720k a season. Now that’s a super low risk high reward scenario if I’ve ever heard one
Low risk? Sure. High reward? Don’t hold your breath, Mr. Blue.
Considering where first base was when we got him, it’s a good deal. He was a veteran star, former all-star.
It should be Casas, at least vs RHP.
Very nice and thorough analysis.. My take …
The Sox bench is already slated to have 3 RHB: a catcher TBNL, Arroyo, and Refsnyder. You need a LHB.
If you had Mitch Moreland in his prime for MLB minimum, how fast would you jump on that? The comp is so strong it’s almost silly. Both guys are 0.9 WAR per 600 PA in their career, which is a bench guy number, but grab an extra 0.7 WAR for excess Win Probability Added, an outrageous amount for a hitter of that quality. These guys are more or less indifferent to the quality of the opposing pitcher, and their reputations for “clutch” hitting is thus deserved. And Hosmer before 2020, when he changed his swing, was the best LH opposite field power hitter in MLB (he had very little pull power). Since the new swing proved to be a wash versus the old in neutral parks, one would expect him to go back to the old one for Fenway.
You might think that having 2 guys on the roster who play only 1B would be a problem, but if the DH they sign is an OK defensive OF, then K. Hernandez’s ability to play the infield means that Hosmer can take anyone’s place in the lineup other than C.
Franchy and Dalbec join Duran in having their trade value reach a recent minimum after last year. You don’t sell low on any of them, especially since they can provide depth for 2023. They all play every day in Worcester and compete to be the first man called up when a position player goes on the IL.
Nice analysis. I could do with Casas & Hosmer as a 1B/DH set, IF we signed a couple of righties that could play the OF, and platoon 1B/DH. Haniger & Mancini would ensure a lot of quality ABs from LF, 1B, and DH, even if Casas and Hosmer aren’t particularly successful.
No on Mancini. Didn’t he go like 0 for 21 in the postseason or something like that? Only if he is cheap, please no overpay.
I enjoy these sorts of articles. Although I am a Mariners fan, I always try to follow the Red Sox because they are one of the all-time greatest franchises in baseball past and present so how could you ignore them if you’re a baseball fan?…but these articles are great because they focus in tightly on a single position and get you up to speed quickly on the personnel involved and the issues at hand if you’re not a fanatical every-day follower of the team. More of these please!!!!!
I certainly prefer Casas as the fielder at first base among the others playing that position for the Sox this past season.
I don’t think Dalbec sticks around very much longer. The Sox are in position to give Hos some legroom and see how well his bat can play at Fenway. I am honestly keeping an eye on him for fantasy. That place works magic and you also have the shift going away next season. Casas was always the heir apparent and his versatility and higher ceiling makes him more attractive short term than Bobby, who I believe will probably get flipped for an arm.
Cordero is the only player in the group that will be earning a “significant salary” (MLBTR projects him to earn $1.5MM)
Significant Salary.. LOL They are paying 8 mil of JBJ’s salary in 2023 to play somewhere else.. and 1.5 is significant (albeit it’s in quotes).
LOL
JBJ is a free agent if I recall correctly, so how are we paying him?
He had 1 year left on his contract. He was released, so they are still on the hook for the 2023 salary. He can sign elsewhere for league minimum.
1B/DH is the only areas in the lineup that seem be relatively all set. I highly doubt the FO is even looking at this as an issue. The article and posters here keep saying there are 4 1B. Ya, but one of them is going start in AAA. That leaves a 1B, a DH, and a bench/platoon/day off guy.
IF they resign Bogey, the entire infield is set. If not, reboot Jose Iglesias.
Done
Now look to improve our horrible outfield and emergency room riding starting rotation, please.
Iglesias looks close to finished, but I love watching him play. He was extremely useful in his limited time here in 2021.
Past that, I agree with the philosophy of getting a glove-first SS cheaply, and loading up on pitching.
Pitching is the biggest need. Then after that, more pitching.
Dalbec should try getting back on the mound.
I love the kid, but he just looks lost in the box…or better yet he looks like he’s trying to not strikeout.