One of the big offseason questions for the Yankees is how to proceed with Gleyber Torres. The veteran second baseman is one year from free agency, projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $15.3MM salary in his final year of arbitration.
That’s still solid value for the team’s second-best hitter. Torres had a strong 2023 campaign, hitting .273/.347/.453 with 25 home runs across 672 plate appearances. With 23-year-old Oswald Peraza having reached the MLB level, there’s a case for the Yankees to move Torres for help elsewhere on the roster.
Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty of the Athletic reported on Wednesday that the Yankees had not engaged Torres’ camp on extension talks. Certainly, it’s early enough in the winter that they could still do so. Yet there hasn’t seemed much urgency on the part of the organization to keep Torres beyond his control window. During 2023 Spring Training, the infielder replied “I wish” when asked by ESPN’s Marly Rivera whether there had been any extension talks before he and the team agreed to a one-year arbitration deal.
The absence of an extension doesn’t mean the Yankees need to make a trade. They could retain Torres for a final season and potentially make him a qualifying offer next winter. Since they’re likely to exceed the luxury tax in 2024, the compensation pick would presumably fall after the fourth round if Torres declines a QO and signs with another team. New York could find a more valuable return this winter if they feel comfortable with Peraza stepping into an everyday second base role.
One potential trade partner: the archrival Red Sox. Rob Bradford of WEEI wrote yesterday that Boston identified Torres as a trade target during the 2023 season. Meanwhile, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports that the Yankees have shown prior interest in Boston right fielder Alex Verdugo, whom they could again pursue this offseason.
There’s merit to a potential swap involving Torres and Verdugo. Each is one year from free agency. Verdugo, as a left-handed hitting outfielder who rarely strikes out, is the type of player that Yankees GM Brian Cashman is openly targeting. The Red Sox have Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida alongside Verdugo as lefty-swinging outfielders. Boston’s first-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow indicated this week they’ve already received interest in Verdugo from other teams.
Torres is the better player. Verdugo is coming off a .264/.324/.421 showing and has been a roughly league average hitter in three straight seasons. He has solid grades in right field but isn’t a fit in center. Torres has greater positional value as a middle infielder, even if he’s not a particularly strong defensive second baseman.
That makes Verdugo a little more affordable financially, however. Swartz projects him for a $9.2MM salary, roughly $6MM below the Torres estimate. The difference might not be enough for the Yankees to accept a direct one-for-one swap, but they’re close enough in trade value that it’s not hard to see the match on paper.
It should be noted that Boston’s reported interest in Torres this past season came under previous chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. Breslow, hired three weeks ago, may have a different evaluation. With a lackluster second base group headlined by Pablo Reyes and Enmanuel Valdez, the desire for help at the position remains. Breslow indicated this week that the team could look for a second baseman, ideally one who hits from the right side. Bradford writes that some members of the Boston organization still view Torres as a good fit. With middle infield prospects Nick Yorke and Marcelo Mayer likely one season from MLB readiness, a veteran bridge at the position aligns with the organizational timeline.
The biggest obstacle may just be the acrimony between the organizations. The Red Sox and Yankees are unsurprisingly infrequent trade partners. They’ve lined up on deals just three times in the past 25 years. New York acquired minor league outfielder Greg Allen this past May. The Sox essentially “bought” prospect Frank German by taking on the Adam Ottavino contract in 2021. The teams swapped struggling veterans Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson at the 2014 deadline.
A deal involving Verdugo and Torres (or even a trade featuring just one of the two) would be much more notable than any of those transactions. There’s an argument that each player is a better fit for the other team’s roster as currently constructed. With both clubs trying to jump from the bottom half of the AL East back to the postseason, it’s one of various paths they could consider in the weeks to come.
29 other teams in baseball would be glad to have Gleyber.
Makes sense to me, I’d be for it.
As a Boston fan, I don’t think I would be opposed to that at all, fairly even in the contract department, and both only have one year left on their deals, not sure
Of course you wouldn’t! It’s because Gleyber is much better then Verdugo. No thanks.
Gleyber isn’t that great with the glove to be honest. If he’s so great you guys ought to extend him.
GASox – He’s not that much better with the bat either, .789 OPS to .765 for Verdugo.
Fever – Need to create fractions to evaluate.
Verdugo will cost $9.2MM if he comes in at 100 OPS+ he’s at least a $4.2MM over pay. If he comes in at 120 ish with his OPS+ he earns his money.
Torres will cost $14.6MM if he comes in at 118 like he did last year then he’s close to earning his money.
The benefit to cost ratio projects to be higher for Torres than Verdugo so the deal does not make sense for the Yankees but would be good for Boston.
If we use career numbers not 2023 numbers then Torres comes up roughly the same since his 2023 OPS+ was very slightly higher than his career OPS+.
Verdugo’s career OPS+ is slightly higher than his 2023 OPS+ but not enough to qualify him for a $9.2MM salary. He should make roughly $5MM or less.
Also, Verdugo has trended downward since his peak in the COVID shortened season. He tends to start fast so a 60 game season was ideal. 2024 should be a 162 game season so his OPS+ is just as likely to be under 100 in 2024 as it is to be over 100 in 2024. Can’t be more league average than that!!! $9.2MM for league average when you can get it for under $1MM is a huge over pay.
One other way to compare is to add up their key stats:
BA + IP + BB rate then use SBs to break any ties
Verdugo in 2023 was .264 plus .157 Iso plus 0.060 BB rate totaling .481 5/8 sbs
Torres in 2023 wsa .273 plus .180 ISO plus 0.074 BB rate totaling .527 13/19 sbs
Torres was .046 higher in total contribution than Verdugo with 8 more sbs
Is that worth $5.4MM in pay? Yes but just barely. So once again the analysis says the benefit to cost ratio is higher on Torres. NY shouldn’t do the deal.
Your analysis is excluding something very important Positional calculation and excess salary contribution. Peraza/DJ vs Torres and Bauers/Cabrera vs Verdugo. You lose 1 war to gain 2 (not actual math but get the point)
The yankees have 2 or 3 people that could replace 2b with less of a drop off than you would gain from an outfielder with similar value. You would also gain 5 million that can get you into another tier of free agent such as instead of going after a 15M contract you can go after a 20M contract or perhaps a better reliever or depth piece.
So while torres himself is worth more .. he is worth less to the yankees than would be for the red sox and vice versa for the red sox and verdugo. Although i dont think Torres will be enough to push the Red sox into the playoffs.
All that math is also offensive only in nature, while it omits defensive value.
Dugie is a superior defender and a run saved is a run earned.
Punk for punk, why not
Gleyber is a punk now? Like the precious Verdugo? What a stupid comment.
“Verdugo, as a left-handed hitting outfielder who rarely strikes out”
93 whiffs? smh
Career 15.1 wiff rate vs a MLB average 22.6 means he rarely strikes out.
So keep him then!
> Career 15.1 wiff rate vs a
> MLB average 22.6
> means he rarely strikes out.
No.
Luis Arraez rarely strikes out.
34 K in 617 PA
@Ellis: You can’t go by his K numbers relative to the MLB average. Taking it to the extreme, if the MLB average was 80% K rate but Verdugo only struck out 50% of the time, he’d be way better than average but you couldn’t say he ‘rarely’ strikes out. MLB K rate for batters is through the roof. Verdugo might have good numbers compared to the rest of the league, but he still strikes out a lot.
The MLB average is lousy. When we’re considering 93 strikeouts a year as “rarely”, there’s something wrong.
A ~15% strikeout rate would have been good in 1985. That’s pretty darn low for any year.
@mlb1225: a 15% K rate in 1985 would have been worse than average (14.0%) for that year. This is an unwieldly link, but it shows K% over the years. 15% only became better than average (though not by much) in the late 1980s/early 1990s (excepting a period in the 1960s).
fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&st…
That’s still not bad, however. Some of the greatest hitters of all time have had a K% above 15% as well. Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle, Manny Ramirez, Jeff Bagwell, Willie Stargell, Reggie Jackson, Miguel Cabrera, all struck out in over 15% of their plate appearances.
Maybe “rarely strikes out” isn’t really fitting, but he K’d 15.5% last year and 15.1% in his career.
MLB average is 22.6% so, he strikes out just about 2/3 of what most other do.
And a .750 ops. Pass unless they blow us away.
Let’s be honest. Torres really just needs to sit and become a DH. The guy is a defensive liability anywhere he takes the field, and, remains an error machine in a time mlb instructed scorers to give the benefit of the doubt and score as many errors as hits as they can.
As for Boston, they got two bat-only defensive liability DH-only types in the infield already. They don’t need a third.
I’d rather the Yankees just move Gleyber to the outfield.
Lol torres is way more valuable you guys are crazy
The contract disparity tells you that though
Gleybar to the Giants for Yaz matches up perfect
No thanks. Verdugo for Yaz seems fair though. Gleyber will be staying with the Yankees. No need for your trash!
I don’t see it, thairo is very good. Neither should be playing short
I thought Carl Yaztrzemski had passed? Cause if you’re talking about Mike Yaztrzemski, you’re gonna have to add to that deal to get Gleyber.
Gleyber not Gleybar. I only correct you on this because Gleybar doesn’t sit right with me. Gley Bar.
Stupid trade idea. Torres is a much better hitter. Just needs to learn to run the bases and field better. I’d much rather have him then Verdugo.
He’s going into his sixth full seasons in the majors. He is what he is at this point.
Torres is better then anything the Mets have going in to his 6th season!
my guess is the yanks would probably trade gleybar and more for alonso so i have to disagree.
“Torres is better then anything the Mets have going in to his 6th season!”
No, he isn’t. Torres plays two positions, 2B and SS.
Torres: career 115 OPS+, averages 3.2 WAR per 162 game season
Mets 2B, Jeff McNeil: career 121 OPS+, averages 4.6 WAR per 162 game season
Mets SS, Francisco Lindor: 117 OPS+, averages 5.7 WAR per 162 game season
Try again, buddy!
Yes sure. I’m sure Alonso is nothing but gage but good thing you took offense to a comment that wasn’t even being negative to him.
No, he isn’t. Torres plays two positions, 2B and SS.
==============================
He has a -19 DRS in 2021/22 in 1,236 IPs.. He’s not a SS.
No, he isn’t. Torres plays two positions, 2B and SS.
==============================
He has a -19 DRS in 2021/22 in 1,236 IPs.. He’s not a SS.
and Derek Jeter ended his career with negative 155 DRS yet had multiple gold gloves.and also one year where it was lower than torres combined for 2021 and 2022.. Soo what your saying is Torres is on his way to be a hall of fame gold glover? or do they need to remove SS as position for Jeter.as “.. He’s not a SS.”
Flag on the play. Then/than confusion. Five yards. Still third down.
Hego – .789 career OPS to .765 is not “much better”.
Please look at facts before typing hyperbole.
How is Torres’ defense at SS?
Good enough to be moved from shortstop to second.
Joe – Love it, you win the day!
Ha ha. Nice.
Does he ever play there now ?
Torres is a 2nd baseman, so go back to sleep! Smh.
Sorry, I don’t follow the Yankees and just assumed he was moved to 2B because the kid was an amazing defender. Just wondering if it’s passable defense at SS or terrible.
It’s terrible.
Cap – When did you start following baseball, 5 years ago?
Torres was almost EXCLUSIVELY a shortstop until they moved him to 2B in 2018.
From 2014-2016 he played all but 8 games at shortstop.
In his professional career he’s played 700 innings more at SS than 2B.
They moved him completely off shortstop this year because he sucked there, plain and simple.
“””Cap – When did you start following baseball, 5 years ago?”””
Imposible Fever, the kid was probably still in diapers 5y ago judging from multitude of posts have read by said member on just this topic.
Thought Tim and his crew cleaned up many of the trolls and kiddies awhile back. how did this obvious one get thru?
Cap – When did you start following baseball, 5 years ago?
They moved him completely off shortstop this year because he sucked there, plain and simple.
===========================
Isn’t that what Cap was saying when he said Torres was a 2B?
Joe – Look at the context please.
Not good. But you’re trading for a 2B man.
Gleyber has brain fart moments even with him being at 2B. Too many times he mentally collapsed, the bat is what helps him a ton.
This would be the start of a new curse on the Red Sox.
I thought this trade made perfect baseball sense but I am not a Yankee or Red Sox fan. Seems so far like the Sox fans like it and Yankee fans don’t. Captain obvious here to save the day.
Of course they do because Verdugo sucks! They seem to know that?
Cap – Dugie sucks so much that teams are reaching out to Breslow about acquiring him. He sucks so much that he is a GG finalist.
You’re making everyone want Dugie traded to the Yankees even more, just to see your wonderful reaction! Hahahaha!!
are u the author of this article ?
I am not, I am a little drunk and hit a doob wit some oil so I am thinking I’m a lot smarter than what I really am. No worries, it happens.
The pure joy of this suggestion is how offensive it is. I imagine myself having to root for Torres when he’s at the plate in a Sox uniform and each time I laugh out loud. I think the Sox taking the bigger money hit is enough to smooth over the straight trade. And since each is in his walk year, maybe they’ll freaking behave themselves and boost their performance, too.
It might take more than just verdugo but the money dif evens it some..that said, boston has plenty of other options both internal and external no need to help ny as they are in far greater need of and outfielder than bos is at 2b.
I don’t see this as a possibility. Torres has more value.
I agree, but it is close enough that the RS can throw in a non-premier prospect to even it out.
Yankees would be gifting their division rival their second best hitter for the red Sox’s average outfielder. Torres is part of winning, if we trade him away it better be for legit players or top100 (back end probably) prospects. I’d just keep him.
Agree. He’s also the only proven young IF the Yankees have. I don’t consider Volpe to be “proven” yet. Give me another year.
unglar – Being the “second best hitter” on the team with the 4th-lowest OBP in all of MLB is nothing to brag about son.
Only Miami, Cleveland, Detroit, ChiSox and Oakland scored fewer runs than the NYY.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Idk what you’re trying to say, why would trading Torres away improve the anemic offense? He’s a valuable bat, Verdugo has a higher average I guess, but I’d rather take Torres’ pop for our decidedly unreliable/unknown/inexperienced infield. You can find a Verdugo replacement, at best this would be a lateral move. Keep him.
Gleybar Torres is a pretty good, solid 2bman, who’s had to listen to himself linked in trade rumors pretty much every single year of his career.
Called being a Pro.
Trading Torres to Boston would be ridiculous. The guy would hit 35-40 homers in Boston. He’s also the only proven young IF the Yankees have. Volpe had one season, so I wouldn’t consider him to be “proven”.
Seems kind of pointless. Shouldn’t the Red Sox be rebuilding to some extent? At least for a year or 2.
What about Tyler ONeill for a Yankees relief pitcher? Looks like the Yankees have a few. Perhaps Effross.
It makes sense position wise. Red Sox need a 2B, Yankees need a LH OF.
But that’s where it stops. Never mind that Torres has been the better hitter, Verdugo can’t play CF, or LF at Yankee Stadium. You can sacrifice defense for Soto’s offensive, not for someone with a 98 wRC+
Yankees are better off trading the youngens for established talent. Or maybe pay off half of DJL. Judge and Cole are great but it takes more than that
best thing for the club long-term might have been to give peraza the 600 at-bats they gave to volpe. i’d be okay trading gleyber and rolling with peraza at second since they’re not winning without major additions elsewhere
IMO, I think that is the best long-term strategy. You either trade him, play him, or watch his long term value get blinded off.
For what it’s worth Baseball Trade Values has
Verdugo at 5 million
Torres at 6.9 million
So, yes, pretty close
As long as we are talking trades that won’t happen..Torres to the Mets for McNeil. Yankees get someone to play LF Mets get a little more pop in the lineup.
It’s not the worst idea of the most lopsided trade.
I would think the Sox should kick in at least a lottery type prospect to make it even.
mack – The Sox would be taking on a much bigger contract, that’s more than enough to justify the one-for-one.
Gleyber’s the better player. Especially coming off of their respective 2023 seasons. Not to say the salary difference doesn’t matter but I still feel like it’s not exactly even. I don’t think it requires a top 30 type, but something else should be thrown in.
As a RS fan, I agree. It’s close enough, but the RS would be getting the better of it.
Verdugo plus ???
It would have to be either Whitlock or Houck.
rmullig – You DO realize Breslow is calling the shots now, not Bloom … right?
bad deal all around for the Yankees.
As a Red Sox fan, I’d take this deal in a heartbeat, but there’s no way Verdugo is as productive a player as Torres. They’ve both got their warts but Torres has shown all-star potential and real dynamism. Verdugo is a defense-first platoon outfielder at best who’s been shoved into a larger role than he ought to have because reducing his playing time would have amounted to an admission that the Sox were fleeced in the Betts deal.
A fairer trade would probably be Verdugo + Duran/Rafaela/Valdez/Abreu for Torres + [Insert Reliever Here].
For what it would cost to land Gleyber, though, I don’t think it makes sense for the Sox to go after him. I’m pretty sure the game plan right now is to slide Story back over to second once Mayer’s ready for MLB, and that shouldn’t be longer than a year out. Giving up any of that list of prospects for a one-year rental whom it wouldn’t make sense to extend isn’t wise.
Torres wouldn’t get Duran or Rafael or Abreu straight-up for Torres.
Any of those three are more valuable than Torres.
I’m with you on Rafaela, though I think he’s who NY would push for. Abreu and Duran I’m not as high on and Torres has a pretty desirable profile. The market isn’t exactly saturated with power-bat second basemen that can slide to short in a pinch.
I’m not that high on either as well. But Duran’s bWAR was 2.1 in 362 PAs while Torres’ bWAR was 2.9 in 672 PAs. Torres has one year left while Duran still has 5 years left.
Joe – Completely agree about Rafaela but Duran is far better than Abreu in the long run. Abreu will eventually be the fourth outfielder. He’s a very solid slightly above average player who should clock in with an OPS+ of roughly 110. Good enough to be a cheap back-up outfielder. I see Rafaela being a 130 or greater OPS+ guy and Duran a 120 to 130 type guy. Anthony should be another 130 or more type guy when he arrives so Anthony and Rafaela are our future stars like Casas, Bello and others. That’s why OF is NOT a need for 2024. Just SPs(2), 3B, 2B, C and Lefty Reliever.
thecrocuse – No way I’d give up Duran or Rafaela for Torres. Both have more upside, especially Rafaela. Abreu for Torres is too little same as Valdez for Torres. Even Abreu and Schreiber is too little for Torres.
I’d be hesitant to move either of them, too—like I said above—but I don’t think the Yankees would trade Torres for Verdugo without one of them involved.
My stance here is basically that this trade proposal isn’t worth what it would cost to make a reality.
I feel like this would be a trade that could backfire greatly on the Yankees. Its very rare for these teams to trade together and even rarer for there to be significant pieces going both ways. Besides Cashman probably still has a bad taste in his mouth from the Adam Ottavino trade
Anthony Franco this is the stupidest trade idea I have heard of in a long time… An overpaid Punch and Judy hitter, Verdugo for an improving young slugging infielder Torres… If you were to conduct a poll on this idea the only people that would vote Yes… are Red Sox fans..
Hey New York,how aboutfor Torres we send Akil Baddoo and Wenceel Perez.
I’m not interested in taking Verdugo in a 1-1 deal for Torres. Torres is the better hitter and Yankees need to add not subtract better hitters.
And while Verdugo was a GG fielder that was in RF where Yankees already have Judge. They really need a player capable of playing CF.
There was interest from Marlins and Mariners in the past. Both teams have pitching surplus but don’t see them moving it for one year of Torres. And none of them have spare OF that would be worth trading for.
The kicker here is the significant dollar difference in expected arb cost. Gleyber is an awful defensive second baseman he makes a lot of errors has limited range he’s just not good defensively but he’s the more impactful hitter and has a little more value at second but does he have one year and 6-8 million more value that’s debatable. It’s probably moot unless the Yankees were planning on moving Verdugo to left I mean the Yankees right fielder is pretty darn good last I checked.
The Red Sox offseason should begin with doing whatever it takes to sign Yamamoto…. then after that it should be Verdugo and any minor league top prospect not named Meyer, Anthony, Teel or Rafaela. for another starting pitcher.
In think Akil Badoo, Jason Foley and a top 10 prospect trade Gleybor Torres makes sense
Please don’t! Pablo manning second with valdez for a year won’t kill you. Trading verdugo to the Yankees is kinda like trading mookie to them !
More like taking the mookie return and donating it to New York but still!
NY Yankees- Do Not Make This Trade!
Torres is a 3 WAR player and middle infielder, just turning 27, He’s one of the few Yankees who is underrated. I wouldn’t make this deal. But the organization has never really valued him, and chances are they will make a bad trade
come get India or Senzel…we woll take a SP.
No matter how this same trade is written, no thanks
I wouldn’t call Pablo Reyes a “lackluster” player. Not a slugger, but he’s a touch above average with speed, defensive versatility, contact skills and a flare for the dramatic. Take the savings on a gritty fun throwback and invest the money in pitching.
He’s also a great personality. His first homer in 2 years was a walk off grand slam. On the radio postgame interview Joe Castiglione asked if he remembered his last big league home run.
He answered “I think it was tonight.”
So good…
4 years yet to hit free agency is now considered veteran status? I’ve seen this a few time here.
This is a pretty bad trade for the Yankees. A middle infielder who played above average defense and is the top 5 offensive 2nd baseman in the game for Verdugo???? I mean the guy that wrote this is a fan of what team? Do they background check these guys. I’m calling for a deep dive on the writer!
Billy he was bad defensively at 2nd doesn’t matter which defensive metrics you subscribe to he was below average on literally every single one. He had 15 errors which is terrible one of maybe the most errors by a second baseman in the league. Advanced metrics like drs says he was -4 one of the worst second baseman statcast says he was worth -3 oaa , uzr it doesn’t matter there’s literally no defensive metrics that says he was above average defensively. The reality he’s bad defensively.
Verdugo for Torres? No thank you.
Verdugo for Clarke Schmidt? Possibly. Yanks have enough comparable young arms to let Schmidt go for an average lefty bat.
YanksPhan42 – As a Red Sox fan the Torres deal is not even close to fair so it shouldn’t happen. Schmidt would be a salary dump for Boston and a need filled for NY so that could happen and benefit both teams.
Ah, that need filled for New York isn’t going to happen with Verdugo who your Sox are obviously trying desperately to dump….middling hitter who benefits greatly from playing in Fenway…..just because he’s a lefty doesn’t mean even Cashman is that stupid……
As a Yanks fan, you should know you NEVER have enough arms and your suggestion of letting even a #4-5 starter like Schmidt go for a guy that Boston is trying to run out of town just because he’s a lefty swinger is preposterous and silly…….besides, Mr. Red Beard peach fuzz with the 6# medal chain isn’t going to like the Yankee clubhouse or rules…….
I wrote that because it was already rumored at the trade deadline last year that Cashman was considering it.
If Verdugo is a head case, I wouldn’t want him either. But these writers who are suggesting a 1-1 for Gleybor are idiots
YP
BTV has
Verdugo’s value around $5 million
Schmidt’s value at $17 million
I approve this trade.
Absolutely. I’m not even a fan of Schmidt, but 4 years of someone with a floor of a #5, and a ceiling of a good #3, is worth one year of the majority of outfielders.
Filed under: Deals that will never happen.
Just want the Yanks need…head case who is a “Richard” in the clubhouse..skips meetings, benched by Cora for his attitude..etc…for Torres…whose non chalant play in the field…lack of hustle (Cano)..horrible base runner etc…wait a minute..maybe it is a good swap…….one headache for another……..
Gleyber for Verdugo would be the most Cashman trade of all time.
I mean if you really look deeper the only reason that you would trade Torres for Verdugo is if you are ready to to turn over 2nd base to someone else. Torres doesn’t really strike out that much in fact he struck out less then Verdugo % wise last year. He’s easily the superior hitter but Torres is bad defensively and Verdugo is solid defensively.
Totally agree
I think your right Troll except Abreu is your right fielder. If he has a good spring training you put him in right. The best defensive outfield is Duran in left, Rafaela in center and Abreu in right. I have said Abreu is sneaky athletic he would get to most balls in right and with Rafaela in center he can effectively cut down some of the area in right this coupled with the speed of Duran is the best defensive outfield alignment. Rafaela has the arm for right but Abreu’s arm is better and very accurate. He had 8 of assists in right field and that happened early everyone soon learned you don’t run on that guy.
Bruin1012 – That’s completely illogical. Rafaela has the best arm. He is the best athlete. He belongs in RIght Field in Fenway. Duran is the fastest and a good fielder with a good enough arm to play Center Field. Abreu is a place holder for Anthony who is the slowest of the three future outfielders and he has the most power. He is a prototypical Left Fielder in Fenway so his place holder (Abreu) should play left field in 2024 until Anthony gets the call up to the majors.
Baseball America disagrees with you and say Rafaela’s arm is better. Also, why play a guy out of position for a year and then move him permanently to a different field later? That makes no sense. I think you over estimate Abreu’s skill. He’s a nice slightly above league average player but Anthony and Rafaela are future STAR players like Casas. Duran’s skills make him a valuable addition in Center Field because we need his speed and his 120 or better OPS+ bat. Abreu is the odd man out but an excellent fourth outfielder until 2030 when they all become free agents!!
Bruin1012 – One thing to consider is if Mayer turns out to be a bust in 2024 they could move Rafaela to SS and use Abreu in right field with Story at 3B. In that case, Abreu becomes the long term solution in right field. I don’t think Mayer will be a bust but it’s nice to have so much farm system talent it’s hard to determine who gets to play where!! It gives us hope now that the dark days of Bloom are over.
I’ll tell you something watching all the AA games I have been watching recently one thing you notice about Rafaela he is careless at that position. He makes some silly errors I don’t think he’s anything more then average and probably a bit below at the position. Story is exceptional defensively at short now that his arm is healthy if he just gets back to average offensively then he will be fine at short at least until Mayer is ready I doubt Mayer busts out completely he just might not be the star everyone hoped for and predicted.
Troll honestly I think Rafaela’s best position on the infield is probably third base
But he will probably be a high error in fielder anywhere he is. He might be good at second as well but his arm is wasted there. I don’t like his external clock at short.
“Internal”
I don’t give a rats ass what some publication says. I watched them both this year and Abreu has the best and most accurate arm. He threw out 8 guys in AAA from right field in less then 220 innings. The moved him all over the place he made no errors in right and looked solid there. Teams simply stopped running on Abreu. Go ahead and believe what you want but Rafaela is playing center it’s easily his best defensive position and Abreu’s superior arm is wasted in left.
Rafaela hasn’t been ever played right field at all as far as I know he’s a centerfielder.
I liked Roman Anthony coming into the season watched his games in Salem in 2022 and despite poor offensive numbers I though he would break out in 2023 based on his at bats and how hard he hit the ball.
In 2023 his numbers weren’t really that impressive at Salem really not much different then Miguel Bleis except the plate discipline you can see the talent in both players but Bleis got injured and they correctly promoted Anthony to High A Greenville based on underlying metrics.
Anthony blossomed there mostly because he hit an absurd amount of homers per fly ball he still didn’t hit enough fly balls and still hit a lot of ground balls and this is what needs to be watched moving forward can he hit enough fly balls to take advantage of his power or hit enough line drives to get to a high average. These are his questions moving forward.
Imo he was way underrated coming into the season but his somewhat overrated at the end of the season. He’s still easily a top 50 prospect but I think he may have some issues adjusting to AA or AAA wherever they decide to start probably AA Portland. I’d be surprised if we see him before 2025 in Boston.
Wilyer Abreu is very underrated. There was something that clicked with this guy around the beginning of June he was really a monster in AAA after that date. He still controlled the strike zone really well but he got more aggressive earlier in the count instead of what appeared he was looking for walks he looked to damage pitches early in the count. When he swings now he swings with bad intentions I also really like he hits a lot of fly balls and not many ground balls his line drive percentage is down a bit since he’s started to swing with bad intentions but that coupled with his good defense makes him a keeper. He’s going to be better then people realize.