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Red Sox Interested In Josh Harrison

By Darragh McDonald | January 18, 2023 at 9:57am CDT

The Red Sox have been looking for ways to bolster their roster and have infielder Josh Harrison “on their radar,” reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

This item from Heyman came out before the Sox reached an agreement with Adam Duvall, but that move likely doesn’t do much to dampen their interest in Harrison. With Duvall taking some time in center field, that could theoretically move Enrique Hernández into a middle infield role, but they would likely still have a need for someone like Harrison. Just recently, when speaking about the club’s need to add a couple of up-the-middle players, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said it “doesn’t even need to be limited to two.”

There were a few reasons why the Sox needed to look for so much help up the middle. Xander Bogaerts, the club’s shortstop of many years, opted out of his contract and signed with the Padres. The hope in Boston was that Trevor Story, who played second base last year in deference to Bogaerts, could slide over to the other side of the bag this year. But while ramping up for the season ahead, he experienced some pain in his arm and ultimately required internal brace surgery, a variant of Tommy John. He’s now set to miss most or perhaps all of the 2023 season.

That left the club with limited options for the middle infield and center field. Hernández and Christian Arroyo could have perhaps combined in the middle infield, though both players have fairly limited experience at shortstop. Arroyo has just 172 1/3 big league innings there, spending much more time at second and third base. Hernández has logged 618 innings at short but scattered over the past nine seasons, never reaching 160 in any individual campaign. That scenario would also leave Jarren Duran as the everyday center fielder and the catching duties in the hands of Reese McGuire and Connor Wong. Aside from Hernández, none of those options have truly established themselves as everyday players in the big leagues, leaving Boston with one solid choice for four positions. That makes it plenty sensible that they’d look for fortifications in the form of multiple players.

Since the news of Story’s injury, the club has added Jorge Alfaro on a minor league deal to help behind the plate and the aforementioned Duvall signing gives them an extra option in center field. The latter signing seems to point to Hernández spending more time on the dirt but they could further bolster their infield by adding Harrison. The 35-year-old spent his prime with the Pirates but has since gone into journeyman mode, jumping to the Tigers, Nationals, Athletics and White Sox over the past four seasons.

With Chicago last year, he got into 119 games, providing his usual blend of low power and high contact. He hit just seven home runs on the year and only walked in 4.9% of his trips to the plate, but he also went down on strikes just 16.7% of the time. He finished the year with a batting line of .256/.317/.370 for a wRC+ of 98, just two ticks below league average. Defensively, Harrison played mostly second base but also occasionally played third base, left field and shortstop. He’s likely not viewed as a solution at that latter position since he only spent three innings there last year and just 265 in his career, with most of that coming way back in 2012. His work at second and third is generally graded well though, and he can take an outfield position in an emergency.

A signing of Harrison would likely require the Red Sox to view Hernández as a viable solution at shortstop. Chad Jennings of The Athletic wrote back in December that there are some in the organization who indeed see him that way. As mentioned earlier, he’s logged some decent innings there in the aggregate but hasn’t spent an extended stretch at the position. That makes it hard to gauge how he’d fare on a full-time basis, but for what it’s worth, advanced defensive metrics don’t make it seem like an outlandish idea. He’s earned nine Defensive Runs Saved over his 618 career innings and a 5.3 from Ultimate Zone Rating, though Outs Above Average has given him a -3.

The Sox have also expressed some interest in a more straightforward shortstop solution in the form of Elvis Andrus. He’s never played anywhere else except short and could simply kick Hernández over to second base where’s spent 1717 innings in his career, almost three times as much as his work at short. Since Andrus can play shortstop, he’ll likely require a slightly higher financial investment than Harrison, so the Sox would have to decide whether it’s worth the extra few dollars to get the more obvious fit or try to save a few bucks in order to try the more creative route and give Hernández a shot at the job. The latter path would be fairly risky, since Duvall also isn’t a proven option in center field. He only has 593 2/3 innings that that spot in his career, all of that coming in the past three years. Signing Harrison to play second would mean the Sox are committing to unproven options at shortstop and center, both considered to be premium defensive positions.

The agreement with Duvall pushes Boston’s competitive balance tax calculation to $216MM, according to the calculations of Roster Resource. That leaves the club with some wiggle room before they reach the $233MM luxury tax threshold, which they probably would like to stay under after just barely going over last year. They could certainly fit in a contract for either Andrus or Harrison while staying under the line, but they probably want to earmark some funds for some more pitching and midseason acquisitions. Other free agents who could help in the middle infield include José Iglesias, César Hernández and Didi Gregorius.

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Boston Red Sox Josh Harrison

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Zaidi: Giants Unlikely To Make Further Roster Additions Right Now
View Comments (79)

Comments

  1. FenwayFanatic

    3 weeks ago

    No. No. No. No

    Reply
    • CaptainJudge99

      3 weeks ago

      Who are the Red Sox not interested in? They want everybody!

      Reply
      • pwndroia

        3 weeks ago

        Everybody that doesn’t matter

        Reply
      • bostonbob

        3 weeks ago

        They want everyone but only sign some on the cheap

        Reply
        • pwndroia

          3 weeks ago

          Devers was cheap?

          I wouldn’t say they’ve been cheap, just inconsistent who they sign with not a clear direction.

          They basically signed replacements but they didn’t tread above status quo.

  2. olmtiant

    3 weeks ago

    Stop already!!! You to good to US!!!

    Reply
    • Goku the All Knowing

      3 weeks ago

      now that Cutch is back in the Burgh , I would absolutely love bringing the J-Hey Kid back too.

      Reply
  3. Simm

    3 weeks ago

    Red Sox off season is on track to be playing in the wheelchair league by the end of the season.

    Reply
  4. DarkSide830

    3 weeks ago

    John Henry’s Bargain Bin Red Sox are looking great!

    Reply
    • FenwayFanatic

      3 weeks ago

      Of players ready to retire

      Reply
      • PiratesFan1981

        3 weeks ago

        Speaking of retire, I hear they called Derek Jeter to see if he can come out of retirement and really get the Yankee fans the middle finger.

        Reply
        • avenger65

          3 weeks ago

          Andrus is a decent SS and a good clubhouse guy. I don’t recall Harrison playing lf or ss. His defense isn’t great at 2b. It was better at 3b. I’d say take Andrus and take your chances with Harrison

        • drasco036

          3 weeks ago

          3 DRS and 3 OAA with limited playing time at second… pretty good if you ask me.

        • Dogbone

          3 weeks ago

          @avenger
          You know, for once I agree- sort of, with you. I do think when looking at the White Sox 2B options, that Harrison would be your man!!
          But not for the Red Sox.

        • Rsox

          3 weeks ago

          SS no, he played quite a bit of LF for the A’s when they got him from the Nationals at the 2021 trade deadline

    • Dogbone

      3 weeks ago

      What is going on, in Boston? They may as well have just asked the Cubs for David Bote.

      Reply
    • Hippyripper

      3 weeks ago

      At least they locked up Devers for 330 million or whatever it was?

      Reply
  5. FenwayFanatic

    3 weeks ago

    Give me Iglesias, give me Andrus, give me Edwin Rios. We don’t need the average age on this team to be 35!!!! Stop getting usless rentals that won’t give you anything for the one year you have them. Sign a bunch of AAA level young lottery tickets in hope one of them could at least end up like Arroyo. That’s what Bloom’s done best with Schrieber and Whitlock (same type of thing).

    Reply
    • teachdad46

      3 weeks ago

      The rentals make perfect sense if your plan is to build your team for contending in ’24/’25 and beyond.

      Reply
    • teachdad46

      3 weeks ago

      Maybe Duvall plays RF and Verdugo slides over to….San Diego? as part of a deal for …Kim?
      Hey…a guy can hope…

      Reply
      • FenwayFanatic

        3 weeks ago

        Then who else starts in the outfield or the infield?

        Reply
        • teachdad46

          3 weeks ago

          Yoshida in L; Kikè in C, Duvall in R;
          Kim at SS.
          Arroy0 or the next FA guy at 2b.

        • FenwayFanatic

          3 weeks ago

          Alright, That sounds good.

      • JoeBrady

        3 weeks ago

        Doubt that SD makes that trade straight-up, but I like the concept quite a bit.

        Reply
    • Ketch

      3 weeks ago

      These over 30 rentals might be tradable in July…

      Reply
  6. olmtiant

    3 weeks ago

    Have to give Redsox credit though… they will be the first team to try out the new….SS by committee angle….

    Reply
    • 123redsox

      3 weeks ago

      Will it be ss by committee? I think the idea behind adding Harrison vs Andrus or Iglesias is the positional versatility. Kike moves to short or second with Arroyo the other Duvall in center and yoshi in left and dugie in right for 4/5 games per week. Harrison would be more depth

      Reply
    • vinc3nt3

      3 weeks ago

      I say its “have a heartbeat” by committee lol

      Reply
  7. FenwayFanatic

    3 weeks ago

    I just realized that Joe Ross is a free agent, go get him instead.

    Reply
  8. Goose

    3 weeks ago

    The five and dime Woolworths closed in the 1980’s but Bloom has brought that business model to MLB.

    Reply
    • Fever Pitch Guy

      3 weeks ago

      Goose – Ames discount department store is making a comeback, for real.

      Reply
  9. cornwhisperer

    3 weeks ago

    Harrison plays all-out. Always has. You can put him just about anywhere. But I’m not sure he’s the addition Boston fans would welcome about now. I mean, he’s bench depth and not much more

    Reply
    • JoeBrady

      3 weeks ago

      cornwhisperer
      Harrison plays all-out. Always has. You can put him just about anywhere.
      ===========================
      He’s a little bit old, but I’ve never seen anyone complain about him. Always, always praised for his leadership. As long as he is < $4M, and not playing full-time, he should be a good addition.

      Reply
  10. SoxRule

    3 weeks ago

    More whining. He hit 38 bombs and won a gold glove in 2021 guys.

    Reply
    • DCartrow

      3 weeks ago

      He also loves the smell of napalm in the morning!!

      Reply
  11. The Bearded Brute

    3 weeks ago

    All the dopes complaining aren’t even Sox fans.

    Reply
  12. nyy42

    3 weeks ago

    Marty Barrett is waiting by the phone.

    Reply
    • olmtiant

      3 weeks ago

      To play SS???

      Reply
  13. Redsoxx_62

    3 weeks ago

    Arroyo is a younger, better version of Harrison, so what would the point of signing him be?

    Reply
    • JoeBrady

      3 weeks ago

      Depth, same as Duvall. This was a pretty decent team with no depth, until the past two days.

      Reply
      • pwndroia

        3 weeks ago

        Both Duvall and Harrison are scrub hitters who barely hit to make average. We need offense

        Reply
        • JoeBrady

          3 weeks ago

          We were 10th in scoring last year. We replaced:

          Dalbec with Casas
          JBJ/Franchy with Yoshida
          Bogaerts with ???
          Vazquez with McGuire
          Duran/Pham with Duvall

          I’m expecting slightly better offense.

        • pwndroia

          3 weeks ago

          McGuire has only had one stint of success. Every other place he’s hit far lower. Small sample size of success in Boston.

          No clue what Yoshida will do.

          No clue how Casas will be in an MLB season. He was under .200 in a small stint here.

          And I already commented on Duvall who rarely hits for average and is lucky to hit 20 homeruns.

          Bogaerts is obviously the biggest loss…

          A lot of “if”‘s if you ask me. I wouldn’t say offense is slightly better. It could be better but a lot of things have to go right.

        • JoeBrady

          3 weeks ago

          A lot of “if”‘s if you ask me.
          ======================
          That comes with the territory of predicting the future.

        • Fever Pitch Guy

          3 weeks ago

          pedey – Why do you always criticize Bloom?

          I don’t even know what “hit to make average” means, but Duvall is a Gold Glove fielder who had an .802 OPS from 2019 to 2021. And he has a career 1.424 OPS at Fenway. And he’s a tremendous clutch hitter. As long as his wrist is fine, he will perform well.

          Give Bloom a chance with this one, don’t be mean.

        • agentx

          3 weeks ago

          Possibly so… that “???” above looms large, however.

      • Fever Pitch Guy

        3 weeks ago

        Joe – Duvall is not a depth signing. You don’t pay a guy $7M for one year just to be depth.

        When healthy, Duvall is a GG fielder who put up an .852 OPS combined between 2019-2020.

        He will be starting many games either in the OF or at DH.

        Reply
      • AL34

        3 weeks ago

        Joe
        How are you going to replace the production of Bogaerts and JD Martinez ? Don’t tell me Duval is going to do that. Yoshida is coming to a whole new league and fans are putting a lot of confidence in him. This team has a ton of question marks not including the bullpen which he kind of fixed. There are not going to be many games to save with this starting pitching

        Reply
    • DarkSide830

      3 weeks ago

      Seeing as Harrison isnt a SS, what does it have to do with Arroyo?

      Reply
    • koolga

      3 weeks ago

      Was going to post the same thing. They already have their Josh Harrison, his name is Christian Arroyo.

      Reply
  14. This one belongs to the Reds

    3 weeks ago

    At least your team is trying.

    Reply
  15. baseballguru

    3 weeks ago

    STICK WITH CHRISTIAN ARROYO at either SS or 2B he is the best infielder on the team at this point and last year as well minus Story…save your $ Chaim & wait for a trade deadline boost…but go get Trevor Bauer for league minimum! That will pay off!

    Reply
    • Dorothy_Mantooth

      3 weeks ago

      I too like Arroyo a lot, but his injury history concerns me. Seems like he can never make it through a full season. With that said, they do have Enmanuel Ruiz down in the minors who hit .296 with 35 doubles, 28 HRs & 107 RBI across AA & AAA last season. His defense leaves a little bit to be desired but he might be a decent fill-in should Arroyo go down at 2B. Ruiz was one of the two prospects acquired from Houston for Vasquez last year.

      Reply
  16. Jurassic Carl

    3 weeks ago

    Anyone got John Valentin number? Maybe we could shoot Nomar a Email…

    Reply
  17. swanhenge

    3 weeks ago

    Not a terrible option tho id prefer they brought Iglesias back.

    The available FAs out there aren’t terrible and it certainly appears like its dumpster diving. But truth is these little pieces like Duvall can turn out to be huge. See Pearce, Napoli, etc.

    Reply
  18. Cooperdooper7

    3 weeks ago

    No thanks……

    Reply
  19. Armaments216

    3 weeks ago

    Josh Harrison would be a great depth piece for most teams. And he may be a fine addition for Boston too. But only if they also add a shortstop.

    Reply
  20. Buuba ho tep

    3 weeks ago

    Don’t ever call the pirates dumpster divers
    Boston is the new dumpster bin

    Reply
    • Curtisrowe

      3 weeks ago

      Nah, it’s still Pittsburgh.

      Reply
  21. bobcavic

    3 weeks ago

    I always liked Harrison, but the Sox seem to be covered at the Utility role and I’d rather see them sign Iglesias as a SS.

    Reply
  22. dbdmack

    3 weeks ago

    Marwin Gonzalez part deux.

    Reply
  23. pwndroia

    3 weeks ago

    No thank you. This guy is kind of washed up. We need offense

    Reply
    • JoeBrady

      3 weeks ago

      You won’t get offense from your UIF.

      Reply
      • pwndroia

        3 weeks ago

        But we need to make it up elsewhere. We already have enough utility guys to be looking for more. Don’t forget we just signed Niko Goodrum too.

        Reply
  24. hitman32

    3 weeks ago

    If Bloom is going to get a 2nd baseman I would much rather see Cesar Hernandez because he is younger, more durable & hits from both sides of the plate. I am also more of a fan of signing Iglesias over Andrus for a short term SS.

    Pitching please…..

    Reply
  25. AL34

    3 weeks ago

    That .256 batting average and 7 homeruns should go a long way in replacing Bogaerts production. Can Bloom please pick up a good player not the low level stuff that is out there. Is this team going to be bad or what. Bloom cannot judge talent to save his life. This team should be completely out of it by May. This team is going to be pathetic this year. Please get rid of Bloom this year the sooner the better.

    Reply
    • Curtisrowe

      3 weeks ago

      “Completely out oif it by May”

      Ok.

      Reply
      • olmtiant

        3 weeks ago

        Curtis….. you give us till MAY???

        Reply
      • AL34

        3 weeks ago

        Yeah !!!

        Reply
  26. AL34

    3 weeks ago

    How is this team going to replace the production of JD Martinez and Bogaerts? If he is talking about picking up slugs like this and he thinks this is going to get it done we are in major trouble.

    Reply
    • Bosox Boonie

      3 weeks ago

      JDM was good for a .790 OPS and 1.1 WAR last year. I don’t think replacing that will be difficult, particularly since Yoshida is the person already chosen to do that.

      Reply
      • Bosox Boonie

        3 weeks ago

        Or, if you prefer a more proven comp than Yoshida, the Sox also signed Justin Turner, whose .788 OPS and 2.0 WAR last year also replaces JDM’s production.

        Reply
      • AL34

        3 weeks ago

        You are counting on Yoshida who has never played in the Major Leagues before. Good luck with that.

        Reply
        • madmc44

          3 weeks ago

          Not comparing him to Ichiro Suzuki –oh why not…Ichiro never played in the Majors either. He had a pretty good career.

  27. formerdraftpick

    3 weeks ago

    They should have made a move for Kevin Newman back when the Pirates had a roster crunch.

    Reply
  28. Chaims Checkbook

    3 weeks ago

    Would be Another Stud Grab by the Boss Man, my goodness he is crushing it with old and or broken players, most of who are mediocre at best.
    216M and Jarren Duran is going to get in for meaningful games?
    At least they got rid of that other Bum Plawecki, when both of them were in the same game the chance of winning was nill….hard enough trying to hide 1 chump.

    WTG Bloomers, your 216M team should reside at the bottom of the East….. AGAIN!

    Reply
  29. tesseract

    3 weeks ago

    Imagine the Boston Red Sox spending like the Tampa Bay Rays…. only to be beat by them on the field.

    Reply
  30. baseballguru

    3 weeks ago

    NO NO NO NO! Christian Arroyo is 1000% capable at ANY of the 4 infield spots &
    Full time starting! Drafted 25th (ahead of Aaron Judge 32)in 2013 for a reason! Cut this guy loose in 2023 for God Sake! but extend him for ages 27-33 seasons 7yrs 15 million first before he makes you pay 15-25aav per year! Trust me it will be your #1 move of your career if you do!

    Reply
  31. mcmillankmm

    3 weeks ago

    At least they let Eovaldi walk, that would be wasted $$

    Reply

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